So, Polyphia came to the fore for me during lockdown, remember that?
We had so much time on our hands and absolutely nothing to do that YouTube became our best friend; it allowed us to do things that we always wished we had time to do, like pick up the guitar again and throw ourselves into it like we were teens once again, without a care in the world. Then YouTube opened up a world so vast I never knew existed: guitar players, reviewers, and YouTubers with huge audiences who loved the gear as much as I did.
That opened doors to bands I had never heard of. Polyphia was one such band I just didn’t know about; I grew up on guitar players like Satch and Vai, Paul Gilbert, and Yngwie Malmsteen. They were my gods, and I often wondered where the guitar world would go beyond these four legends who set such a high bar; where could it take us? Then, one fateful day, I heard G.O.A.T., and my mind was blown.
2018’s New Levels New Devils was a phenomenal album; the virtuosity on that recording was something to behold, a totally new sound to me, where an instrumental band had grasped their ability to fuse rock/metal/shredding with any and every genre out there and somehow make it work. From the edge of break-up tones to full face-melting shredding, they wrapped it all up in a soulful, R’n’B-infused vibe that was just mental to see, the visuals were equally as important as the music, these guys were on point appealing to such a broad audience with aw hole new genre and fanbase that I guess it equally confused the industry who were no doubt trying to figure out what was their mojo and how could they bottle it!
Fast forward to 2026: the band released another album in 2022, Remember That You Will Die; they’ve evolved, they’re older, wiser, I think? Now their latest offering is about to drop, and I get to listen to it from start to finish and figure out who Polyphia are to me in 2026. From what I have heard so far, their single releases show a massive evolution from when I first heard them, so soaking it all in at once will give me a broader picture of how the band sounds as they flex their musical muscles going forward.
Right away, you know this sound is a massive departure from their earlier albums, yet it still somehow maintains that edgy signature sound that says Polyphia are in the building. This time around, as you move through the first few tracks, Let There Be Light and With Eyes To See, chaos reigns; the production overwhelms the senses. Not in the way that songs like ‘O.D.’ did, for example, but more of an aggressive pummelling way; you still get those Hip-Hop, RNB influences dappled in across the album that hark back to the band’s wider influences, but the early introduction to the album is less about melody, hooks or establishing a strong melodic connection with the album and seems to be a totally different flavour to their sound that has you on the edge of your seat wondering where this band are taking you.
‘Power In The Blood’ is the first song on the album for me that pulls me in as a track that, from start to finish, has a structure around it that you could say is cohesive and follows a more traditional path with a leading hook and line that you can sink your teeth into; the previous opening tunes come across as ideas spliced together in a way that many YouTuber guitarists create music, splicing small segments together and then working on making it into a song, unlike our old-school guitar gods who start at the beginning and write a melody from A-Z. I’ve seen plenty of videos of Tim (Henson) doing this in the studio, where he lets you into his genius, takes samples, flips them inside out, and builds amazing song foundations. He is a musical master, and these guys can play the phonebook. I am just wondering if they have somehow transcended what we thought was guitar instrumentation and reached a whole other level, and we are not quite ready for it.
I fully understand that bands need to push themselves, and they like us to evolve; musical tastes evolve, our minds open up to new things, and that’s what makes our world what it is. If everyone liked the same crap, the world would be far less interesting. So I will be fascinated to see how the guitar world responds to Polyphia’s latest offering. The album itself is a far heavier vibe; the band have fully embraced the 7- and 8-string trend of late, thunderous down-tuned riffage a plenty; there are industrial flavours in there, a lot of EDM influences and a taste here and there of the early love of Hip-Hop, RNB shizzle that the guys like to pay homage to. But this album is a very different Polyphia than I was introduced to back in 2020. For me, there just isn’t enough to sink my teeth into as a guitar player to keep me engaged. Polyphia’s sound has transcended guitar instrumental music, and it seems they are reaching out again to develop a whole new audience.
You can make up your mind this Friday when ‘Be Not Afraid’ is released digitally; the band is one of the finest out there, musically on another level. Creatively mind-blowing, and for what they have given me over the years, I will always owe them a debt of gratitude. I know I am just an old-fart; I can accept that. I have witnessed the creative genius of Tim Henson, Scott LePage, Clay Gober and Clay Aeschliman and cannot hold a candle to them, so I will watch with wonder how the band evolves over the coming years, with childlike excitement as they take on the world one stage at a time, melting faces in their wake.
Be Not Afraid arrives this Friday, October 23rd, digitally courtesy of Rise Records.
BE NOT AFRAID will be available for pre-order in the following formats:
- Let There Be Light vinyl variant
- Black Ice White Wave vinyl variant
- Golden Pearl vinyl variant
- Red Agate indie retail vinyl variant
- Golden Black Ice Swirl (With Eyes To See) vinyl variant
- Snow Piercer vinyl variant
- CD
- Gold Nugget vinyl variant
- Stardust vinyl variant
Pre-order your copy here: http://polyphia.lnk.to/
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