Known as a genuinely influential guitar player, vocalist, and songwriter in the progressive death metal genre, Simon Girard is truly a passion-driven and innovative artist.
In 2005, Simon created a band in which he could surpass his own boundaries and lead the new sound of progressive death metal, which turned into the critically acclaimed Beyond Creation. During the songwriting process, Simon studied classical guitar in college to increase his musical knowledge and eventually leaned towards extended range instruments, especially the 8-string guitar.
Since the release of their debut full-length album The Aura, Montreal’s progressive death metal band Beyond Creation has become one of the most innovative and groundbreaking formations in metal today. Participating in large-scale tours and festivals all around the world, Simon and the band have blazed their way through the genre with their own unique blend of technicality, fluidity, and jazz-inspired progressive music.
2019 started with the winning of The IMA AWARD FOR WORLDWIDE BEST METAL/HARDCORE ALBUM and a nomination at Canada’s largest music awards event – The Junos – which placed Beyond Creation‘s latest album Algorythm among the finest records of the year. The reviews are unanimous: “Absolutely masterful – Beyond Creation are one of the worldwide leaders in modern technical death metal and Algorythm is a study in the forward motion of intelligent, progressive extremity.”
Additionally, Simon is a successful photographer and voice actor. You can hear his voice in Marvel’s highly acclaimed 2021 film Guardians of the Galaxy, alongside other worldwide renowned games. Visit his website, Instagram, and Facebook pages for more info about the passionate and hardworking artist that he is. We are thrilled to have Simon as a part of the .strandberg* Guitars family and look forward to seeing where his talents lead him next!
From brutally heavy to crystalline clean
Boden Metal NX 8 Black Granite
Visually sleek and futuristic, the Metal NX model was designed for over-the-top metal sounds that are still articulate and expressive as well as being exceptionally versatile to cover various other genres of music. The name of this model certainly belies what is hidden beneath its aggressive yet refined look. From brutal heavy to crystalline clean and everything in between, the Metal delivers them all with authority and supreme musicality. The 7-string and 8-string models feature the highly regarded active Fishman Fluence Modern pickups for power, clarity, definition, and articulation with even the most extreme gain settings.
View product"These guitars have definitely changed the way I perceive sound and write music. Their stunning precision, versatility, and ergonomic design place them among the most impressive and innovative instruments. Their strong resonance and vibration help me to connect with the instrument on a much deeper level. It also helps me to create music that contains a lot more emotions. Designing an 8-string guitar, capable of transmitting all the frequencies in a very clear and stable way is a very hard task, which Ola Strandberg achieved in the most stellar way."
