Tim Henson, Scott LePage Discuss Polyphia’s Be Not Afraid

Polyphia’s new album, Be Not Afraid, is the band’s first record built around a deeper meaning beyond technical spectacle. In a new interview, Tim Henson and Scott LePage explained its story driven concept and the experimental guitar production behind its sound.

Biblical samples and warped guitars

The instrumental album carries its narrative through sampled gospel sermons rather than conventional lyrics, placing preachers over electronic beats. Henson said every song title is biblical, and Jesus appears on the cover. The concept sets ecstasy and salvation against darker themes and damnation. Henson wanted listeners to feel the disorientation of hearing something new, similar to his first encounter with Skrillex. The track list includes Fear God, J-BOMB, Let There Be Light and Can You Feel It, with Fear God closing the album. Can You Feel It takes its title from Mr Fingers. Production began with an unusually long-scale Seed guitar that a fan gave the band at a VIP meet-and-greet. LePage nicknamed it “the negative five” and used it to write Let There Be Light. Henson then ordered another Seed after LePage started developing ideas on the original. The first guitar’s neck bowed toward the player until the instrument became unplayable. After retiring it, the band fed a dry guitar signal into Ableton Live and shifted its pitch. That workaround created the faux 8-string sound at the beginning of Let There Be Light.

LePage pushed the sound further with a wah pedal, a guitar signal dropped by 17 semitones and a strong high-frequency EQ boost. For one transition, Henson asked for a sound like “the devil throwing a tantrum.”

(Via: MusicRadar)