When we hit up NAMM 2025 earlier this year, Guitar World wasn’t just on a mission to appraise the newest pieces of electric guitar gear – we were also intent on finding out which emerging players are making an impression on the established pros.
As such, we made it our imperative to ask every artist we interviewed about which up-and-coming guitarists were blowing their minds, and when we asked Tim Henson and Tosin Abasi, they both offered the same name: Spiro Dussias.
When it comes to identifying early talent, Henson and Abasi are two of the most qualified players out there.
Both reinvented progressive music in their own image, while Abasi already proved his pedigree in hand-picking players when he tipped Matteo Mancuso for greatness a number of years ago.
Therefore, when Henson and Abasi name a talent we need to be aware of, we listen – and progressive metal shredder Spiro Dussias is the one that’s currently got them excited.
“Dude, there’s that guy. Spiro – you know what I’m talking about,” Henson tells Guitar World when asked about the new players he’s impressed by. “I don’t know how to say his last name. I just recognize the Instagram handle, but that guy is fucking crazy.”
Likewise, Abasi didn’t have to think too long before he put the spotlight on the technically elite player, who has been lauded as “shred’s next great hope”.
“There’s this guy, Spiro,” Abasi says when faced with the same question. “Alien levels of precision. It’s like, you can’t believe it until you sit in front of him and you’re like, ‘Whoa.’”
Players plugged into the progressive guitar scene may already be familiar with Spiro. One of 2024’s standout metal guitarists who made it onto Guitar World’s best solos of the year rundown in 2024, Spiro has already worked with Abasi Concepts, Neural DSP and ESP, and even stole the show during Jackson’s promotional video for its American Soloist series with an original piece, Python.
Revered for his otherworldly muted sweep picking technique, compositional nous and the fact everything he plays seems to blow the minds of household artists, Spiro is already well on his way to having a very, very bright future in the guitar world.
And, if Henson has his way, that future could include a guest spot on the upcoming fifth Polyphia record.
“As we start to book these sessions this year, to bring in all the incredible talent that is out there, to vibe them out on the new music, I’m definitely going to be hitting up Spiro, just to see what kind of insanity he can bring,” Henson adds in his Guitar World interview.
Spiro sat down with GW earlier this year to discuss his whirlwind rise. During the conversation, he discussed comparisons to Tosin Abasi, his fondness for ESP, and the mechanics behind his technique.
Head over to Spiro’s Instagram account to keep up to date with the shredder’s journey.
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