| Background: | group_or_band |
| Polyphia | |
| Landscape: | yes |
| Origin: | Plano, Texas, US |
| Years Active: | 2010–present |
| Current Members: |
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| Past Members: |
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Polyphia is a primarily instrumental progressive rock band based in Plano, Texas, formed in 2010. The group consists of guitarists Tim Henson and Scott LePage, bassist Clay Gober, and drummer Clay Aeschliman.
Polyphia's sound is noted for incorporating virtuosic guitar parts with other styles of music.[1] Initially rooted in a metal-focused tone in their early releases, the band's music evolved to a more progressive rock sound in their later productions, combining electronic music and hip hop. Polyphia has released four studio albums, one live album, two EPs, and numerous singles.
Their third album, New Levels New Devils, was their first to chart, reaching 61 on the Billboard 200. Their fourth album, Remember That You Will Die, released in October 2022, debuted at number 33.
Polyphia formed in 2010 and first achieved mainstream success after the guitar play-through of "Impassion", from their EP Inspire, went viral on YouTube. Since then, the band's popularity has grown and they have shared the stage with progressive metalcore artists such as Periphery, Between the Buried and Me, and August Burns Red.
The name of the band comes from the word "polyphony", meaning music whose texture is defined by the interweaving of several melodic lines. [2]
They first began to experiment with incorporating pop, funk, and electronic elements into their music on their first full-length album, Muse, released in 2014. The album also featured other guitarists on several tracks, which the band has cited as a source of inspiration.[3] The band was signed to Equal Vision Records after the album charted on the Billboard Top 100, which led to its reissue in 2015.[4]
Their second album, Renaissance, released in 2016, continued in the band's fusion of pop, hip hop, and EDM elements.[5]
On October 12, 2018, Polyphia published their third studio album, New Levels New Devils.
In September 2022, they released the single "Ego Death", the fourth from their latest album, Remember That You Will Die. This was accompanied by a video, both of which feature guitar virtuoso Steve Vai.[6] Remember That You Will Die was released on October 28, 2022, and also includes appearances by Sophia Black, Brasstracks, $NOT, and Chino Moreno.[7] In October 2022, Polyphia announced a 15-date European tour to support the record.[8]
Polyphia released their first live album, Live at the Factory in Deep Ellum, on November 24, 2023.[9] The 16-track album was recorded on April 14, during the Remember That You Will Die tour at the Factory in Dallas, Texas.[9]
Polyphia was originally known for their guitar covers of classical songs on YouTube. Their first EP, Inspire, and first LP, Muse employ more progressive metal influences than their later releases.[10] This associated them with the djent movement, although they were characteristically less heavy and more melody-based than their peers.
Their second studio album, Renaissance, saw the band diverge further away from metal, into a more progressive rock and math rock-influenced sound. They also began to mix elements of EDM, funk, and hip hop, with the non-album single "LIT", a remix of the song "Light", the second track on Renaissance.[11]
This sound was further developed with the release of their second EP, The Most Hated, and third full-length album, New Levels New Devils, which featured production from hip hop and EDM producers Judge and Y2K.[12]
Their fourth studio album, Remember That You Will Die, has continued in this vein, further exploring "trap percussion and hip hop stylings", as well as incorporating a variety of genres, such as bubblegum pop and bossa nova.[13]
The band has stated that their influences come from artists of all genres. They started out with a heavier shred-oriented style but have since created a more melodic-focused sound. Groups like Within the Ruins and Job for a Cowboy were their biggest inspirations when creating their first EP, Inspire.[14] When describing the album Muse, guitarist Tim Henson says that the primary inspiration came from pop and rap music.[15]
Tim Henson is an Ibanez endorser with two current signature guitars (the TOD10N and TOD10), as well as the THBB10, which is no longer in production. The THBB10 had a roasted maple neck, a Gotoh tremolo bridge with locking machine heads, as well as DiMarzio pickups.[16] The TOD10N is a nylon-string electric guitar, with a unique "Tree of Death" inlay conceived by Henson.[17] The TOD10 (not to be confused with the TOD10N) is a solid-body guitar. It has a roasted maple neck with the "Tree of Death" inlay first seen on the TOD10N, Gotoh tremolo bridge and locking machine heads, and a set of Fishman Fluence Tim Henson Signature humbucker pickups.[18] Additionally, Henson has worked with Neural DSP to release the "Archetype: Tim Henson" plugin, which contains three simulated amps and Henson's signature "Multivoicer" attachment.[19]
Scott LePage has one current Ibanez signature guitar, the KRYS10, and the SLM10, which is out of production. The SLM10 had a roasted maple neck, a Gotoh tremolo bridge with locking machine heads DiMarzio pickups,[20] and a quilted maple top with a transparent red matte finish. The KRYS10 also has a roasted maple neck and Gotoh tremolo bridge with locking machine heads, but the pickups are instead a set of Fishman Fluence Scott LePage Signature humbuckers.[21]
Clay Aeschliman endorses both TAMA Drums and Meinl Percussion.[22]
Clay Gober uses Ibanez bass guitars, most commonly those in the Ibanez SR series.[23]
Current
Past
| Details | Peak chart positions | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [24] | AUS [25] | CAN [26] | ||||||||
| Muse |
| — | — | — | ||||||
| Renaissance |
| — | — | — | ||||||
| New Levels New Devils |
| 61 | — | — | ||||||
| Remember That You Will Die |
| 33 | 72 | 73 | ||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||
| Details | Peak chart positions | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | AUS | CAN | ||||||||
| Live at the Factory in Deep Ellum |
| — | — | — | ||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||
| Details | ||
| Resurrect |
| |
|---|---|---|
| Inspire |
| |
| The Most Hated |
|
| Year | Album | |
|---|---|---|
| "Envision" | 2013 | rowspan=2 |
| "LIT" | 2017 | |
| "G.O.A.T" | 2018 | New Levels New Devils |
| "O.D." | ||
| "Yas" | ||
| "Look But Don't Touch" | 2019 | rowspan=2 |
| "Inferno" | ||
| "Playing God" | 2022 | Remember That You Will Die |
| "Neurotica" | ||
| "ABC"[27] | ||
| "Ego Death" |