THE UNEXPECTED RISE OF POLYPHIA 

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I spoke with an LA guitar instructor at a wedding. He said about half of his new students were inspired by Polyphia to pick up the guitar. I think their influence in the rock/metal scene will be truly felt within this decade.

One of the most impressive things about them, even though they don't sound metal at all anymore, they still have cred with metal crowd. This never happens

One thing that doesn’t get said enough is that the drums and bass are really what makes their songs great. Most rap and pop songs focus on those two instruments and those two guys really seem to understand what they’re doing.

they came out right when Djent was a thing. and were a perfect counterpart to that scene. instead of super heavy open string chugging they did virtuoso guitar on really bouncy, smooth tracks. yet all my djenty friends loved them, and toured with those bands. getting regular metal kids into stuff like Guthrie Goven

I've always feel like these guys should cash in on the hippy/electronic music festival circuit. Wooks LOVE polyphia.

I’m not a huge Polyphia fan but I appreciate how they’ve been able to make guitar cool again by embracing risk and choosing musicality over straight up wanking. Thanks for this one Finn. I hope you talk about modern music more often. Also more bs tier lists would be cool.

The way Finn can break down a band or an artist is absolutely amazing. I pretty much watch all his videos and the way he articulates his words in discussing the band or the artist always blows me away. Breaking down Bands from PANTERA to Polyphia in very impressive ways

I was so obsessed with Polyphia when I was in high school, I was known in my music major as that guy who loves Polyphia, I made a couple of my own mixtapes with a heavy Polyphia influence, I bought a regular production version of Tim and Scott's signature guitars right before Covid hit and I even made a live cover of GOAT with a few friends on our graduation event (it's in my channel). Right now I'm a bit less into by guitarists for guitarists music but I'm still a huge fan of the band and I can't wait for the new album, and even though I'm already incredibly familiar with their formula I'm always blown away by each new single they release. I think the fact they delayed the album so much (like... there was even a running joke about it not actually being a thing ) created a lot of hype for it, just like how it was with Tool's Fear Inoculum. But anyways, they deserve each of their 1 million monthly listeners

I remember the original drummer delivered me a ticket by hand to one of their shows. They opened for Chimaira, Motionless In White, Asking Alexandria and Whitechapel in Dallas.

I started getting into Polyphia at the start of the pandemic. I was shocked that some considered them metal. Also funny they get considered as math rock since even Tim said their songs are in 4/4 and rarely ever aren't.

i LOVE how the guys let us see inside their creative process! videos like the ones of them playing acoustic together or solo, as well as tim’s producer walkthrough videos, really add another layer to the connection they have with fans…. like i personally don’t understand a single thing about guitar, drums or producing, but i always find time to watch these videos because they’re so cool (and everyone in polyphia is crazy skilled)

I've been listening to them since the Inspire EP and I gotta say that while the tunes on it are still good one of the things that really stuck in my brain was the aesthetics of the video for Impassion. It just looks good. It's still head and shoulders ahead of most similar content and it's nearly a decade old now. And that's correctly called out, imo, as a huge reason they have a lot of fans that aren't just metal nerds like me.

I like when you talk about modern music please continue to do it

Also, I really love how peeps be singing a long with the songs at the concerts. That alone, show the mastery Tim has with song writing.

Polyphia is arguably one of my top bands since I discovered them back on the Inspire EP. I saw them Live in Philadelphia on the New Levels New Devils tour (I lived in Philly at the time, I’m from Puerto Rico) and to this day I remember every note and how energetic and awesome they were live. Always a vibe

Accessible prog is one of the most difficult things to do and the groups that can do it have my respect 🙏 Polyphia keep getting better. Great video!

Thanks for this video Finn. Polyphia has been one of my favorites of the past 10 years. Saw them live 3 times in FL. I found them after Renaissance released and only got heavy into them with Lit and The Most Hated (a perfect EP imo; all bangers). Hope you continue to talk about more modern bands. I got into Spiritbox because of you. I think a video on Sleep Token would be cool. I feel like they should blow up in the next few years.

It constantly blows me away the way you can break down no just music but bands themselves and then you can break down how each genre influences certain aspects of other genres and music in general it’s literally insane man you’re the Goat at this type of breakdown! 😂❤️

Saw these guys in a dive bar in NJ opening for Monuments. It’s so fucking awesome to see how far they’ve come. Back in the day, they’d always hang out and smoke with my buddy and I whenever they’d come around on tour. They’re genuinely great people and I’m so incredibly proud of them and their success.

Super creative band - love their vibe and desire to sidestep the many predictable paths they coulda gone down. Really a breath of fresh air and so refreshing to see and listen to. They deserve their success with such talent and it’s awesome they’re getting a positive reaction. Not self indulgent snd music with ability to push at the boundaries. Really cool show Finn and always good to hear your thoughts! Many thanks! 💎

It’s cool to see a band from my local area progress to what they are now. I first saw them in 2012 when they were a local act at a metal/punk festival. They just kept getting better and better with every release. They’ve been working extremely hard their whole time as a band and their success is extremely well deserved.

The trap drums and other elements you don't hear a lot in bands like them really drew me to them for sure. Went to a show that was them, TTNG, Tricot and Chon. Them and Tricot were my easy faves, they both take the technical math stuff in an uncommon direction. Both were fun live too

I used to play local shows with these dudes all the time. I personally liked their first drummer Brandon. He was good and just a super nice dude.

I saw them on the 2015 tour with Coheed. I talked to Tim at the merch booth about doing some apparel designs for them. Turns out, he does (or at least did) the designs himself. I've enjoyed watching them continue to blow up.

Even if their sound is still a little too chaotic for my tastes, I respect their talent and ability to make something so un-marketable into something marketable. Truly a band that all artists in similar genres should look into

Been a fan since they posted classical covers/Resurrect and Pokemon remixes on youtube and I have to say they have one of the most impressive growths as muscicians, every album is something new and exciting, they constantly are making new fans and I can't wait to see how they are in 10 years, another excellent video Finn! Also, Polyphia 100% have the widdly widdly gene thing going on, love that you coined that phrase.

I think everything here was spot on. I am one of those dudes who is all about music by musicians, for musicians and have been into instrumental music for many years. The change that happened with the "icronic" EP took me a while to appreciate, but I ended up loving it after a while. And I love their current direction, even if I don't really get into the songs with vocals. The fact that guys like Rick Beato talk so highly of Tim also gives credibility to the "old school purist" crowd while still being cool and hip. I am just excited to see them get big enough to start influencing a whole new generation of guitarists at a time when playing guitar doesn't hold the same power that it used to. As much as guys like Jason Richarson do to progress the instrumental genre, polyphia have an ability to influence a whole generation that is unmatched by any other groups within that genre.

Finn, would you ever do another album art tier list video?

Super talented and original band, but I find them more fun to listen to in brief spurts or play for others for the wow value. Fun, but it ultimately wears on me and doesn't speak to what I like in music. Reminds me of what I didn't like about Tom Morello's guitar solos. But I hope their success continues, as their originality and broad appeal is great for "guitar music" in 2022.

Great vid. Admittedly, dudes jamming in a grungy room is deeply embedded as pleasurable in my psyche since my earliest memories of being excited by music includes the video for "Longview."

I saw them recently and was so surprised by how much moshing there was. Made a lot of metal shows seem weak. I would love a video on Mike Shinoda.

I used to play bass, very poorly, but I'm not really a "guitar person" just someone who appreciates good guitar playing. I love it when someone's doing something different. The best thing I think polyphia has going on isn't just technical ability, it's the layers they bring into their songs and their playing is super smooth.

i’m with another commenter - please talk more about modern music. i know you’ve said your audience seems to only want videos about nu metal and butt rock, but i personally love slipknot as much as the next guy and still want to hear about polyphia and suicideboys. obviously you’ve gotta pay the bills, but videos like this seriously slap and keep your channel feeling fresh rather than like an archive of goofy guitar music from 20 years ago. on the video - i 100% agree that it’s the image they push that has brought them their success. embracing pop culture, the memes, the bright colours and interesting outfits, and making non conventional creative choices means you can mute the videos and still enjoy watching them. like in the video for neurotica i sometimes get lost in just watching how the camera moves like it’s attached to a robotic arm or something. anyway, great video, i’d love to see more stuff like this.

Great video!! Would love to see a similar video about Intervals. They’re the other instrumental band that has a really huge following and would love to know what you think they do to stand above the crowd. Again, really awesome insight you shared in this video!

Finn!! You continue to just keep brining the quality! Thank for you thoughtful commentary and prospective.

Shout out to the Cleveland Hardcore scene with that Integrity shirt! Love that. Just subscribed for that.

I found these guys with their impassion EP almost 7 years ago, they’ve come so far and they sound way better now

I always felt like polyphia were the first band to really figure out that genre doesn't actually exist.

Awesome video I haven't checked these guys out much, but I definitely want to take a deep dive now.

I have always found that they make it clear that they are fully self-aware of what they are doing style-wise, video style etc. They have always clearly been able not too take themselves too seriously (going back to old playthroughs where Scotty would zoom on in his nose at certain points because people would make comments about it being larger than average). So despite the fact that they take their craft unbelievably seriously and are truly doing something unique, you can still see that they are a bunch of guys that are enjoying what they are doing and are not afraid of some self-deprecating humour. I think that also helps them connect with people that otherwise take that 'genre' far too seriously.

I’m gonna go conservative on this one and guess that Finn talks about Tim’s good looks only twice.

New to Polyphia and have been watching tons of Polyphia reviews/breakdowns and yours is far beyond the rest. Great vid!

I’m not really a guitar nerd or prog rock fan but I will say that Polyphia is incredibly entertaining to listen to from an outsiders perspective. They clearly care more about songcraft than 90% of other rock/metal outfits (and current new rap artists for that matter) and that means a lot for a nonrock audience.

I remember in 2015, a friend of mine introduced me to Polyphia and at the time they were like this jazzy, niche band that didn’t have much of a following so it was fun for us to follow them and watch them progress. It was almost like an inside joke where we closely followed this niche instrumental band that no one else had heard of. Flash to when New Levels, New Devils came out- literally Polyphia were the coolest guys in music and like everyone I knew was asking if I’d heard of them. When I saw them with CHON is Boston in 2018 it was maybe the most fun I’ve had at a concert. And when they played GOAT for the first time, it was LIT

A friend of mine asked me a few months ago if I heard of them. I hadn't, but as soon as I watched their first few videos, I was hooked. They're now one of my favourite bands.

Fantastic band. Scott’s father is a killer guitarist as well. I toured with him in the min-90s. He also played bass on Mucky Pups first album, “Can’t You Take a Joke” in the late 80s.

I was never really into rock/metal type music but since i found about polyphia like 4 months ago, i got hooked to their songs. I think their songs are quite unique

i have put off this band for years just because they are my baby daddy's favorite band but i have always loved instrumental "metal" (their genre can obviously be argued but to me they give a metallic vibe). They remind me of a band I used to listen to back in HS called Reflections who were a mostly instrumental metalcore band and i honestly love it. It give me this feeling of nostalgia that most newer bands cant

I first heard polyphia probably in 2014 or 2015 when they released their first EP. I saw them at Empire in Springfield Virginia if anyone remembers that venue. Their sound has definitely changed a lot and isn't really for me but as musicians they have improved tremendously

I'm glad you mentioned LIT because I think that's when they hit a new level. The collab with Lophiile made it a really unique sound for them.

Tim and Scott are my bois not only have they pioneered a new generation they’ve inspired tons to pick that guitar back up!! I’m very happy to be in their fan club amazing video!!

Rick Beato has a really great interview with Tim Henson (Polyphia), Misha Mansoor (Periphery) and Tosin Abasi (Animals as Leaders)

Never knew they have been around for this long. And I still don't get it at all 😅 Probably not as much "tech demo rather than song" as Animals as leaders or pretty much the entire tech death genre (with a handful exceptions), to me, it still sounds like a ton of good and great ideas, executed with insane levels of skill, randomly thrown together for no apparent reason. Nothing but respect for them as musicians, and I think it is a great thing that this kind of music can reach such a big audience.

"How can we make our nerd guitar music more accessible to people?" "What if we add boobs?" "Goddamnit, you're a genius!"

My cousin recommended me this band, and yes she's a girl. It's crazy how just being smart with their marketing and image can take them out of "boring guitar music"

The focus on visuals is something that the bands that are makin in the pop culture are doing really well, BMTH also do that!

As you touched on, I think how catchy they make the music is a big one One of my best friends would never ever listen to any shreddy instrumental music, but he fucking loves polyphia and always talks about how the leads get stuck in his head like a chorus

How has no one done vocal edits on top of these instrumentals? Feel like it could be a totally separate album.

As a lady-fan of Polyphia; I didn’t even know Tim was attractive until after I was hooked. GOAT just wrapped me up and the deep-dive took off. I just like how technical but still, almost, light(?), the music feels. Everything is so intricate but I don’t feel like I’m being dragged through hell to get to a beat, I can keep it on through the workday without issue. The energy stays fresh but every song has its own swagger to it that keeps me entertained.

The song that really did it for me and really got me into Polyphia was Crush honestly. That song was just so damn good and still is now. But they’re still going on and crushing it even harder now and I love it

Where can I find more of that deathcore ep? Really digging it

Discovered Polyphia a few years ago when GOAT dropped and the MV was randomly recommended to me on RU-vid, and fell in love since, loving all their new stuff and a lot of their older stuff (except their first album that’s super metal). And I gotta say, you covered them insanely well and touched on things I never even thought of like how they embrace the other aspects of their "brand" like music videos, merch, and style, and meme on themselves,while also keeping the music at the forefront and take it seriously. Great analysis video

Finn, great video as usual. Hate to be that viewer with a request, but by any chance is there a shot you’d give us your deep-dive master expertise on Incubus? I really think that band stands in a category alone for so many reasons. They were so inventive early on fusing together jazz with metal. They had a DJ, but never rapped and unfairly got lumped into Nu Metal. Brandon Boyd is a phenomenal vocalist, and they had major mainstream hits on Top 40 radio. Science. Morning View. Pardon Me, Warning, Anna Molly, Drive, Meglomaniac…the list goes on. I don’t even know how to categorize them…but in terms of originality…they’ve got to be on the spectrum somewhere between the Chili Peppers and KoRn. If incubus can be in the queue…would be super appreciative and thankful for your thoughts on them. Keep rockin dude!

It’s insane to me how so many musicians view social media and content creation as a chore. You can literally reach a million people overnight, and if that doesn’t happen right away, it’s nearly inevitable given enough time, creativity and consistency. Just like we culturally gave up albums for singles, we’re giving up songs for social-media optimized videos. And like most trends in music over the last thousands of years, this change was technology-driven. It’s a direct result of more people listening to songs on screens via social media. Just like you would have never had a classical music explosion without equal temperament, standard notation, concert pianos and the printing press.

They're probably my favorite band overall. It's been so cool to see them grow over the past 7-8 years

Spot on again. Love these guys for all the reasons you analyzed

Please do more of this!(progressive guitar music like intervals/periphery/covet)

Polyphia is one of those bands I stumbled upon much earlier than the majority of other people and honestly their success is fucking awesome to see. They were the background music to my early sobriety years cause I did all my 12 step writing works to their music since it got me in my head so much. I was supposed to see them when they opened for Coheed which I was so excited for since they are my two favorite bands, but I was 7 months into a difficult pregnancy so I had to stay home. I still haven’t seen them live yet and apparently it’s gonna get much harder as they’re selling out so many shows but that’s awesome. Their song Crush off of Renaissance is an absolute masterpiece everyone show check out. Also, for anyone reading this, if you like Polyphia check out Thank You Scientist. Especially their album Maps Of Non-Existent Places. Another technical yet catchy group.

I was curious about what your opinion is on the Band Sleep Token? I am blown away by the sigers voice and vocal range. And their music sounds so clean crisp and perfectly orchestrated and they too cross over genres in their music a little. I haven't been this excited about a band since I first heard BMTHs song Don't Go and others.

I got into them with the Inspire EP, lost track around 2015 when I graduated hs, but in 2018 my friend put on GOAT and I was absolutely dumbfounded. That was like a whole different beast from anything I'd heard before. I am disappointed you didn't touch on all the people who used to do vocal auditions for the band, particularly the guy who just yelled "BOW BOW BOW BOW BOW" for a full minute. (Polyphia Vocal Auditions- Nehshin)

I saw them last month. Best show ever, there was 7-10 crowd surfing simultaneously going on in a tiny venue and I crowdsurfed for the first time, at the end, I caught a guitar pick that they threw off stage.

Polyphia has staked their claim and etched there names into the aidels of rock/musical history. They changed the game all around and not just with there music. I don't think there's one thing they're afraid to say.

One of their first vocalists name was actually hunter Avant, he's a dope vocalist now

good shit man, enjoyed this

When they dropped their second album my fiancé and I started going to concerts. I’m so excited people are learning about them!

Great video dude!

I think a huge variable is that while in the past fans idolized artists, unlimited access on the Internet to all types of music these days allows audiences to pick music that is actually good and they enjoy listening to. It is not about posters and concerts anymore. Also, while there are tons of overproduced songs relying on electronics and studio wizardry, there is something about talented instrumental virtuosos. I am sure many listeners enjoy listening to quality, "real" musicianship.

I think a Slaughter to Prevail video would be sweet

PRMBA what are your thoughts on artists like Sylvan Esso, Chewii and Santigold. As a pop fan you'll probably find something you like in those artists. Idk if I'm late to the party but I'm really enjoying this genre these groups fit in. Alt pop I guess?

I wonder how much Anthony Fantano’s video on their third album boosted them. I think GOAT was already kinda viral at the time, but maybe that positive review put it over the top?

One other musician/band that Polyphia kinda reminds me of is the pop rock artist Eve from Japan, cause like Polyphia a lotta Eve’s music is like a fusion between pop rock and math rock. But yeah I absolutely love Polyphia, they’re genuinely one of my fav bands in modern rock/metal.

Saw them open for dance Gavin dance last fall. They were unreal live

Well said, new song with Steve Vai is just incredible. Has all the elements mentioned,,, and a flex with Steve Vai...

One thing in this video that wasn’t mention is RU-vid videos like this and Reaction videos. I’ll be honest the first time I heard about them was a reaction video. They seem very big in that community

So awesome to see those guys rewarded financially and critically they totally deserve it

Great breakdown! New found respect for this band

When girls like your band that's how you know you're on to something. It reminds of a Davey Havok quote. "When we released black sails we knew we were on to something because we noticed a lot more girls at our shows and girls have the best taste."

back in 2014 I was living in Houston and I recently started to listen to The Contortionist, then found out they were passing through town. I decided to go check them out, in that gig there were these 2 other bands that played before The Contortionist, I still remember, one was really weird named band called Agamemnon (Houston locals) and the other was Polyphia. I had never before heard of either band. I was completely new to the new wave of prog metal, which was this sub genre everyone was calling Djent that started in 2010 by Periphery. I was definitely taken aback by what I witnessed these guys do that night, Polyphia that is, but I never would've thought to see them blow up the way they did. Honestly their vibe didn't really sit with me well. although I enjoyed their new take on prog metal for me it was OK. definitely thought it was impressive but I never got hooked. it just didn't. then years passed and from time to time came back to listen to more newer music, I'm going to be really honest, for me at this point it's just too much, their music started to get combined with Trap music and other weird elements and when that happened to me that was an immediate turn off plus their overall image of "look at us we are better than you" I found to be extremely obnoxious and that's when I completely stopped following the band. having that image may have helped them reach a massive audience and may have influenced the younger generation of guitarists and that's cool, kudos to them for pulling that off! but i heard them, appluaded their performance and music, but then turned and never looked back, they're music is not for me whatsoever

Polyphia one by one are amazing musicians. I love their sound and the technical things they do . Its a perfect blend of grove/catchy with technical aspect that I love in prog rock/metal. I have always stated I like great music and regardless of the genre if it falls into what I personally consider great ( or like ) I am all in. That being said I do consider myself a hard rock/metal/prog guy in general terms which is about 85% of what I listen to but that other 15% is all over the world of music genres.

Gotta be honest, never heard of these guys, but man, this is some interesting stuff. Thank you, Finn!

same here - G.O.A.T. was the pivotal moment for them. I heard them then and still follow them with great interest!

Yet another great video. I do think that they've come this far because they put a lot more creativity in their videos as the usual dudes with beards who know nothing but djenting in coloured rooms. Polyphia reach an audience of people who usually never listen to guitar music. I'm really really excited about their upcoming album.

You should cover the sensational rise of the band August is Falling!

It’s definitely best to comment on a video before you actually watch it, right, so that’s what I’ll do here! Not to take anything away from their accomplishments on their own, but I think part of their rise is attributed to people like you who inform middle-aged filthy casuals like me about them. I’d probably have no idea what a Polyphia was unless I’d heard about them from you. And now I can go to dinner parties and seem hip and sophisticated by nonchalantly dropping their name in a conversation. Jokes aside, I am thankful that you’ve brought them to my attention, as well as some other artists, and that has given me an opportunity to check them out and enjoy their music. Wins all around! 🙏

They make really good and interesting songs. They are not just copying everything else instead they implement so many different styles together into a pleasant package.

I saw Polyphia a few years back on one of the coolest tours I have ever seen. Issues was the headliner with Polyphia, Lil Aaron and Sleep Token. I'm pretty sure my wife and I (who are in our mid 30's) we're probably the oldest people in the building haha. I've seen a lot of guitar virtuoso guys play live and it's rough and sloppy. Polyphia was super tight and fit right in with the rest of the lineup. Highly recommend seeing them live if you get the chance, just be careful if you're old like me because you run the risk of getting kicked in the head by a crowd surfer lol.

I can't find Impassion with vocals anywhere only the instrumental on bandcamp

i saw polyphia live with dance gavin dance in 2015 and i talked to them and they were some of the funniest dudes i've ever met i bought their cd and they signed it & one of the members signed the cd with his nose true story

Their newest song dropped featuring Steve Vai. Literally passing the torch