Polyphia is a 4 piece instrumental act from Texas, USA. They first achieved mainstream success when 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 band was originally known for classical guitar covers on YouTube. Their first EP, Inspire, and first LP, Muse, both show the band’s appreciation for pop music. However, both works employ more progressive metal influences than their later releases. 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 single “LIT”, a remix of the song “Light”, the second track on Renaissance. This sound was further developed with the release of their second EP, The Most Hated, and third LP, New Levels New Devils, which featured production from hip hop and EDM producers Judge and Y2K.