Instrumental Prog-Rock quartet Polyphia teams up with iconic guitarist Steve Vai in “Ego Death”
The guitar is to rock music as chocolate is to peanut butter. Sure you could have one without the other, but rock has always been defined in large part by the sound of guitar players. Many guitar heroes have arisen over the decades both in the mainstream and in more experimental corners of rock music. Steve Vai is one of the greatest guitar heroes of all time. He wouldn’t be outclassed on a stage with Jimmy Hendrix, Jimmy Paige, Eddie Van Halen, Eric Johnson, Paul Gilbert, or Joe Satriani. Polyphia featuring Steve Vai on this track feels like a sort of passing of the torch to the next generation of guitar heroes.
Polyphia first arrived on the music scene in 2013 with their Youtube video for “Impassion”. Although their first efforts in music were firmly rooted in the progressive rock and metal genres, Polyphia started to push the boundaries of their guitar playing in subsequent projects. Along with their progressive rock and metal foundation, they began blending elements of hip hop, R&B and trap music into their sound. One of the best examples of this is their song “G.O.A.T.” released in May of 2018. If you so happen to have not heard this track yet it is well worth a listen.
Polyphia’s latest single “Ego Death” was released on 28 October 2022. The band’s incredible musicianship is on full display in the accompanying music video as they play through several locations in Los Angeles, CA. The drummer’s sticks fly around the drumkit and the guiarits’ fingers dance around the fretboard with mesmerizing speed. Steve Vai’s guitar feature brings down the speed of the song while at the same time intensifying its emotional resonance. As the band picks up the energy towards the end of the track all 3 guitars bring a chaos to the song that would rival any G3 guitar shred performance. Seve Vai fits well into the band’s sonic scape proving that Polyphia is capable of further pushing their songwriting prowess. Grammy Award-winning producer and trumpet player Brasstracks also makes a special appearance to play the outro to “Ego Death”.
If you enjoyed this track we also highly recommend that you check out “ABC” featuring Sophia Black to experience Polyphia’s songwriting skill as they incorporate a singer over their unique instrumentals. Thank you for stopping by and be sure to stay tuned for more!
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