Polyphia’s next album will feature Babymetal, the band has confirmed, with some other high-profile names also expected to join in with their forthcoming fretboard-sizzling shenanigans.
The prog metal outfit’s latest album, Remember That You Will Die, helped propel the band to even greater heights, and featured a raft of guest stars, including electric guitar virtuoso Steve Vai and Deftones vocalist Chino Moreno.
Speaking to Rock Sound at Download Festival 2024, the band’s two guitarists Tim Henson and Scott LePage confirmed the record’s collaborative theme will continue with its follow-up.
Japanese kawaii metal sensation Babymetal have already signed up, and a few other heavy guitar legends have also been tapped as potential collaborators.
“At the minute we’re playing with sound design and that’s very, very fun,” Henson says of the album’s writing process. “Features for the next one confirmed are Baby Metal; we just met Zakk Wylde so we’re gonna ask him [laughs] and give him a three-minute long session and let him rip.
“We’ve been talking to Serj [Tankian] from System Of A Down. We love all kinds of music, so it’s fun to reach into all these different things.”
On the Babymetal song, Henson adds: “We have one done for them, but the stipulations this time are like, ‘You have to give us one, too.’”
Henson and LePage have worked with Babymetal before, helping the viral metal stars pen the track Brand New Day in 2019. The song has racked up nearly five million Spotify streams, with the fruitful pairing now set for a return.
Of other dream collaborations, LePage name-dropped Fall Out Boy – “who wouldn’t want that?!” he beams – as well as Meshuggah. Henson, meanwhile, has previously spoken about his desire to work with Thundercat – could the bass player be set to feature on their next record?
Asked when fans can expect to hear new music from the band, Henson is coy.
“Everything’s in the demo stage. [After the tour] we get to go home and write, which is our favorite part of the job,” he says. “I don’t want to give a [release] date because every time I do it ends up not being that and album five becomes a myth.”
Recently, Henson featured on a new single from acoustic guitar virtuoso Marcin, and named the Black Sabbath album that’s ideal for beginner guitarists to learn.
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