How progressive rock got its fusion back.
Some players seemingly come out of nowhere and hit pay dirt on their first studio venture, but while Canadian guitarist and producer Thomas Polychuck’s newly minted eponymous debut stands as his first LP as a solo artist, he is far from a newcomer to the industry.
Cutting his teeth early on in the late 2000s via Quebec-based black metal outfit Blight in a multi-instrumentalist capacity and behind the drum kit on doom/sludge metal mainstays Dopethrone’s debut album Demonsmoke, Polychuck would go on to make a splash in the progress rock scene via his ongoing work with noted band THE || HIMN and In Sylva and also make a name for himself on social media as a guitar coach, eventually accumulating over 100,000 followers throughout the Covid lockdowns in the early 2020s, showcasing a highly diverse range of styles and expressions.
In recent interviews, he has noted the likes of Kirk Hammett and Alexi Laiho as early influences on his approach to the guitar. Lately, such noted virtuosos as British jazz fusion pioneer John McLaughlin, acclaimed jazz/rock player Allan Holdsworth, and even the more recent country-rock sensation Johnny Hiland have been among Thomas’ stylistic muses.
In light of the experience that comes with roughly 2 decades grinding it out in the studio and on the live circuit, to speak nothing for the diverse array of influences in tow, Polychuck’s first studio foray into the market of virtuoso, guitar-driven instrumental rock carries all the trappings of a modern masterwork.
Enlisting the skills of noted drummers Virgil Donati and Simon Phillips, as well as legendary keyboardist and one-time Dream Theater member Derek Sherinian, Thomas lays out a highly accessible yet technically rich tapestry of sound, culminating in 9 compositional feats that speak loudly without the need of words.
Brevity plays heavily into the formula at work here, as the generally drawn-out jam sessions one might associate with the likes of Liquid Tension Experiment or Spastic Ink are avoided for a compact songwriting approach, though a similarly improvisational flavor and a general sense of asymmetry permeates the entire album.

Though the jazzy, free-flowing kit work put forth by Donati and Phillips prove highly impressive and the noodling key work of Sherinian is in full force, Polychuck consistently rules the roost between busy riffs and freewheeling leads that rival both the skill and melodic consonance typical heard out of Joe Satriani and Paul Gilbert.
Perhaps the only thing more impressive than the technical chops on display by Thomas and company is how seamlessly the album they’ve constructed moves from one end of the spectrum to the other, often coming off as an anthology of several bands from disparate musical genres. Things open on what might pass for a typical note in the quirky world of progressive rock and metal in “Genèse”, a work named for consequential prime movers Genesis but landing a bit closer to the sort of forceful yet frequently shifting metallic fervor that could be mistaken for a snippet from Dream Theater’s “Metropolis Pt. 1”.
Other heavy-hitting entries like “1316”, “Construct” and “Reality” tread similarly aggressive territory, though the wildly technical keyboard and guitar interchanges of the former and the dissonant punch of the second make each its distinct entity, while the cruising sense of triumph and splendor of the latter betrays occasional flourishes of Polychuck’s past affinity with Children Of Bodom. A duo of full-on free jazz displays that any John Coltrane fan could appreciate unfolds on “Dieze 11” and “They Carry On”, while “Signs From Beyond The Veil” marries a similar stylistic template to a more rocking guitar approach and anthem-like sense of balladry.
If there is criticism that might be thrown Polychuck’s way, is that despite its concise tracklist of songs under four minutes each, the complexity and depth of the music make it challenging even for seasoned listeners to fully grasp in a single listen. Then again, this is in keeping with the complex and ever-progressing spirit that the original jazz masters were chasing since venturing beyond the confines of traditional song structures and is ultimately this album’s greatest strength rather than a flaw of any degree.
Progressive rock fans of every stripe will find a truly breathtaking experience here that closely aligns with the longer-winded and lyrically intricate bands that have come and gone over the past 50 years, and instrumental shred fans from the Vinnie Moore camp to the Steve Vai crowd will find something special locked within these 9 wordless poems.
The original glory days of jazz fusion may belong to that sweet spot where the ’60s ended and the ’70s began that was its birth, but it’s alive and well in the 2020s, and is sure to be for the foreseeable future if Polychuck’s existing reach from both the stage and the computer screen is any indication.
Released By: Deko Entertainment
Release Date: November 29th, 2024
Genre: Progressive Rock
Musicians:
- Thomas Polychuck / Guitars, Keys, Bass
- Derek Sherinian / Keyboards on 2, 4, 5, 7 & 9
- Simon Phillips / Drums on 2
- Virgil Donati / Drums on 4
- Brian Tichy / Drums on 9
- Chris Madden / Keyboards on 8
- Maciek / Upright bass on 6
- Federico Gucciardo / Drums on 1 & 5
- Lucio Cheli / Drums on 6
- Will Régnier / Drums on 7 & 8
- Ezequiel / Drums on 3
Polychuck Track-Listing:
- Genèse
- The Cyclone (Featuring Simon Phillips & Derek Sherinian)
- DièZe 11
- 1316 (Featuring Virgil Donati & Derek Sherinian)
- Construct (Featuring Derek Sherinian)
- They Carry On
- Reality (Featuring Derek Sherinian)
- Sign from Beyond the Veil
- Retold Story (Featuring Derek Sherinian & Brian Tichy)
Order Polychuck HERE.
Canadian producer, multi-instrumentalist and guitar coach Thomas Polychuck enlists the talents of several high-profile musicians of the metal and progressive rock scene to unleash a compact tidal wave of forward-looking instrumental compositions, spearheaded by a unique hybrid of styles channeled through lead guitar work rivaling the methodical brilliance of Joe Satriani and Paul Gilbert
-
Songwriting
-
Musicianship
-
Originality
-
Production