Polyphia guitarist Tim Henson obviously doesn't have a problem with instrumental music given that's largely all his band makes, but he does take issue with guitar-centric music without hooks. In an interview with Guitar.com, Henson bluntly stated his feelings on being in a metal band and guitarists who solo way too much.
"It's not really cool to be in a metal band because they don't make any money," said Henson. "Literally every guitar-centred thing is just solos on solos on solos. We've certainly done records that were solos on solos on solos but between them we actually had hooks."
Henson's point about hooks is just good advice – give the listeners something to get stuck in their heads! As for the metal band comment, I'm sure loads of musicians whose full-time job it is to be in a metal band would like a word.
Elsewhere in the same interview, Henson also touched on Polyphia's very fashionable image. Henson said around the time of their 2018 album New Levels New Devils, he wanted a slick look and a tagline that would piss people off. Why? Obviously to be cool and get girls.
"I remember seeing Tony Hawk's Underground 2 have a Metallica promo. It was during the St. Anger shit, and they all rolled up to their rehearsal space in Mercedes. I thought that was so fucking cool! That's when we came up with the meme of calling ourselves not only the biggest but the best metal band in the world.
"Also, around the time that we wanted to get bigger, One Direction were still a thing. We were like, 'Okay, let's do what they're doing – obviously girls like that.'"
Polyphia will release their new record Remember That You Will Die on October 28. Pre-orders are available here. The album also features guest spots from Steve Vai on "Ego Death," Deftones vocalist Chino Moreno on "Bloodbath," vocalist Sophia Black on "ABC," and then Brasstracks on "Genesis," Killstation on "Memento Mori," $not (the rapper) on "Fuck Around and Find Out," and Lil West on "Chimera."
