I really don’t like polyphia but I’m grateful they exist, it has inspired a new batch of guitar players who care about technicality and skill. Kinda like Nirvana but in the opposite way
Periphery and misha’s projects were my nirvana lol.. Polyphia is just a weird thing..also glad they exist though because not all musicians will be inspired by plain metal core or just any modern bands
@@RantKid same. I don't like nirvana. but they had a big hand in inspiring the cribs, my favourite band, so I can't help but recognise their status and influence
Yeah, great way of putting it. I find the music a bit tame and boring, I imagine its how Gilmore simps feel about shred or whatever but I'm glad people enjoy it and its opening up new styles of playing. Reminds me of how everyone wanted to be EVH or Randy for a period.
@@AJPMUSIC_OFFICIAL I probably would’ve been the guy who said “EVH has no soul” if I was alive at the time. Nothin wrong with disliking new stuff but it’s stupid when people pretend that the music is garbage just because they don’t like it.
It's quite literally a skill issue. When I first got recommended Ichika Nito videos I was extremely jealous, bitter and didn't understand why people liked him. I must've been in a rough spot in life because looking back, that's such a childish mentality to have about any player or style. It's just immature to think somebody comes off as pretentious in their music when they're literally doing things you can't do. Like does Eminem not have the right to brag? YOU'RE NOT HIM, NO ONE IS.
Well I'm glad you worked past that. Me personally I never understood that. I mean I get jealousy when someone kisses a girl I like but gor guitar skills? I just think, wow that's cool, I want to learn that... unfortunately many never grow out of such mentalities. It's one thing in a 13 year old but you see 50 year olds act like that all the time. Avoid at all cost. Some people just never mature emotionally. If you are emotionally healthy you will look back at past behaviour and feel bad about it. That's what growing is. Becoming better. So if you look back at yourself and feel glad you changed, that's a good thing! It means your capable of evolving and changing and learning.
As a guitar nerd I appreciate their music more than any band I grew up listening to for 2 and a half decades It's just unique and feels like a fresh breath Also to add in the last 2 years learning polyphia songs and theory behind them I made more progress than I did in 10 years of playing guitar
I’m one of those “boomers” you were referring to. Actually Gen X. Anyway… I never listened to Polyphia before today and I find them refreshing. I’ve played guitar for almost 40 years and appreciate their experimental nature while being very accessible thru pop/hip hop arrangements and lots of interesting melodies. Not just shred for shred sake. Thanks for the video. Keep up the good work.
I think they're awesome and have 0 hate for them. My problem is that now EVERY SINGLE modern band now sounds like them, even IG guitarrists, which previously sounded like Covet or Periphery. I frankly think we need a new genre to classify this style because while there *are* differences in between Gardner, Ichika Nito, Polyphia, etc, they still sound largely the same.
yeah polyphia definetly made its own genre. its math rock mixed with metal, edm and trap. Their latest album is pretty poppy too. however i think their style in general is much more accesible to the average listener than bands like chon, animals as leaders, and covet, while still having all the virtuostic chops and more of mentioned bands. very intresting, and it makes sense that people my age are copying them.
@@ProudFilthyCasual Dream Theater is also prog and they sound nothing like this. I really think that Polyphia and similar artists have defined their genre. There are enough similarities between all of them to group them together, but enough differences to not call them polyphia copycats.
@@enriqueortiz7534 I mean, that's because Dream Theater and Rush are the two traceable progenitors of Prog music, at least to the casual listener. Prog isn't a simple genre, but when someone says Prog in music it tells you a lot about what you are about to hear, regardless of the shape it takes. Math rock is an even worse definition for Polyphia imo, because traditionally Math rock bands had vocals and some semblance of indie/alternative in them, a good example being Minus The Bear as one of the early quintessential math rock bands. They also don't fuck with time signatures like a lot of Math rock tends to. They are definitely doing their own thing so to me, Prog is the only thing that truly fits without falsely attributing other things to their sound, or being arrogant enough to be a guy trying to come up with a new genre name for a band he likes lol.
I've been playing guitar all my life, and unlike many of my peers I can't hate these guys. I find them inspiring and exciting (even if I don't like every single track of theirs) but for this Gen X guy, I'm enjoying watching their rise and innovative ideas. Looking forward to more.
It's funny so many people say that Tim Henson seems to come across as smug and self absorbed, because once you actually watch videos of him speaking and general interviews, he reveals that he's much more insecure than you'd assume. However, he's also really driven, and knows exactly what he wants from his profession, so he seems too confident, or bull-headed for some. Personally, one of my favorite things about these guys is they're super down-to-earth and they like to have fun. Tim doesn't take himself nearly as seriously as much as people seem to observe.
This reminds me of what my dad said. " there's a difference between being technical and having soul". I like music if it sounds good to my ears, but like my dad, some people want a deeper feeling.
I’m a Polyphia fan not a Tim Henson fan. I think a lot of the hate for the band comes from the fact that Tim is sometimes blown up to be the “greatest of all time” by (let’s face it) a fairly young audience. This can be pretty annoying to older rock/metal fans who don’t appreciate the “slander” of idols from their youth. Because of that amount of hype, Polyphia as a band for a while was kind of just seen as Tim Henson, but I think what carries the band more than anything else are the two Clays. Just an incredible rhythm section, and that includes Clay Gober. Something that really influences my bass playing now is the way that he uses dead notes to lock into a drum beat beautifully, although he plays with a pick and I play with fingers. Clay Aeschlimen needs no introduction, just an all around incredible drummer. I think Tim is a very talented writer, but I think people need to focus on what really holds together the sound of the group. So again, no hate to Tim Henson, but I’m here for Polyphia, not for him.
I LOVE the drums and bass in Polyphia songs, but I also love Tim Henson's playing and style... But I am not one of those that ignore that incredible performance of the rhythm section. Without those two there would be no Polyphia and for me, they often steal the show with the broken dissonant style of rhythm... I found it captivating Tim Henson's playing grabs me and pulls me in, but what keeps me there is the drums and bass.
Agree,Tim is super fun on guitar, Lepage as well, but man, the bass and drums are on another level, dont think Ive heard a rhythm section that connected, ever.
They're not my kinda music, but good lord, they're talented and innovative. Every time I hear a new track of theirs, there's always that one moment where I'm like "holy shit, I've never heard something like that." I'm definitely glad they're out there, doing their thing.
Don't know too much but the bit I've heard is incredible. Their live version of Neurotica with the bass turned up is incredible,just stunning bass playing,tone and rhythm section unlike many metal bands which just bury the bass in the mix. The guitarists are great,virtuouso level. When we hear a modern day musician excel many feel threatened or feel it's at the expense of their heroes.
I love the fact that, since Polyphia exists, players like Petrucci apparently now have "soul." Music has always been about snobbery. How many metalheads have you known who just can't stand hip hop or country? Probably not as many as those who say "this metal band good, that metal band bad." We spend our lives being told that our individuality is the most important thing. Then we go around parroting it like it was etched in stone by a bolt of lightning. Then we wonder why everyone's a damn snob. This is why comedians have jobs.
I suppose that's fair. Different people have different tastes. Not many can learn to appreciate the talent and hardwork one will endure the effort in their respective crafts. I, for example, can't stand those screaming and shredding rock stuff. Still think they're just noise
@@K31N0S Being a musician myself, I do appreciate the talent and hard work that goes into playing a thousand notes per minute. It just goes too far for me and ceases to be entertaining.
Yep, I can objectively realise that they are excellent musicians. It just isn’t a sound that does anything for me personally. To be fair, I feel the same way about a large portion of instrumental, virtuosic guitar-centric music.
Tim is the most intelligent musically, he's the arranger and without him there would not be a band. Plus he can write a dope riff, hook or even words(Yes words, ABC has lots of them), while Scotty is just kinda dopey. But a good player and probably cooler guy to rip bong hits and hang out with making fun of Tim.
however you feel about polyphia you can't deny just how important they are for the future of guitar-based music, especially its virtuosic element. dudes like evh and yngwie were popular in the 80s because their music was, to some extent, taking the music that was popular at the time and adding crazy guitar to it. that's what polyphia is doing by incorporating hip hop and electronic beats into their music. they're relating the guitar to the modern era. if you care at all about the future of guitar playing, you should see why that's important. i mean, shit. did any young person in the 80s really care about andres segovia? the dude was a virtuoso, but his music didn't really create a bridge between his guitar playing and what young people were listening to at the time. and, there's nothing wrong with that, there's always a place for niche stuff, but for an instrument to survive in the mainstream, it has to be relevant to the popular music of its era. so, regardless of how you respond to polyphia's music, you can't deny that they're doing something really important for the guitar.
guitar based music is dead just get over it. its an instrument that was overused to the point of nausea. I play guitar myself but I listen to guitar music very rarely.
It's cool to have guitar in a hip hop song, if it's someone genuinely playing a performance that is being recorded. Instead, Tim fake shreds by punching each note in one at a time. Go watch how me makes his songs, it's a joke. Imagine if Randy Rhodes punched every note in, one at a time, to the solo of Crazy Train.... No one would think Randy Rhodes was legendary if he did that. Everyone would think he was a hack, yet Tim can do it, convince a bunch of uneducated kids that he does it, and now it's a thing I have to just accept? Nah. Fuck outta here lol. Show me one Tim Henson song recorded in one take like a Van Halen song, or a Metallica song, and I'll sell you a bridge.
IDK man, the main reason I don't like them is simply because, as technically good as they may be, their music just has no soul. What's the point of being a good musician if the music you make sucks?
I avoided them for a good while, I think was a bit of a cork sniffing attitude. Ego Death forced me to pay attention and they are quickly becoming a top tier on my listening list. Talent always draws negativity. There's a lot of us that have played 20+ years then see a kid that plays in a way you can't even fathom. Van Halen used to hide his tapping technique. Polyphia will zoom the camera in to both hands and still leave you scratching your head. The oldschool will always fear the new school. But a kid with long hair, wears black and a little make up has been rehashed so many times, I don't understand how anyone has something against his style. Alice Cooper was wearing make up and ladies clothes in my Dad's era. Nowadays that's Grandad Metal. I am living in an age where my new wave of heavy metal like Killswitch, Linkin Park, Slipknot or Machinehead are Dad metal bands and we're looking down on these kids the way our fathers did to us. I love Ego Death, it feels like a pass the torch moment. When Vai kicks in you see awe in young lads. Their ego dies. They play and shred with Steve, a guitar master who couldn't imagine what they are doing at his peak. His ego dies. The man at the end plays an acapella trumpet. It's the same melody. Probably a tenth of the notes played. It's so slow and basic yet somehow becomes the most emotive and inspiring part of the song. After all the licks, incredible sounds, burning fret boards all guitarists ego's die when you throw everything at it then a few notes on a brass piece outshines it all. It reminds me of college, tapping, pinch harmonics and riffs and people are like, that's cool. Then a guy comes in playing the first 4 chords that I learned on an acoustic and the whole room thinks they're incredible. Next thing everyone's asking where is your acoustic and your back to screaming death to all but metal!
@SkullD When we have several sentences separated like this we call it a Paragraph. Say it with me now kid - PA- RA - GRA - FF It looks like the Bassists are multiplying.
I'm 52 (that's Gen X, not Boomer, TYVM) and while I fully acknowledge Polyphia's talent and respect their abilities and innovations with respect to guitar playing...their music is not my cup of tea. No hate from me. I just don't dig it.
It’s forced mashed up licks, just random technical playing, this generation is desperate for a hero, sports wise, musically, in the movie industry everything, they have no hero! We had MetallicA, Michael Jordan …… greatness was everywhere!
I think their stuff is freaking awesome and the sound feels unique and fresh which is rare today. chimera and the one with steve vai are my favorite. Also i only care about the music, and yeah they weird me out too lol...
AC/DC used to talk about music that had or didn't have balls. Well, Tim Henson took that literally and chose the later. The castration took place in Canada.
6:40 aaaannnd this is kinda my only real problem with Polyphia. People focus way too much on Tim, when I wish they’d pay more attention to how the Clays really shape the rhythm and flow of every song.
But that's not a problem with Polyphia. Instead, it's a problem with the community. I guess that's the first flaw on it, by the way. All the four guys do a great job on every song they've been releasing since The Most Hated.
Holy crap, this vid is doing well! Ride the Polyphia gravy train, SixStringTV - that’s the key to getting subs! Just ride on other popular bands’ coattails lol. 😂😂😂 But for real, well spoken on every single point. I couldn’t agree more! Maybe people are watching because it’s just awesome content on your own merit!
Tim henson is my inspiration, my true passion for guitar was unlocked when i discovered Polyphias music. It might not be for everyone but its definitely for me
Im not a fan of their stuff, i didnt really like them when they hit the scene big, but after seeing interviews with them ive got a whole new respect for them, they seem like really genuine dudes just doing what they love, cant hate on that.
Every member is tight as hell. I'm a bass player so I really appreciate Clay's bass playing of pick with hybrid picking slap. It is seriously hard to do. If I was playing his stuff, I wouldn't be able to do it the way he does, I'd finger style hard and switch to slap cause I'm just not good enough with a pic. The rhythm section is so tight, it's actually one of my favourite rhythm sections in years. Love the guitar stuff too obviously and that's what got them recognised but you have to appreciate that damn tight rhythm section.
Let's just be thankful there are people like them who make contributions to music. Yes, they may suck or some people may be thrown off by them at the end of the day, you just can't please everybody. The band Rush was doing progressive stuff even back in the day. I enjoy listening to Polyphia as well.
Not a fan of Polyphia (tho I might give a few songs worth listening), but I definitely don't hate them. In fact, I'm pretty impressed by what they brought to the metal genre and guitar playing as a whole! Anyone who genuinely hates them are just mad that their music is actually pushing the genre ahead!
Thanks man. It's taken me years to come around. Tim is a weird dude with amazing skill. Doesn't mean I have to hate him and doesn't mean I have to like his music. But I can appreciate what he's done for sure. At least he's not faking his playing and writes his own parts.
not liking something or someone is perfectly ok but seeing those booomers be like hurrr hurrr he has tattoos and sports somewhat of a feminine look,ill refer to him as a woman or show interest in his sexuality (honestly,ive seen those so often like wtf how insecure do u gotta be) as a jealousy cope just gets me everytime. most criticism i have seen of them so far either goes like this or ppl are like yeah impressive but not for me. Also that fusion comment is so dumb holy shit nice vid
Discovered these guys when they came out with the Inspire EP. At that time I was looking for everything in the realm of instrumental realm of Aaron Marshall and also the early albums of Erra. Crazy to me to think that I was looking at all this stuff 12 years ago and a lot of it has blown up since then.
I love your take on them from the annoying “elderly” perspective because it’s spot on. They hate anything black. The hip-hop influence really bothers older people because they were raised through the era of segregation and it shows in every aspect of life. They don’t want to hear anything from them. Ever. They are also bigoted against homosexuality/anything not straight. They also run the government. Thanks for this video!
Oof, this was painful to read. Segregation ended in 1964, which was almost 60 years ago. Most of the people you're talking about did not grow up in the era of segregation. Most of them are Generation X who grew up in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. The truth of the matter is, the majority of "old" people just don't like new music. There's a pretty good chance, you will be that way if you are blessed to make it into your 50s. The ironic thing is, you sound just as judgmental as they are.
New subscriber here. I’m a 63 yr old bassist from Buffalo I lived down the street from Billy Sheehan for years. Anyway I just discovered these guys & I love ‘em. Then again I listen a lot to Return to Forever etc. Their song playing god is phenomenal. Just saw an interview with Tim Henson on another channel & he seemed very together & knowledgeable but maybe a little awkward. Now if you want to hear someone talk who thinks very highly of themselves look no further than Lars Ulrich or Eddie Vedder….neither of whom have a quarter of talent these guys have. Great channel by the way.
I still dont understand Polyphia has"no groove to it," when they are literally copying hip hop and EDM rhythms...music thats all about the groove. I also see a lot of people saying that Tim Henson is very hated in the music bussines....but all guitarists that are worth a damn sing all praises to him, Steve Vai for example. Rick Beato is also a fan.
As a “boomer” guitarist. I think Tim and his band are incredible. I wish I could play 10% as well as Tim can. The drummer is a really more of a percussionist in the way he approaches the songs. Great Band and yes US boomers are old but not all the same
Im 42 and lately listen to electronic/dawless/eurorack style music and started to collect synths and MPC type gear. Tim Henson got me back into guitar music. Got an Ibanez ehb 5 string bass and an Orambsy 7 string on order!
I love Polyphia. I like their blending of genres. I hope they are inspiring a new generation of guitar players, as you said. I'm glad they've brought guitar playing a little more forward. They're just damn good, and not in an endlessly noodling/shredding way. The drummer and bassist work really well together.
I like music that tells a good story, and part of a good story shows humanlike characteristics that are relatable. I think this is why a lot of people emphasize more to avoid recording to a click track since it begins to sound more artificial, which it can be a hindrance. From a technical standpoint, I get it. They're not breaking any new boundaries that everyone thinks that they are. They're a tight band that is marketable to today's youth. I honestly thought that I would enjoy their song with Steve Vai, but that just sounds like an absolute mess to me. It reminds me of like a reaction video where everyone is just waiting for the part that Vai gets to speak, and honestly the only memorable part is when he uses the Killswitch in a robotic rhythm. After that it just sounds like spaghetti noodles to a trap beat. I don't know why, but trap music is just unpleasant to me. To each their own. Growing up I hated classical music and listen to rap. When I finally got into music, the whole thing flipped and my appreciation for things changed. Most people aren't looking for tempo changes or chord progressions and why it's interesting. I think people hear something at memorable moments and then they make associations to those songs whenever they hear them again. I think that's why people really enjoy music. Unfortunately for me, Polyphia is like elevator music, but that's okay because we all have our preferences.
Polyphia is Strum - rest - arpeggio - rest - wrist flick - harmonic - rest - pull off, back to strum, and repeat Over and over and over. They are the most talented boring band I've ever heard.
I think you pretty much hit the nail on the head with your video title. It used to be the band Polyphia, now it's the Tim Henson band... Looking back on what they were before Brandon left the band, not that the new drummer isn't fantastic, but he seems to contribute a lot less of the original genre they used to be in. It seems the new drummer is there to re-enforce Tim's EDM/Rap/Pop leanings, straying further from not only the genre but also collaborating with far more popular and arguably less technically impressive mainstream "artists". I think it's a shame they lost their original style completely, although aspects of the new guitar style is impressive. I'd say they've sold out, but again I doubt it was so much a band decision as it was Tim offering an ultimatum "get with the new genre/selling out to popularity, or end up like Brandon". So in closing, I don't hate Polyphia, and some of the cool acoustic techniques they've integrated would have gone well with the styles they ditched, but I'm no fan of the Tim Henson band. Not for the reasons you might think either, I'm actually quite a fan of the femboy aesthetic, just the general attitude and appeal to popularity over talent in some of the people he's chosen to work with on the latest album.
It seems like a lot of people these days can’t get behind the idea, that you don’t have to like every piece of music. They argue that everything they like is “good” music, and they talk shit about any music that they don’t like because “I only listen to good music”. Here is a hint for everyone. You can say “I don’t like this music” instead of saying “This music is shit”. It will make you a much better person.
Glad they exist, grateful for their impact, but man this whole ‘glitch’ way of playing honestly sounds like a six-string version of dubstep it’s pretty horrible for the most part. It’s like someone asked AI to create the ultimate guitar solo and it’s just thrown everything in there at once without a single thought for how it will sound musically
I’m a X-Gen I’m a jazz fan and they incorporate metal, jazz, rock, Prog rock, hip hop music. I’m 52 years old and I play guitar, bass, drums, and keyboard. I play mostly blues rock and metal. I’m a huge fan of Polyphia!
I personally love Tim’s style. He definitely has an aura of pretentiousness according to friends of mine that have met him briefly after a show, and how he comes across more generally, but that’s superficial. Polyphia has genuinely improved my life as a music lover. I’m so glad they exist. Life wouldn’t be the same without them IMO.
I appreciate their existence as they push guitarists to a new level I'm not sure why they get so much hate, hell, even Herman Li had lil Timmy on Twitch for a TTFATF performance (With Tosin Abasi) and it was really a great performance Their audience from what I've seen in most of my FB music groups are a majority of younger kids, "Gen Z" if you will. But they also have plenty of "boomers" praising them! I personally do not listen to them, but that does NOT mean I hate or dislike them - I like Slam/Goregrind/DSBM/Death Metal but I also listen to 90's Hip Hop and Polka 🤷♂
Couldn't agree with you more. I hadn't heard of them a few months ago, I grew up in the Megadeth vs Metallica generation of metal fans, aside from grunge and a few lighter rock options, I predominantly love technical death metal, prog/death, black metal (Enslaved, Opeth etc) I know how gatekeeper/master-race metal fans, guitarists and musicians can be in general. I myself first saw Tim on UA-cam, and I say this now with saddened love, by clicking on a short of what I thought looked like "an elf looking tattooed girl holding a nice looking guitar" only to find it was a pretty fella called Tim playing and it blew me away. I then made the mistake of looking up more of Tim/Polyphia, to find there were less comments about the music, about the incredible skill, the god-tier song writing - and more questions about whether Tim was trans or not.... It made me feel bad about my initial thought of what I thought I could see, on a phone screen thumbnail. In regards to the look - Remember also that people hated how Bowie looked! People judge and I think it's a maturity to look passes someone's hair or clothes and appreciate what they're displaying. Regardless, I enjoy their flawless playing and incredible song-writing. If Steve Vai is happy to guest a solo, you know you're on the right track.
I feel like the hate has mainly to do with three things: 1. They are new and different and do not follow the "musical" guidelines that many people have in their head 2. They appeal to many people outside of the tech guitar/metal space and have become almost pop in a way 3. Lastly they are very technical and push the boundaries of the musical space and probably make people a bit jealous I feel like those three reasons and their "futuristic fem-boy" feel are why they get so much hate. While I don't personally enjoy their style I will never understand people who hate them for no reason. Great video as always!! Much love from the USA
As an 18 year old who plays modern music, none of those are the reason I don't like Polyphia. It's a lot like Yngwie Malmsteen, in which it's just so solely focused on technical ability that it becomes sterile and boring. I don't hate them, but can't be bothered listening to them, and that tends to be the reason for a lot of people, not just me
@@cycomiles4225 If long minutes of shredding is your thing, go for it. But to a lot of people(me included) it's just such a chore to sit through that it becomes tiring.
@@cycomiles4225 I feel like people who consider Yngwie boring tend to feel that way because all they've ever done is check out his famous instrumentals instead of actually looking into his discography. Songs like "I'll see the light tonight", "Rising Force", "Seventh Sign", "Vengeance", etc.. are far from just shred and hold up amazingly as songs
that caressing thing came out from the interview where they played Look but Dont Touch which was pretty hilarious with that " I didnt see you there thing" and this happening in the Chimera video is just like a sequel to that
I cannot fault their musical ability and techniques. They are better now than I could ever be (I’m in my mid 40’s). I feel that the “lacking maturity” are just poorly (and admittedly, lazily) worded. I believe that as good as they are now, what they will produce in ten years time will be (poor word choice) better due to the benefit of more experience. My personal feeling is that the composition centres too much difficulty for difficulties sake. I don’t think it’s bad. I think that experience helps bring balance. Unless your surname is Malmsteen.
50 YO Metal head here; 36 years of playing and I gotta say; I love your video and I love Polyphia. Love their Compositions, Melodies, Groove, Innovation, Attitude as well as style is second to NONE.
Polyphia was by far my favorite band in high school, my main guitar is an Ibanez AZ that I got because of Tim and I even performed GOAT live with some friends at our graduation event (I have it on my channel if you wanna check it out :D). I don't listen to them as much today as I'm less into music by guitarists for guitarists but Tim and Scott are still huge influences on my playing and my songwriting! I feel like Tim's immature personality is just a genius act, if you see him in his interviews with Rick Beato for example he comes across as someone who genuinely knows what he's talking about and knows how to express it well. Nowadays I feel like he definitely calmed down but in the NLND era him and Scott were all over the place (look at their promotional videos with Dimarzio for example XD)
It's like Polyphia went too hard on the schticks and not so much on the music, which is good, but for me at least feels repetitive up to a certain point.
It's actually pretty incredible that they are getting more and more mainstream because instrumental music is hard to make a living at and especially guitar oriented music because it appeals to such a small niche of people.
I'm 40. I discovered them about 5 days ago now. I have listened to some of their songs on repeat. They're fantastic in my view. They're super technical and prog, but at the same time some of their songs have these disgusting hooks that just burrow into your mind. It's pretty amazing.
I’m 48 years old and I’m with you on pretty much all your opinions concerning this subject. I don’t dislike Polyphia at all I just haven’t dived into most of their work just yet. I’ve been very aware of their talent and many of their songs for some time now, I just haven’t studied them enough yet to formulate an educated opinion on their music really. But for someone to diss them as being immature or not metal enough just doesn’t make sense to me. Absolutely Polyphia in general and specifically Tim Henson have launched an entire sub genre that has exploded over recent years. I described Tim Henson to my wife the other day as the leader of the younger generation of guitar more or less. Even Tim himself said that they try so hard to not let their music resemble any other type of metal band out there. He says they consider themselves in the metal community but that they take elements of rap and hip hop to make their own and apply it to their brand of songwriting. If that’s not progressive than what is? Progressive should not ever be defined otherwise it’s not really progressive. It’s more of a spectrum than a resolute diagnosis in my opinion. I admit, being an older musician there was a time when I labeled myself a music snob…looking back that was dumb of me and I missed out on a ton of truly talented music as a result. These past few years have been some of the most exciting musical years of my life as I’ve broadened out my horizon and really gave honest attempts to enjoy younger peoples music. Animals As Leaders, Periphery, Polyphia, Jason Richardson, The Punch Brothers (Progressive Bluegrass)….it’s been an amazing journey and I will never diss any band or music again soley because the musicians are younger and more talented than me. But I still hate rap and hip hop….sorry I just can’t with that mess lol. Not my universe. But hey if people like it great. I’ll stick with my weird and beautiful Progressive world. Loved the video.
I don't hate this band. I even think that their music is technically very good. It just sounds to me like something I would never want to turn on and listen to, and it doesn't evoke any emotion in me. Like a progressive Muzak. However, I understand that for many people it can be a real phenomenon.
I think it sums up to jealousy that they're insanely talented, jealousy that they're sexy so girls actually like them, jealous that they can combine cool genres that most other guitarists don't even attempt in insanely talented ways. Yeah, people are jealous. Also I have to say I love clay aeschliman, insane drummer and great guy
Everyone that criticizes a talented person is clearly jealous, everybody that calls harvey weinstein a sick man who deserves to die is just jealous that he’s got big bucks because hurr durr people not like what i like difficult for me brain to understand
I absolutely love genre fusion. That’s probably why I like a lot of K-pop. (I don’t love the ones popular in the USA such as BTS. I prefer lesser known k-R&B/k-hiphop.) I am a classical and jazz musician. I never really thought I’d love very many rock musicians but Polyphia is different. I absolutely love it.
Playing God is what got me into Polyphia. As a guitar player I love how technical their music is incorporating every single technique and then some into a single piece of music. As a music listener I love how melodic and just down right pretty it can sound, or how awesomely fast and adrenaline fueled it can sound at other times. The blend of different genres and sounds. I love all of it
They are undeniably talented but it's quite a feat to be technically amazing and boring and sterile at the same time. I don't care if you can dance to music or not and I don't think they're pretentious, just musically boring. I think it's great that people are taking an interest in guitar because of them, good for them. They're still not very interesting musically.
@@BoatNectar What do you mean wild? Have you heard their music and watched any of their live performances? It's energetic, it's agitating while simplistic, it's involving. And I'm BY NO MEANS an AC/DC fan, I don't even like them, but you just can't deny that they're not sterile at all.
@@orafaelorsato I mean all of the adjectives you used could be used to describe the energy at polyphia concerts. Very much a metal show feel imo. Watch a live performance if you don't belive me
As a bass player myself definitely massive respect for the rhythm section, with Clay Gobers slap picking style that I cannot for the life of me get down, and clay A alone just killing every song and inspiring my to pick up drums as well
Just watched a video of Tim talking with Rick Beato with regard to his recording techniques writing producing sound design and his new nylon string Ibanez and it was a huge eye opener... It was even more interesting than their rig rundown in that I got to see what is going on in Tim's mind and the band as they approach new material . As an old timer myself I found it extremely unteresting and as a result I want to go back and listen to more of their tracks with fresh ears and really try to appreciate where their music is going and perhaps as Tim was saying newer musicians are listening to Polyphia and taking their concepts to new levels which seems both frightening and exciting to me.
I think they are a pretty unique band kind of like what Charles Caswell is doing with Berried Alive. "Tim Henson walking around thinking about what a prodigy he is" made me laugh so hard lol
What's hilarious is that Charles got DRUG thru the mud over doing the same thing Polyphia does. Charles edited a lot of his solos, played one note at a time, punched those notes in, etc. and was open about it. People shit on him so hard, he deleted all of his videos with him pretending to play the solos. Yet Polyphia comes along and it's like "zomg these legends" when it's like... bro... 10 years ago this kind of music literally got shit on so hard the guy quit making it, and now it's the cool new thing? wtf? If I were Charles I'd be pissed. It's literally the same editing technique Charles used to a lesser extent, but still. It's extremely punched in, edited, and the product of a computer at the end of the day. I wouldn't call Charles or Tim "legendary guitar players" and they're not the examples kids should be looking up to. It's like looking up to Barry Bonds, ignoring the fact that he used PED's, and encouraging others to use PED's because Barry did it first.
Thanks for posting. Even the name of this band oozes with the essence of it's music. Noticing them then listening to their music really got me thinking about other music I couldn't get into at first or sometimes could never get into. I remember buying records like Jazz from hell by F Zappa just because it was his work. I tried to listen but didn't get it after 1 side shelving for quite a while. I wondered why make a record like this. And there have been others iv had similar reaction to especially after purchacing. I think your video made some excellent and well thought out points. I haven't been able to get into this band. Perhaps some of the reasons you discuss resonate but iv even tried turning off the visuals and just listening and I still don't get it. I do see that many people do get it so I question myself to see where I cannot. I haven't figured it out yet but perhaps I need to check out more stuff they do if I can find the time The main point is I decided to thumb up your video (which is the first iv seen from you) and to sub your channel and look forward to hearing more of your musing about the object of our desire... The guitar I also hope to hear that beautiful rig you've got and arsenal of instruments. Thank you and best wishes 8n the new year.
I find myself in awe of Tim and the rest of the bands skill and quite like some of their tracks but I wouldn't chose to play it in a social setting or if I wasn't watching them actually play on the music videos.
Complicated and technical riffs, but I don't like their newest album at all, I'm very impressed by them but I'm not a fan. Playing God is pretty good though
I am a Multi-instrumentalist and I absolutely love the Idea of a band like this, buy only actually enjoyed it for a minute. Somehow it strikes me as if I am watching some of the band play beautifully with emotional content, and other aspects playing perfectly with absolutely none. Just my personal opinion, and they're an odd one so who knows what will come next. Maybe I'll enjoy it.🤷 They're Interesting at least, and well, it's different, and i keep saying that i want different.🕊️♥️🍀🧠🎶💪
Clay gober is my favorite bassist. The bass player community definitely talks about him lol. Clay A is also a beast as well
Absolute beast of a bass player
Honestly. Been playing guitar for 12 years, but hearing Gober's playing finally led me to buy my first bass. It's all I've been playing.
The two Clays or as someone described them: The potter's wheel. Incredible musicians both.
RIP CLAY GOOBER
@@TheRealCaptainFreedom rip?
I really don’t like polyphia but I’m grateful they exist, it has inspired a new batch of guitar players who care about technicality and skill. Kinda like Nirvana but in the opposite way
I agree with the Nirvana bit - absolutely hated them growing up but loved a lot of the bands that grew because of them
Periphery and misha’s projects were my nirvana lol.. Polyphia is just a weird thing..also glad they exist though because not all musicians will be inspired by plain metal core or just any modern bands
@@RantKid same. I don't like nirvana. but they had a big hand in inspiring the cribs, my favourite band, so I can't help but recognise their status and influence
Yeah, great way of putting it. I find the music a bit tame and boring, I imagine its how Gilmore simps feel about shred or whatever but I'm glad people enjoy it and its opening up new styles of playing. Reminds me of how everyone wanted to be EVH or Randy for a period.
@@AJPMUSIC_OFFICIAL I probably would’ve been the guy who said “EVH has no soul” if I was alive at the time. Nothin wrong with disliking new stuff but it’s stupid when people pretend that the music is garbage just because they don’t like it.
It's quite literally a skill issue. When I first got recommended Ichika Nito videos I was extremely jealous, bitter and didn't understand why people liked him.
I must've been in a rough spot in life because looking back, that's such a childish mentality to have about any player or style. It's just immature to think somebody comes off as pretentious in their music when they're literally doing things you can't do. Like does Eminem not have the right to brag? YOU'RE NOT HIM, NO ONE IS.
Well I'm glad you worked past that. Me personally I never understood that. I mean I get jealousy when someone kisses a girl I like but gor guitar skills? I just think, wow that's cool, I want to learn that... unfortunately many never grow out of such mentalities. It's one thing in a 13 year old but you see 50 year olds act like that all the time. Avoid at all cost. Some people just never mature emotionally.
If you are emotionally healthy you will look back at past behaviour and feel bad about it. That's what growing is. Becoming better. So if you look back at yourself and feel glad you changed, that's a good thing! It means your capable of evolving and changing and learning.
As a guitar nerd I appreciate their music more than any band I grew up listening to for 2 and a half decades It's just unique and feels like a fresh breath
Also to add in the last 2 years learning polyphia songs and theory behind them I made more progress than I did in 10 years of playing guitar
Bro same
Nice story...only sounds made up.
@@Killerkarotte1 how so?
I’m one of those “boomers” you were referring to. Actually Gen X. Anyway… I never listened to Polyphia before today and I find them refreshing. I’ve played guitar for almost 40 years and appreciate their experimental nature while being very accessible thru pop/hip hop arrangements and lots of interesting melodies. Not just shred for shred sake. Thanks for the video. Keep up the good work.
"Not just shred for shred sake."
Love that sentence.
Seen too much of that in the last 15 years
First wave millenial here....Grew up listening to 80s hair bands and alt rock....I love Polyphia, I think alot of the hate is jealousy.
I think they're awesome and have 0 hate for them. My problem is that now EVERY SINGLE modern band now sounds like them, even IG guitarrists, which previously sounded like Covet or Periphery.
I frankly think we need a new genre to classify this style because while there *are* differences in between Gardner, Ichika Nito, Polyphia, etc, they still sound largely the same.
Ichika is way different than Tim and Polyphia in general.
yeah polyphia definetly made its own genre. its math rock mixed with metal, edm and trap. Their latest album is pretty poppy too. however i think their style in general is much more accesible to the average listener than bands like chon, animals as leaders, and covet, while still having all the virtuostic chops and more of mentioned bands. very intresting, and it makes sense that people my age are copying them.
It's all variations on a theme, which is prog.
@@ProudFilthyCasual Dream Theater is also prog and they sound nothing like this. I really think that Polyphia and similar artists have defined their genre. There are enough similarities between all of them to group them together, but enough differences to not call them polyphia copycats.
@@enriqueortiz7534 I mean, that's because Dream Theater and Rush are the two traceable progenitors of Prog music, at least to the casual listener. Prog isn't a simple genre, but when someone says Prog in music it tells you a lot about what you are about to hear, regardless of the shape it takes. Math rock is an even worse definition for Polyphia imo, because traditionally Math rock bands had vocals and some semblance of indie/alternative in them, a good example being Minus The Bear as one of the early quintessential math rock bands. They also don't fuck with time signatures like a lot of Math rock tends to. They are definitely doing their own thing so to me, Prog is the only thing that truly fits without falsely attributing other things to their sound, or being arrogant enough to be a guy trying to come up with a new genre name for a band he likes lol.
As a 55 year old fan of Polyphia, I love what they're doing and look forward to one of their live shows soon. Hope you enjoy a wonderful new year! 😁
I've been playing guitar all my life, and unlike many of my peers I can't hate these guys. I find them inspiring and exciting (even if I don't like every single track of theirs) but for this Gen X guy, I'm enjoying watching their rise and innovative ideas. Looking forward to more.
Exciting? Seriously?
It's funny so many people say that Tim Henson seems to come across as smug and self absorbed, because once you actually watch videos of him speaking and general interviews, he reveals that he's much more insecure than you'd assume. However, he's also really driven, and knows exactly what he wants from his profession, so he seems too confident, or bull-headed for some. Personally, one of my favorite things about these guys is they're super down-to-earth and they like to have fun. Tim doesn't take himself nearly as seriously as much as people seem to observe.
For someone with that level of skill deserved to be cocky, though.
He puts most if not all guitarist trickery masters at any genre to bed.
His interview with Rick Beato is worth a watch.
eXactly, ppl watch all the posing in the music videos and get triggered, like all their guitar heroes didnt/dont do the same shit lol
Its his face brugh, some people just have natural smug face.
@@wroughes lol he looks like a pretty girl. Nothing intimidating about him and his neck beard tattoo
This reminds me of what my dad said. " there's a difference between being technical and having soul". I like music if it sounds good to my ears, but like my dad, some people want a deeper feeling.
there can be technically inclined but deep/melodic music at the same time, Buckethead does it
@@CarNerd7 Correct and Polyphia doesnt.
@@JadedJet yeah To each their own, I think Polyphia sounds cool but definitely doesn't sound deep emotionally
Friedman, Vai, Satriani, Gilbert…they all play with feeling but also on a highly technical level too. Henson comes across as digital and robotic.
Listen to champagne or finale for feel, they have tons of “feel”.
I’m a Polyphia fan not a Tim Henson fan. I think a lot of the hate for the band comes from the fact that Tim is sometimes blown up to be the “greatest of all time” by (let’s face it) a fairly young audience. This can be pretty annoying to older rock/metal fans who don’t appreciate the “slander” of idols from their youth. Because of that amount of hype, Polyphia as a band for a while was kind of just seen as Tim Henson, but I think what carries the band more than anything else are the two Clays. Just an incredible rhythm section, and that includes Clay Gober. Something that really influences my bass playing now is the way that he uses dead notes to lock into a drum beat beautifully, although he plays with a pick and I play with fingers. Clay Aeschlimen needs no introduction, just an all around incredible drummer. I think Tim is a very talented writer, but I think people need to focus on what really holds together the sound of the group. So again, no hate to Tim Henson, but I’m here for Polyphia, not for him.
I LOVE the drums and bass in Polyphia songs, but I also love Tim Henson's playing and style...
But I am not one of those that ignore that incredible performance of the rhythm section. Without those two there would be no Polyphia and for me, they often steal the show with the broken dissonant style of rhythm... I found it captivating
Tim Henson's playing grabs me and pulls me in, but what keeps me there is the drums and bass.
Absolutely agree and I know a lot of people who sleep on the both clays but they give the songs so much life and energy
Agree,Tim is super fun on guitar, Lepage as well, but man, the bass and drums are on another level, dont think Ive heard a rhythm section that connected, ever.
The Clays and Scott are sooo good
I like Scotty the best. Watch that dude in the Champagne video....fuckin boss.
They're not my kinda music, but good lord, they're talented and innovative. Every time I hear a new track of theirs, there's always that one moment where I'm like "holy shit, I've never heard something like that." I'm definitely glad they're out there, doing their thing.
I feel the same. I can admire their musicianship without actually liking their music.
@Mark Uyehara being an amazing musician has never meant therefore the songs are good. But you can't deny the talent.
Don't know too much but the bit I've heard is incredible. Their live version of Neurotica with the bass turned up is incredible,just stunning bass playing,tone and rhythm section unlike many metal bands which just bury the bass in the mix. The guitarists are great,virtuouso level. When we hear a modern day musician excel many feel threatened or feel it's at the expense of their heroes.
Tim Henson? The guy who created the Muppets?
Thank you, I'll be here all night.
no, that would be Jim Henson... you fkg momo.
@@corradoYou were so close to getting the joke. So close.
That's Jim you doink haha.
Wuka wuka wuka
@@sleepywolf82whoosh 💨
I love the fact that, since Polyphia exists, players like Petrucci apparently now have "soul."
Music has always been about snobbery. How many metalheads have you known who just can't stand hip hop or country? Probably not as many as those who say "this metal band good, that metal band bad."
We spend our lives being told that our individuality is the most important thing. Then we go around parroting it like it was etched in stone by a bolt of lightning. Then we wonder why everyone's a damn snob. This is why comedians have jobs.
Polyphia is like ballet. I watch them play and I say "look how much work it takes to bore me"
I suppose that's fair. Different people have different tastes. Not many can learn to appreciate the talent and hardwork one will endure the effort in their respective crafts. I, for example, can't stand those screaming and shredding rock stuff. Still think they're just noise
@@K31N0S Being a musician myself, I do appreciate the talent and hard work that goes into playing a thousand notes per minute. It just goes too far for me and ceases to be entertaining.
accurate 💀💀
Yep, I can objectively realise that they are excellent musicians. It just isn’t a sound that does anything for me personally. To be fair, I feel the same way about a large portion of instrumental, virtuosic guitar-centric music.
Brooooooo I couldn’t have said it better. I recognise they’re good musicians, yet its still boring pretentious wank
My only issue is that Tim gets all the love, don't get me wrong he's a phenomenal player, but Scott is equally as talented along with both clays.
Scott is easily just as good, and he is the one that gets the crowd going.
This ✌️
The drummer is the most talented member
Tim is the most intelligent
musically, he's the arranger and without him there would not be a band. Plus he can write a dope riff, hook or even words(Yes words, ABC has lots of them), while Scotty is just kinda dopey. But a good player and probably cooler guy to rip bong hits and hang out with making fun of Tim.
@@mpirron1 I dont think Tim wrote the lyrics for ABC tho, probably Sophia did
I’d say my favorite song by Polyphia is Bloodbath Feat. Chino Moreno of Deftones. Really solid track! 🤘
Agreed
however you feel about polyphia you can't deny just how important they are for the future of guitar-based music, especially its virtuosic element. dudes like evh and yngwie were popular in the 80s because their music was, to some extent, taking the music that was popular at the time and adding crazy guitar to it. that's what polyphia is doing by incorporating hip hop and electronic beats into their music. they're relating the guitar to the modern era. if you care at all about the future of guitar playing, you should see why that's important. i mean, shit. did any young person in the 80s really care about andres segovia? the dude was a virtuoso, but his music didn't really create a bridge between his guitar playing and what young people were listening to at the time. and, there's nothing wrong with that, there's always a place for niche stuff, but for an instrument to survive in the mainstream, it has to be relevant to the popular music of its era. so, regardless of how you respond to polyphia's music, you can't deny that they're doing something really important for the guitar.
guitar based music is dead just get over it.
its an instrument that was overused to the point of nausea.
I play guitar myself but I listen to guitar music very rarely.
It's cool to have guitar in a hip hop song, if it's someone genuinely playing a performance that is being recorded. Instead, Tim fake shreds by punching each note in one at a time. Go watch how me makes his songs, it's a joke.
Imagine if Randy Rhodes punched every note in, one at a time, to the solo of Crazy Train.... No one would think Randy Rhodes was legendary if he did that. Everyone would think he was a hack, yet Tim can do it, convince a bunch of uneducated kids that he does it, and now it's a thing I have to just accept?
Nah. Fuck outta here lol. Show me one Tim Henson song recorded in one take like a Van Halen song, or a Metallica song, and I'll sell you a bridge.
@@DudeMcGuybro damn that's crazy i had no idea your wife left you and took the kids
Polyphia? Important? Seriously.....
💩
IDK man, the main reason I don't like them is simply because, as technically good as they may be, their music just has no soul. What's the point of being a good musician if the music you make sucks?
I avoided them for a good while, I think was a bit of a cork sniffing attitude. Ego Death forced me to pay attention and they are quickly becoming a top tier on my listening list.
Talent always draws negativity. There's a lot of us that have played 20+ years then see a kid that plays in a way you can't even fathom.
Van Halen used to hide his tapping technique.
Polyphia will zoom the camera in to both hands and still leave you scratching your head.
The oldschool will always fear the new school.
But a kid with long hair, wears black and a little make up has been rehashed so many times, I don't understand how anyone has something against his style.
Alice Cooper was wearing make up and ladies clothes in my Dad's era.
Nowadays that's Grandad Metal.
I am living in an age where my new wave of heavy metal like Killswitch, Linkin Park, Slipknot or Machinehead are Dad metal bands and we're looking down on these kids the way our fathers did to us.
I love Ego Death, it feels like a pass the torch moment. When Vai kicks in you see awe in young lads. Their ego dies.
They play and shred with Steve, a guitar master who couldn't imagine what they are doing at his peak. His ego dies.
The man at the end plays an acapella trumpet. It's the same melody. Probably a tenth of the notes played.
It's so slow and basic yet somehow becomes the most emotive and inspiring part of the song. After all the licks, incredible sounds, burning fret boards all guitarists ego's die when you throw everything at it then a few notes on a brass piece outshines it all.
It reminds me of college, tapping, pinch harmonics and riffs and people are like, that's cool.
Then a guy comes in playing the first 4 chords that I learned on an acoustic and the whole room thinks they're incredible.
Next thing everyone's asking where is your acoustic and your back to screaming death to all but metal!
Tim is 29 and has also been playing for over 20 years he just looks younger than he is
Top tier epic comment sir 🔥 also the sentiment is spot on.
Amazing comment Britain amazing ❤
Whats with the Reddit spacing?
@SkullD When we have several sentences separated like this we call it a Paragraph.
Say it with me now kid - PA- RA - GRA - FF
It looks like the Bassists are multiplying.
Polyphia is a group of rich college trust fund kids that play random notes with sound effects really fast
I'm 52 (that's Gen X, not Boomer, TYVM) and while I fully acknowledge Polyphia's talent and respect their abilities and innovations with respect to guitar playing...their music is not my cup of tea.
No hate from me. I just don't dig it.
I'm 50 (also GenX) and I LOVE Polyphia...
The guitar brought me in the door the drums and bass kept me there...
It’s forced mashed up licks, just random technical playing, this generation is desperate for a hero, sports wise, musically, in the movie industry everything, they have no hero! We had MetallicA, Michael Jordan …… greatness was everywhere!
@@ecgodsmack86 Technically it's *very* good. I just find it thoroughly uninspiring.
It's musical athleticism to me.
I don’t hate them. I acknowledge their skill and understand that there is a lot to like.
I just don’t like it in my ears. Personal taste.
I think their stuff is freaking awesome and the sound feels unique and fresh which is rare today. chimera and the one with steve vai are my favorite. Also i only care about the music, and yeah they weird me out too lol...
AC/DC used to talk about music that had or didn't have balls. Well, Tim Henson took that literally and chose the later. The castration took place in Canada.
6:40 aaaannnd this is kinda my only real problem with Polyphia. People focus way too much on Tim, when I wish they’d pay more attention to how the Clays really shape the rhythm and flow of every song.
But that's not a problem with Polyphia. Instead, it's a problem with the community. I guess that's the first flaw on it, by the way. All the four guys do a great job on every song they've been releasing since The Most Hated.
People don’t get polyphia and love Jimi Hendrix
They’re parents didn’t get Hendrix , it’s just a cycle
Holy crap, this vid is doing well! Ride the Polyphia gravy train, SixStringTV - that’s the key to getting subs! Just ride on other popular bands’ coattails lol. 😂😂😂
But for real, well spoken on every single point. I couldn’t agree more! Maybe people are watching because it’s just awesome content on your own merit!
Tim henson is my inspiration, my true passion for guitar was unlocked when i discovered Polyphias music. It might not be for everyone but its definitely for me
Same for me
Reminded me of Seinfeld chapter "The Outing" at 7:31 saying "not that there's anything wrong with that" 😂😂😂
Awesome to see your channel blowing up like it is. More kick ass Slayer gear. Keep tearing it up, great content.
Tim Henson is basically the type of guitarist for the anime generation
"The anime generation" you do know how old anime is right
eyy that's my generation
hello kids!
anime happened post World War 2 lmao Its a very old generation if you say it like that.
@@sixstringtv1 you can tell you who has only discovered it through social media.
So gen X? 🤣
Im not a fan of their stuff, i didnt really like them when they hit the scene big, but after seeing interviews with them ive got a whole new respect for them, they seem like really genuine dudes just doing what they love, cant hate on that.
Every member is tight as hell. I'm a bass player so I really appreciate Clay's bass playing of pick with hybrid picking slap. It is seriously hard to do. If I was playing his stuff, I wouldn't be able to do it the way he does, I'd finger style hard and switch to slap cause I'm just not good enough with a pic. The rhythm section is so tight, it's actually one of my favourite rhythm sections in years. Love the guitar stuff too obviously and that's what got them recognised but you have to appreciate that damn tight rhythm section.
I agree
Because they're boring.
They are the K-pop of rock.
Clean, beautiful, competent, talented, but for me, it has no appeal.
Their music has no "soul" for me personality
Bold of you to assume k pop artists are talented
Let's just be thankful there are people like them who make contributions to music. Yes, they may suck or some people may be thrown off by them at the end of the day, you just can't please everybody.
The band Rush was doing progressive stuff even back in the day. I enjoy listening to Polyphia as well.
Not a fan of Polyphia (tho I might give a few songs worth listening), but I definitely don't hate them. In fact, I'm pretty impressed by what they brought to the metal genre and guitar playing as a whole! Anyone who genuinely hates them are just mad that their music is actually pushing the genre ahead!
Admirable? Sure. Dead and soulless. You bet. Complicating something for the sake of complication never worked for me.
100% agree
I'm 46 years old, just discovered Polyphia yesterday and I'll tell you man, they blew me away. Great band. Henson is talented beyond belief.
Thanks man. It's taken me years to come around. Tim is a weird dude with amazing skill. Doesn't mean I have to hate him and doesn't mean I have to like his music. But I can appreciate what he's done for sure. At least he's not faking his playing and writes his own parts.
not liking something or someone is perfectly ok but seeing those booomers be like hurrr hurrr he has tattoos and sports somewhat of a feminine look,ill refer to him as a woman or show interest in his sexuality (honestly,ive seen those so often like wtf how insecure do u gotta be) as a jealousy cope just gets me everytime. most criticism i have seen of them so far either goes like this or ppl are like yeah impressive but not for me. Also that fusion comment is so dumb holy shit nice vid
Discovered these guys when they came out with the Inspire EP. At that time I was looking for everything in the realm of instrumental realm of Aaron Marshall and also the early albums of Erra. Crazy to me to think that I was looking at all this stuff 12 years ago and a lot of it has blown up since then.
I love your take on them from the annoying “elderly” perspective because it’s spot on. They hate anything black. The hip-hop influence really bothers older people because they were raised through the era of segregation and it shows in every aspect of life. They don’t want to hear anything from them. Ever. They are also bigoted against homosexuality/anything not straight. They also run the government. Thanks for this video!
I don’t believe that at all. I think you just made that up in your head. I doubt anyone has said that who wasn’t a troll from 4chan.
Oof, this was painful to read. Segregation ended in 1964, which was almost 60 years ago. Most of the people you're talking about did not grow up in the era of segregation. Most of them are Generation X who grew up in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. The truth of the matter is, the majority of "old" people just don't like new music. There's a pretty good chance, you will be that way if you are blessed to make it into your 50s. The ironic thing is, you sound just as judgmental as they are.
New subscriber here. I’m a 63 yr old bassist from Buffalo I lived down the street from Billy Sheehan for years. Anyway I just discovered these guys & I love ‘em. Then again I listen a lot to Return to Forever etc. Their song playing god is phenomenal. Just saw an interview with Tim Henson on another channel & he seemed very together & knowledgeable but maybe a little awkward. Now if you want to hear someone talk who thinks very highly of themselves look no further than Lars Ulrich or Eddie Vedder….neither of whom have a quarter of talent these guys have. Great channel by the way.
For a lot of us, they give all the feels of doing a calculus proof... and why a lot of listeners skip em.
Inspire/muse/ era polyphia was my favorite.
I miss their early Metal days.
Also, Tim would be a fun guy to hang out with and talk guitar with.
I still dont understand Polyphia has"no groove to it," when they are literally copying hip hop and EDM rhythms...music thats all about the groove.
I also see a lot of people saying that Tim Henson is very hated in the music bussines....but all guitarists that are worth a damn sing all praises to him, Steve Vai for example. Rick Beato is also a fan.
@@creamwobbly Well yeah, because its something new in guitar playing, not in those genres.
My dislike for Polyphia is because despite being very technically impressive there is 0 heart behind it. They are the MCU GCI of bands.
As a “boomer” guitarist. I think Tim and his band are incredible. I wish I could play 10% as well as Tim can. The drummer is a really more of a percussionist in the way he approaches the songs. Great Band and yes US boomers are old but not all the same
Im 42 and lately listen to electronic/dawless/eurorack style music and started to collect synths and MPC type gear. Tim Henson got me back into guitar music. Got an Ibanez ehb 5 string bass and an Orambsy 7 string on order!
I love Polyphia. I like their blending of genres. I hope they are inspiring a new generation of guitar players, as you said. I'm glad they've brought guitar playing a little more forward. They're just damn good, and not in an endlessly noodling/shredding way. The drummer and bassist work really well together.
They can play and its great to see them get success while doing what they love.
Even though I dont like their music, granted I didnt try very hard. :)
I like music that tells a good story, and part of a good story shows humanlike characteristics that are relatable. I think this is why a lot of people emphasize more to avoid recording to a click track since it begins to sound more artificial, which it can be a hindrance.
From a technical standpoint, I get it. They're not breaking any new boundaries that everyone thinks that they are. They're a tight band that is marketable to today's youth. I honestly thought that I would enjoy their song with Steve Vai, but that just sounds like an absolute mess to me. It reminds me of like a reaction video where everyone is just waiting for the part that Vai gets to speak, and honestly the only memorable part is when he uses the Killswitch in a robotic rhythm. After that it just sounds like spaghetti noodles to a trap beat. I don't know why, but trap music is just unpleasant to me.
To each their own. Growing up I hated classical music and listen to rap. When I finally got into music, the whole thing flipped and my appreciation for things changed. Most people aren't looking for tempo changes or chord progressions and why it's interesting. I think people hear something at memorable moments and then they make associations to those songs whenever they hear them again. I think that's why people really enjoy music. Unfortunately for me, Polyphia is like elevator music, but that's okay because we all have our preferences.
Polyphia is
Strum - rest - arpeggio - rest - wrist flick - harmonic - rest - pull off, back to strum, and repeat
Over and over and over.
They are the most talented boring band I've ever heard.
I think you pretty much hit the nail on the head with your video title.
It used to be the band Polyphia, now it's the Tim Henson band...
Looking back on what they were before Brandon left the band, not that the new drummer isn't fantastic, but he seems to contribute a lot less of the original genre they used to be in.
It seems the new drummer is there to re-enforce Tim's EDM/Rap/Pop leanings, straying further from not only the genre but also collaborating with far more popular and arguably less technically impressive mainstream "artists". I think it's a shame they lost their original style completely, although aspects of the new guitar style is impressive. I'd say they've sold out, but again I doubt it was so much a band decision as it was Tim offering an ultimatum "get with the new genre/selling out to popularity, or end up like Brandon".
So in closing, I don't hate Polyphia, and some of the cool acoustic techniques they've integrated would have gone well with the styles they ditched, but I'm no fan of the Tim Henson band.
Not for the reasons you might think either, I'm actually quite a fan of the femboy aesthetic, just the general attitude and appeal to popularity over talent in some of the people he's chosen to work with on the latest album.
It seems like a lot of people these days can’t get behind the idea, that you don’t have to like every piece of music. They argue that everything they like is “good” music, and they talk shit about any music that they don’t like because “I only listen to good music”. Here is a hint for everyone. You can say “I don’t like this music” instead of saying “This music is shit”. It will make you a much better person.
polyphia (sounds like a disease) is pure shit
And people who like it can they say they like it rather than saying it's the greatest and people who don't like it are boomers 🤷♂️
Glad they exist, grateful for their impact, but man this whole ‘glitch’ way of playing honestly sounds like a six-string version of dubstep it’s pretty horrible for the most part. It’s like someone asked AI to create the ultimate guitar solo and it’s just thrown everything in there at once without a single thought for how it will sound musically
Amazing technique. Boring ting ping pop
I’m a X-Gen I’m a jazz fan and they incorporate metal, jazz, rock, Prog rock, hip hop music. I’m 52 years old and I play guitar, bass, drums, and keyboard. I play mostly blues rock and metal. I’m a huge fan of Polyphia!
Im not a boomer and i hate them its just not interesting and non memorable
Polyphia is the most amazing, impressive, heartless, soulless music I’ve ever heard.
I personally love Tim’s style. He definitely has an aura of pretentiousness according to friends of mine that have met him briefly after a show, and how he comes across more generally, but that’s superficial.
Polyphia has genuinely improved my life as a music lover. I’m so glad they exist. Life wouldn’t be the same without them IMO.
I appreciate their existence as they push guitarists to a new level
I'm not sure why they get so much hate, hell, even Herman Li had lil Timmy on Twitch for a TTFATF performance (With Tosin Abasi) and it was really a great performance
Their audience from what I've seen in most of my FB music groups are a majority of younger kids, "Gen Z" if you will. But they also have plenty of "boomers" praising them!
I personally do not listen to them, but that does NOT mean I hate or dislike them - I like Slam/Goregrind/DSBM/Death Metal but I also listen to 90's Hip Hop and Polka 🤷♂
I don't like Polyphia because to me it sounds like if my grandma was put in charge of metal. They are amazing musicians. But their music has no balls.
Great gateway for new metalheads or release for trve metalheads who want to dance around for a night
Couldn't agree with you more.
I hadn't heard of them a few months ago, I grew up in the Megadeth vs Metallica generation of metal fans, aside from grunge and a few lighter rock options, I predominantly love technical death metal, prog/death, black metal (Enslaved, Opeth etc) I know how gatekeeper/master-race metal fans, guitarists and musicians can be in general. I myself first saw Tim on UA-cam, and I say this now with saddened love, by clicking on a short of what I thought looked like "an elf looking tattooed girl holding a nice looking guitar" only to find it was a pretty fella called Tim playing and it blew me away. I then made the mistake of looking up more of Tim/Polyphia, to find there were less comments about the music, about the incredible skill, the god-tier song writing - and more questions about whether Tim was trans or not.... It made me feel bad about my initial thought of what I thought I could see, on a phone screen thumbnail.
In regards to the look - Remember also that people hated how Bowie looked! People judge and I think it's a maturity to look passes someone's hair or clothes and appreciate what they're displaying.
Regardless, I enjoy their flawless playing and incredible song-writing. If Steve Vai is happy to guest a solo, you know you're on the right track.
Polyphia is the band that got me into playing guitar and just for that I love them
I love that there is two huge Marshall amps behind you, but yet the guitar cable is plugged into the tinchy tiny orange amp. x
It's the one I've been using the most lately 😂
I feel like the hate has mainly to do with three things:
1. They are new and different and do not follow the "musical" guidelines that many people have in their head
2. They appeal to many people outside of the tech guitar/metal space and have become almost pop in a way
3. Lastly they are very technical and push the boundaries of the musical space and probably make people a bit jealous
I feel like those three reasons and their "futuristic fem-boy" feel are why they get so much hate. While I don't personally enjoy their style I will never understand people who hate them for no reason. Great video as always!! Much love from the USA
most of the hate comes from bedroom guitarists and people that want "feel" (pentatonic bluesy licks") in their music.
As an 18 year old who plays modern music, none of those are the reason I don't like Polyphia. It's a lot like Yngwie Malmsteen, in which it's just so solely focused on technical ability that it becomes sterile and boring.
I don't hate them, but can't be bothered listening to them, and that tends to be the reason for a lot of people, not just me
@@orafaelorsato Yngwie is far from sterile and boring.
@@cycomiles4225 If long minutes of shredding is your thing, go for it. But to a lot of people(me included) it's just such a chore to sit through that it becomes tiring.
@@cycomiles4225 I feel like people who consider Yngwie boring tend to feel that way because all they've ever done is check out his famous instrumentals instead of actually looking into his discography. Songs like "I'll see the light tonight", "Rising Force", "Seventh Sign", "Vengeance", etc.. are far from just shred and hold up amazingly as songs
that caressing thing came out from the interview where they played Look but Dont Touch which was pretty hilarious with that " I didnt see you there thing" and this happening in the Chimera video is just like a sequel to that
I cannot fault their musical ability and techniques. They are better now than I could ever be (I’m in my mid 40’s). I feel that the “lacking maturity” are just poorly (and admittedly, lazily) worded. I believe that as good as they are now, what they will produce in ten years time will be (poor word choice) better due to the benefit of more experience. My personal feeling is that the composition centres too much difficulty for difficulties sake. I don’t think it’s bad. I think that experience helps bring balance. Unless your surname is Malmsteen.
50 YO Metal head here; 36 years of playing and I gotta say; I love your video and I love Polyphia. Love their Compositions, Melodies, Groove, Innovation, Attitude as well as style is second to NONE.
Polyphia was by far my favorite band in high school, my main guitar is an Ibanez AZ that I got because of Tim and I even performed GOAT live with some friends at our graduation event (I have it on my channel if you wanna check it out :D).
I don't listen to them as much today as I'm less into music by guitarists for guitarists but Tim and Scott are still huge influences on my playing and my songwriting!
I feel like Tim's immature personality is just a genius act, if you see him in his interviews with Rick Beato for example he comes across as someone who genuinely knows what he's talking about and knows how to express it well. Nowadays I feel like he definitely calmed down but in the NLND era him and Scott were all over the place (look at their promotional videos with Dimarzio for example XD)
It's like Polyphia went too hard on the schticks and not so much on the music, which is good, but for me at least feels repetitive up to a certain point.
It's actually pretty incredible that they are getting more and more mainstream because instrumental music is hard to make a living at and especially guitar oriented music because it appeals to such a small niche of people.
I'm 40. I discovered them about 5 days ago now. I have listened to some of their songs on repeat. They're fantastic in my view. They're super technical and prog, but at the same time some of their songs have these disgusting hooks that just burrow into your mind. It's pretty amazing.
As a non Boomer I still can't appreciate this new Guitarstyle but skillwise its incredible!
"Only two bands in the world are doing anything innovative with the guitar right now" what a fucking joke of a statement lol
Name three
@@sixstringtv1 Polyphia, Unprocessed, Animals As Leaders.
I’m 48 years old and I’m with you on pretty much all your opinions concerning this subject. I don’t dislike Polyphia at all I just haven’t dived into most of their work just yet. I’ve been very aware of their talent and many of their songs for some time now, I just haven’t studied them enough yet to formulate an educated opinion on their music really. But for someone to diss them as being immature or not metal enough just doesn’t make sense to me. Absolutely Polyphia in general and specifically Tim Henson have launched an entire sub genre that has exploded over recent years. I described Tim Henson to my wife the other day as the leader of the younger generation of guitar more or less. Even Tim himself said that they try so hard to not let their music resemble any other type of metal band out there. He says they consider themselves in the metal community but that they take elements of rap and hip hop to make their own and apply it to their brand of songwriting. If that’s not progressive than what is? Progressive should not ever be defined otherwise it’s not really progressive. It’s more of a spectrum than a resolute diagnosis in my opinion. I admit, being an older musician there was a time when I labeled myself a music snob…looking back that was dumb of me and I missed out on a ton of truly talented music as a result. These past few years have been some of the most exciting musical years of my life as I’ve broadened out my horizon and really gave honest attempts to enjoy younger peoples music. Animals As Leaders, Periphery, Polyphia, Jason Richardson, The Punch Brothers (Progressive Bluegrass)….it’s been an amazing journey and I will never diss any band or music again soley because the musicians are younger and more talented than me. But I still hate rap and hip hop….sorry I just can’t with that mess lol. Not my universe. But hey if people like it great. I’ll stick with my weird and beautiful Progressive world. Loved the video.
I don't hate this band. I even think that their music is technically very good. It just sounds to me like something I would never want to turn on and listen to, and it doesn't evoke any emotion in me. Like a progressive Muzak. However, I understand that for many people it can be a real phenomenon.
I think it sums up to jealousy that they're insanely talented, jealousy that they're sexy so girls actually like them, jealous that they can combine cool genres that most other guitarists don't even attempt in insanely talented ways. Yeah, people are jealous.
Also I have to say I love clay aeschliman, insane drummer and great guy
Everyone that criticizes a talented person is clearly jealous, everybody that calls harvey weinstein a sick man who deserves to die is just jealous that he’s got big bucks because hurr durr people not like what i like difficult for me brain to understand
Polyphia is so insanely talented.
ok but can they write a good song?
@@Maynard0504 bro... 99% of their songs are top tier. If you don't like it stay with your boomer bends
I absolutely love genre fusion. That’s probably why I like a lot of K-pop. (I don’t love the ones popular in the USA such as BTS. I prefer lesser known k-R&B/k-hiphop.)
I am a classical and jazz musician. I never really thought I’d love very many rock musicians but Polyphia is different. I absolutely love it.
I don't hate Polyphia I just can't listen to a whole song made by them
Good all around on this one, Kaylen. You touched on everything, fairly I think.
Their later stuff is definitely not metal
Playing God is what got me into Polyphia. As a guitar player I love how technical their music is incorporating every single technique and then some into a single piece of music. As a music listener I love how melodic and just down right pretty it can sound, or how awesomely fast and adrenaline fueled it can sound at other times. The blend of different genres and sounds. I love all of it
They are undeniably talented but it's quite a feat to be technically amazing and boring and sterile at the same time. I don't care if you can dance to music or not and I don't think they're pretentious, just musically boring. I think it's great that people are taking an interest in guitar because of them, good for them. They're still not very interesting musically.
What's less sterile? Is a ACDC less sterile?
@@BoatNectar Yes. Yes it is.
@@orafaelorsato that's wild
@@BoatNectar What do you mean wild? Have you heard their music and watched any of their live performances? It's energetic, it's agitating while simplistic, it's involving. And I'm BY NO MEANS an AC/DC fan, I don't even like them, but you just can't deny that they're not sterile at all.
@@orafaelorsato I mean all of the adjectives you used could be used to describe the energy at polyphia concerts. Very much a metal show feel imo. Watch a live performance if you don't belive me
As a bass player myself definitely massive respect for the rhythm section, with Clay Gobers slap picking style that I cannot for the life of me get down, and clay A alone just killing every song and inspiring my to pick up drums as well
They are talented, it’s just not my taste… I’m only 32.
exactly, they are skilled, I just don't like the music.
Tim is turning 30 this year
Just watched a video of Tim talking with Rick Beato with regard to his recording techniques writing producing sound design and his new nylon string Ibanez and it was a huge eye opener... It was even more interesting than their rig rundown in that I got to see what is going on in Tim's mind and the band as they approach new material .
As an old timer myself I found it extremely unteresting and as a result I want to go back and listen to more of their tracks with fresh ears and really try to appreciate where their music is going and perhaps as Tim was saying newer musicians are listening to Polyphia and taking their concepts to new levels which seems both frightening and exciting to me.
I don't hate them. I just think their music is boring. But I would sell my soul to play guitar like them 🤪
I’m a boomer and I actually really dig them. Great guitarists and the Clays are freaking awesome in their own right…. What’s not to love?
I think they are a pretty unique band kind of like what Charles Caswell is doing with Berried Alive. "Tim Henson walking around thinking about what a prodigy he is" made me laugh so hard lol
What's hilarious is that Charles got DRUG thru the mud over doing the same thing Polyphia does. Charles edited a lot of his solos, played one note at a time, punched those notes in, etc. and was open about it. People shit on him so hard, he deleted all of his videos with him pretending to play the solos. Yet Polyphia comes along and it's like "zomg these legends" when it's like... bro... 10 years ago this kind of music literally got shit on so hard the guy quit making it, and now it's the cool new thing? wtf? If I were Charles I'd be pissed.
It's literally the same editing technique Charles used to a lesser extent, but still. It's extremely punched in, edited, and the product of a computer at the end of the day. I wouldn't call Charles or Tim "legendary guitar players" and they're not the examples kids should be looking up to. It's like looking up to Barry Bonds, ignoring the fact that he used PED's, and encouraging others to use PED's because Barry did it first.
Elevator music.
Well, I hate him because he is young, extremely talented and absolutely stunning while I am none of those things.
Fair enough
Thanks for posting.
Even the name of this band oozes with the essence of it's music.
Noticing them then listening to their music really got me thinking about other music I couldn't get into at first or sometimes could never get into.
I remember buying records like Jazz from hell by F Zappa just because it was his work. I tried to listen but didn't get it after 1 side shelving for quite a while. I wondered why make a record like this. And there have been others iv had similar reaction to especially after purchacing.
I think your video made some excellent and well thought out points.
I haven't been able to get into this band. Perhaps some of the reasons you discuss resonate but iv even tried turning off the visuals and just listening and I still don't get it.
I do see that many people do get it so I question myself to see where I cannot.
I haven't figured it out yet but perhaps I need to check out more stuff they do if I can find the time
The main point is I decided to thumb up your video (which is the first iv seen from you) and to sub your channel and look forward to hearing more of your musing about the object of our desire... The guitar
I also hope to hear that beautiful rig you've got and arsenal of instruments.
Thank you and best wishes 8n the new year.
As a metalhead, polyphia is my guilty pleasure
I find myself in awe of Tim and the rest of the bands skill and quite like some of their tracks but I wouldn't chose to play it in a social setting or if I wasn't watching them actually play on the music videos.
Complicated and technical riffs, but I don't like their newest album at all, I'm very impressed by them but I'm not a fan. Playing God is pretty good though
I am a Multi-instrumentalist and I absolutely love the Idea of a band like this, buy only actually enjoyed it for a minute. Somehow it strikes me as if I am watching some of the band play beautifully with emotional content, and other aspects playing perfectly with absolutely none. Just my personal opinion, and they're an odd one so who knows what will come next. Maybe I'll enjoy it.🤷
They're Interesting at least, and well, it's different, and i keep saying that i want different.🕊️♥️🍀🧠🎶💪