Review Summary: Perfectly acceptable.
Polar is a metalcore band, and
Everywhere, Everything is very much a metalcore album. Is it strikingly original or technically brilliant? Absolutely not. Is it perfectly acceptable, good, fun metalcore? Sure.
To be more specific,
Everywhere, Everything wears its influences very clearly on it sleeves. Polar do not try to reinvent the wheel when it comes to riffs, breakdowns, and blast-beats, but there is enough of a unique spin on the composition that it is not completely boring. Any lack in originality, however, is made up for in energy and execution. The musicians are on point, the composition has just enough breathing room to offset the many heavy passages, and it’s evident that Polar are having a good time.
I might be a little bit biased from the nostalgic feeling that accompanied listening to this, but in reality there are a lot of bands I’ve listened to that have tried to capture that sound and have come up more than short. Polar has taken a lot of elements of what defined this genre and pretty much nailed them. A great action movie may not have the best script or dialogue, but that doesn’t make it any less fun to watch. Similarly, Polar have released an album that may not be
deep, but is
enjoyable.
There are relatively minor foibles, such as the fact that the vocalist’s style is not entirely my cup, or that the derivative nature of the record means I likely won’t be visiting it again. That said, with
Everywhere, Everything , Polar isn’t necessarily trying to satisfy some grandiose vision, they’re just trying to give you forty minutes of good, acceptable, heavy music.
