Arteconciencias: Steve Vai was taken aback when he heard how Polyphia cut up his guest solo

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October 7, 2022

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Editor's Note

"I thought, 'Maybe they didn't like what I did!'"

The cover story from the brand-new issue of Guitar World features Steve Vai and Polyphia discussing – among other things – their mind-blowing collaborative single, Ego Death.

Obviously, Vai and Polyphia's Tim Henson and Scott LePage are all incredibly accomplished players, with plenty of mutual respect for one another, but when he was asked to contribute a solo to Ego Death, Vai was apprehensive.

"I’m such a different player, because their stuff has such smooth but sharp edges – it’s really sparkly and clean," Vai explained to Guitar World. "And I’m just a delay-drenched, singing guitar melody guy, so I didn’t want to do something that was inappropriate for them."

After he submitted his part to the band, the virtuoso said simply "Do whatever you like. Here’s what I’ve got." Even still, he admits that he wasn't quite prepared for Henson and LePage's approach to his submission.

"When I first heard it [the solo as it appears on the song], it was so different," Vai says. "I thought, ‘Maybe they didn’t like what I did!’ “And then I thought, ‘No, this is just the way that they work.’"

All parties involved seem quite pleased with the end result. From our vantage point, it's about as exciting a blend of 20th and 21st century guitar sounds as one could ask for.

Jackson Maxwell – Associate Editor, guitarworld.com

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