Discovering POLYPHIA for the 1st time, I'll never play the guitar again | 'Playing God' REACTION!

New Camera Lens, we fucking with it?😏

You mentioned Tim's hair. I showed my mate the unplugged version of this song and he's a hairdresser and he was looking at that haircut like we look at his playing lol, he was so impressed.

So Polyphia started out as basically a metalcore band with lots of “shred” guitar, then they started to get more electronic vibes on “Renaissance” which added to the atmosphere of their songs. On their EP, The Most Hated, they started to really incorporate trap/hip-hop style drums which I’ll admit took me some time to get used to because it was a precursor for what was to come next… Then they released the first single “G.O.A.T.” for their 2018 album, New Levels New Devils”. That was the song that made me realize what they were really aiming for, using the guitar/bass/drum formula to make trap rap/pop songs that groove but also incorporate great musicianship. GOAT is basically a song where each member gets to freestyle a verse in rap but its really a solo on their instruments. I would recommend checking out in order “Inspire” then “Champagne” then “Euphoria” then “40oz” then “GOAT” then “Yas” then “So Strange” That will show you their musical progress.

Tim Henson is popular on social media which is what most reactors see and just think he’s the feature but in terms of skill both Tim and Scott Lepage (the other lead guitarist) are equals in terms of their proficiency. Also worth noting the two Clays, Clay Aeschlimann on drums and Clay Gober on Bass are absolute monsters at their instruments and their parts. This song in particular was inspired by the fans. Tim Henson did a few videos reacting to fans covering their super popular song called GOAT (check it out if haven’t yet it’s awesome) and when Tim saw the fans covering GOAT on acoustic guitar he said he wants lessons from him and then proceeded to play this on nylon strings with Scott Lepage following suit. Also after about a minute and a half into the song “Playing God”, there’s a genre switch into bossanova. Overall, no they don’t have a vocalist, occasionally on some tracks they will feature some other artist that might do vocals but as a band they are instrumental progressive rock band. All of them are masters at their instruments and due to Tim’s unique look and his engagement on social media, the masses recognize him the most over the others. Social media engagement is obviously not a metric of skill on guitar so don’t confuse that as him being better than the rest. They all compliment each other musically and elevate each other to the apex of the prog rock scene. Tim incorporates a lot of hip hop and trap into their songs and even their most popular song GOAT is primarily inspired by a Jaden Smith song. A few other tracks of theirs that really highlight their skill would be probably OD, Goose, and their entire “New Levels, New Devils” album is a testament to their evolution in skill in music as a band. Hope you enjoyed it, mostly Polyphia is a musician’s band showcasing the upper limits of what a musician can achieve. For the casual listener some require lyrics which is fine but Polyphia isn’t that kind of band. Check out the other tracks they are incredible.

The instruments speak for themselves personally I don't think they need vocals or lyrics because they are a genre of their own

As someone who doesn’t understand the technical stuff behind music, this is my favorite song right now and I don’t want any vocals because it feels as honest and raw as breathing just the way it is

Unprocessed is also pretty damn technical

The most technical band that’s 100% grounded in melody.

They have "Look But Don't Touch", which comes with a vocal featuring (can't remember his name right now) The song is PRETTY cool and it's heavier than 75% of their work (and btw the music video is SOOOOO funny) I think you should check it out

bro your mix iS SOOOO CLEEEEEEAN, the way your voice sits in the video behind the music brings more attention to the song's details, haven't heard this kind of audio mix from many other youtubers! Edit: also like that you listened toi the song a few times to get a good feel for it and digest it a bit!

In terms of the vocalist thing - I felt the same when I first started listening to Polyphia. I was sort of bored to a degree outside of the amazing instrumental... but now after going back and listening to some slightly older stuff and then coming back to the new I kind of like them having no vocalist. I think that makes them stand out oddly enough. I am a little biased because I really enjoy instrumental work but honestly I think the vocals for Polyphia are the catchy tunes you end up whistling in the shower or when you're making breakfast.

The debut album from Animals as Leaders is over a decade old. It is still to me the most action packed, imaginative, exciting attack of fretboard firepower in this genre. It is ripped to the tits with soaring melodies and titanic sized Meshuggah grooves. Everything often explodes and expands with captivating excitement, then theres lush, chilled vibes like this track here. Jaysus lad, "Inemorata". THAT is a superb combo of technique and explosive riff orientated storytelling that leads to a cinematic sized finale.

its really great seeing your react to all of these bands for the first time! maybe someday youll get to the point where you can appreciate the appeal of bands like lorna shore as well!

Great reaction. Love the commentary.

Another super technical band that has a similar vibe to Polyphia is Unprocessed. They're actually touring with Polyphia this year.

Drew: "Who is cooler than Tim Henson?" Scott Lepage 3 seconds later: **** <- Showing us one of the smoothest guitar licks ever written. It's a reeaaaaally close call now. Reacting to G.O.A.T. is obligatory but I highly highly suggest also checking out 40 oz., Nightmare, Finale, and Champagne. Also check out Upside Down by Jason RIchardson and Luke Holland if you haven't already heard it, it features Tim.

Their last album (New levels new devils) has had an unmeasured impact on the instrumental guitar scene, critically acclaimed and the reason they are where they are, I'd start there and work back 🇮🇪

For me Polyphia do a great job capturing your attention even without vocals. Yeah, they have great technique but the reason why I listen to them all the time is their melodic quality and variety and the way they keep introducing new elements without being overwhelming

I loved their Reinssance album. Saw them live a few years ago and the moshing was silly ridiculous. They encrouaged it but I was confused how people would mosh to this 😂. But they can really groove it out. Crush, Euphoria, and GOAT are good ones

Check them Animals as Leaders if u wanna more tech