Formed in 2024 after decades of friendship and musical intersections, SatchVai brings together two of the most celebrated guitarists of all time, Joe Satriani and Steve Vai, for an unprecedented collaboration. With over 30 million records sold between them, 2 Platinum and 4 Gold albums, plus 15 Grammy wins and nominations, and careers that have shaped generations of players, Satriani and Vai represent the pinnacle of modern guitar.

After more than five decades of friendship, musical exchange and separate careers that helped redefine what the electric guitar could do, Joe Satriani and Steve Vai have finally made a record together. The Sea of Emotion, the first studio album from SatchVai, will be released November 6, 2026 via earMUSIC. The announcement arrives alongside the release of “Mayhem,” the album’s blistering new single.

The story began in 1973, when 13-year-old Steve Vai began taking guitar lessons from his 17-year-old teacher, Joe Satriani, in Long Island. Neither could have known where that shared obsession with the guitar would lead. More than 50 years later, after establishing themselves as solo artists and sharing stages around the world through the legendary G3 tours, they have brought their musical histories together on one album. “We’ve been planning this since 1973,” Vai says with a laugh. “Just unconsciously.”

The album came together after a G3 reunion tour created an unexpected opening in their schedules. What began as a suggestion to record a single track quickly expanded when Satriani sent Vai two finished pieces, “The Sea of Emotion, Part 1” and “Part 2.” Vai knew immediately that the time had come.

The first studio album to emerge from this project is called The Sea Of Emotion.

Following a series of single releases (“The Sea Of Emotion Pt. 1” in 2024, “I Wanna Play My Guitar” in 2025 and “Dancing” earlier this year), this is the first time Joe Satriani and Steve Vai have recorded a full album of brand-new songs together.

Satriani’s melodic sensibility and Vai’s adventurous, expressive style intertwine across every track, sometimes trading blistering solos, sometimes building layered harmonies that push the music in unexpected directions. It’s a record that captures the energy, creativity, and playful rivalry of their decades-long friendship, balancing technical brilliance with moments of pure musical conversation.