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POLYPHIA “BE NOT AFRAID” Album Review: An Aggressive Reinvention of their Sound

Polyphia’s new album “BE NOT AFRAID” Comes out on October 23rd and features a wildly different sound than what you might know from the band. Read to see our rating of the album and review on the direction of the new music!

by The Metalverse

Updated October 22, 2026

Our Rating:

8.8

Polyphia are set to release their new album “Be Not Afraid” tomorrow, October 23rd. I’ve been a fan of the band since I heard “G.O.A.T” back in 2018 and have followed the band closely since then, so when I got the chance to check out their new album ahead of release, I was very excited. Let’s talk a little about the idea behind the album before we get into my full review.

Tim Henson says that this is the “most meaningful thing they’ve ever written,” and the album’s sound, which has been described as a “collision of otherworldly metal, prog, and pulsating house,” was made by the band with no compromise as a reinvention of their sound, with the goal of pushing their instrumental delivery to its limits. Polyphia features no lead vocals and instead focuses on electrifying lead guitar work as genres like EDM, trap, prog, and more are blended together.

The band is sitting at well over 1.2 million monthly listeners and released 3 early singles with “Can You Feel It,” “Power In The Blood,” and “With Eyes To See,” with the latter showing visuals of a world turned inside out as flashes of redacted Epstein files and societal collapse are interwoven throughout the video.

Review

From the very first song, “Let There Be Light,” there is a clear shift in sound that is quite dramatic compared to Polyphia’s earlier work. Hard-hitting guitar riffs still drive the songs, but overdriven EDM bass hits create an overdriven, “clipping” sound that distorts the sound as the song shifts between metal guitar tones, trap beat grooves, and, interestingly, dramatic gospel choirs and religious lyrics. If you weren’t familiar with the band, you might think they are religious, but in previous interviews, they have stated that they are not a Christian band, and I assume that many of the religious, angelic, and demonic themes throughout the album are used for irony.

When “With Eyes To See” starts, I think it steals the show from the first track, as bass-boosted guitar chugging mixes EDM and extreme metal intensity while a chopped singing sample adds melody over top of the heavy undertones. Before long, bright, screeching guitar leads cut through the mix in classic Polyphia style. The bridge of the song features a clip of Mike Tyson talking, which was an unexpected sample that feels memorable. As the song continues, it descends into a series of mixed synth/metal breakdowns that deliver an unconventional sound that feels new to the album.

Next is “Screwtape,” a short 2-minute track that is one big shredding guitar journey from start to finish. The song clips a viral sound bite from Alex Jones where he screams, “I don’t like ‘em putting chemicals in the water that turn the freakin’ frogs gay! … I’m sick of being social engineered. It’s not funny.”

“Power In The Blood” was one of the single releases ahead of the album and starts with multiple guitar layers that pan from left to right, creating a hectic and rapid-paced sound. The song brings the ironic religious themes as distorted pastor samples are sprinkled throughout the track. The song builds into an epic finale as a massively overdriven synth and guitar sound creates an explosive sound.

“They Know Not What They Do” threw me for a loop, as horns and guitar melodies build a sound that reminded me of Mariachi music a little before wild guitar riffs take the forefront of the song. The song builds into a booming breakdown that blends metal with crushing 808s before ending with percussive, muted guitar picking and another pastor quote.

“Mark Of The Beast,” as you might imagine, shifts the religious samples to focus on demonic themes as guitar leads take a darker melodic shift and trap beats back up the instruments to create a groovy but ominous sound.

Next is “Can You Feel It,” which is, in my opinion, the strongest song on the album. When I first heard the song, I wasn’t sure how I felt about it, but I’ve found that many songs that I end up really enjoying feel polarizing at first. The main vocal sample creates a catchy backbone to the song as the guitar shifts between heavy chugging and rapid, high-pitched leads. The use of synth elements adds a lot of melody and contrast to the guitar that keeps things interesting throughout. “Can You Feel It” is a very unique mix of progressive rock, metal, and dance/house music that I’ve never heard before and makes for a highly distinct sound. This track feels like the reinvention that the band was aiming for and, in my opinion, is the best example of the album’s sound. The sample on this track is actually a really interesting cut from a ’90s public access TV commercial where a man made his own segment in which he would curse at the devil in the name of Jesus.

“Near Death” is the shortest track on the album and features a house beat as guitar and synth leads blend together into one sound, as the band has demonstrated throughout the album. It’s a quick, upbeat track that builds an energetic sound from start to finish.

“J-Bomb” switches things up as it starts with a beat and vocals that remind me of old-school Memphis rap, which many people recognize in modern phonk music. Soaring guitar melodies and upbeat tempos eventually lead into an interesting vibe change as the guitars change to a clean tone with a jazz-esque sound, while booming 808s and pitch-shifted riffs create a mellower sound that still feels electronically driven.

“Deny The Flesh” is the longest track on the album at just over 5 minutes, and it starts with speeding guitar and thumping bass lines as rapid trap beats fill in the background. The bridge introduces drop-tuned religious samples before jumping into guitar that grows more and more electronically altered before making way for a cinematic section that emphasizes dramatic choirs and slamming war drums. When the song drops, it’s a screeching guitar riff, with dubstep effects used across the guitar to create a really interesting sound.

“Devil Get Behind Me” features a series of electronically influenced guitar leads and trap beats that all lead toward the outro, with a malfunctioning, robotic voice that continues the dark religious themes of the album so far.

The final song, “Fear God,” starts with booming synths, classic Polyphia riffage, and some clean guitar parts that remind me of lo-fi slightly. A singing sample is introduced, adding additional harmony to the instrumentals, which eventually leads into a synth-guitar breakdown. The main riff is brought back before the album slowly fades out.

Overall, Polyphia has made a major shift in their sound that will be polarizing to many people. I found that the shift is interesting, and the heavy house influences mixed with their progressive and metal foundation created a distinct sound that was consistent throughout the album. By the end of the album, though, the sound started to feel almost too consistent, with some of the songs starting to blur together for me. With that being said, the high points of the album were very high, with “Can You Feel It,” “With Eyes To See,” “Let There Be Light,” and “Power In The Blood” standing out to me particularly. I enjoyed the album and think Polyphia has achieved their goal of reinventing their sound and blending together a unique mix of genres, even if some of the songs didn’t catch me quite as well as others.

You can stream “BE NOT AFRAID” here once all songs are available on October 23rd, and any fan of progressive music should certainly check out Polyphia.