POLAR occupy a bit of an odd space for a British band. They’ve appeared on numerous bills with far “less heavy” bands as well as the more staple hardcore mobs, and it’s a sign of the times and their wider appeal that they can appear on a range of line ups.
‘Iron Lungs’, despite being primarily a fast, punk driven hardcore effort, does show the band have a certain knack for melody under the sometimes standard “gritty vocal”, with the underlying guitar work giving the band an extra dimension that makes all the difference. Without the attention to detail in things like the guitar sound and the arrangement, the band would be hard to distinguish between some of their heavier contemporaries, and though the finer point in ‘Iron Lungs’ are to be found in the more subtle aspects of the band’s sound, there’s no denying that they’ve put together something both credible and listenable.
POLAR are unlikely to avoid flack from the pickier ends of the hardcore scene, as the production on the album can take the edge off in places, but if given the patience it warrants, ‘Iron Lungs’ is uncompromised and certainly not watered down by any means. It’s a little more “commercial” (for want of a far better word) than a few of their contemporaries (despite carrying many of the same traits) and will definitely suit certain tastes, but it’s an album deserving of a bit of patience for the quality in musicianship on display.
‘Sick Old Buzzard’, ‘The Dead Travel Fast’ and ‘In County’ are the early favourites, but the instrumental title track really is fantastic, esepcially at the second drop around 2:20 in that brings some ear busting harmonics from the guitars.
Overall, ‘Iron Lungs’ is everything it should be; fast, noisy, balls out and full of riffs. It may not sit quite that well with some of the hardcore purists because of its minor faults, but it’ll certainly help build the band’s name in a positive way and solidify their hard work to date. Well worth a listen.
TOM AYLOTT