Animals as Leaders formed after guitarist Tosin Abasi's previous metalcore band, Reflux, disbanded.[5][6] The heavy metalrecord labelProsthetic Records saw Abasi's guitar work and asked him to create a solo album for them. Abasi initially declined, feeling such an endeavor would be "...egotistical and unnecessary."[7] Abasi decided to take a year off to study music, as he felt he was unable to reach his peak at guitar playing. After Abasi had completed his course, he took up the label on the offer of a solo project. The name Animals as Leaders was inspired by Daniel Quinn's 1992 novel Ishmael, which addresses anthropocentrism. Abasi coined the name as a reminder "that we're all essentially animals".[7]
Javier Reyes playing guitar
The project's first album, Animals as Leaders, was recorded in early 2008. Abasi recorded most guitar and bass tracks on the album; a few guitar solos, drums and various synthesized effects were programmed by engineerMisha Mansoor of Periphery and Haunted Shores.[7] The album was released on April 28, 2009, by Prosthetic Records.[8]
On May 26, 2011, Animals as Leaders took part in a Red Cross benefit show titled "Josh Barnett Presents The Sun Forever Rising" at the House of Blues in West Hollywood, California. Shortly thereafter, they headlined their first tour, which included opening acts Intronaut, Dead Letter Circus, Last Chance to Reason, and Evan Brewer. On July 27, 2011, during a show at the Masquerade in Atlanta, Georgia, Tosin Abasi announced that they were recording the show for a live DVD.
The band was billed as the first support of Between the Buried and Me on their European tour in September 2011, also with the French band Doyle. That same year, as a follow-up to their self-titled album, the band released their LP, entitled Weightless, on November 8 in the United States,[9] November 4 in Europe, and November 7 in the UK.[10]
Tosin Abasi in 2011
In Spring 2012, Animals as Leaders embarked on a headlining tour of Europe, then returned to North America to open for Thrice. Navene Koperweis left Animals as Leaders that March. Prosthetic Records then announced on March 23 that drummer Matt Garstka would join them on tour.[11]
"We see nothing but great potential with Matt, and look forward to performing with him on the upcoming tours," Abasi says. "We feel very excited for the future of AAL, which is brighter than ever. I'm beyond excited for our fans to hear some of the new music we already have brewing for the future!" [12]
On November 28, 2012, Misha Mansoor, the producer for the first Animals as Leaders album, announced that he had begun writing riffs with Tosin Abasi, intending to start recording on their third album.[13] Two days later, it was confirmed that Mansoor was recording the band after the completion of two songs.[14] On February 14, 2014, the band announced their third studio album, The Joy of Motion, which was released via Sumerian Records on March 25, 2014.
On February 2, 2016, they revealed on Instagram that they were working on their fourth studio album. On September 22, they revealed that the album would be titled The Madness of Many, and would be released on November 11, 2016. On September 30, they released a single from the album, "The Brain Dance". On October 18, they released another song from the album, "Arithmophobia". This song features extensive use of odd-metered rhythm, hence its name.
On September 1, 2021, the band released "Monomyth" as a single. It was elected by Loudwire as the 20th-best metal song of 2021.[15]
On November 18, 2021, the band announced their fifth studio album titled Parrhesia and released a single from the album, "The Problem of Other Minds." The album was released on March 25, 2022.
Style
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Animals as Leaders is a progressive metal band whose style draws from progressive rock, jazz fusion, funk, and electronica.[3] Drummer Matt Garstka has called the band's style "metal fusion".[16] They are a prominent band within the djent scene.[4] The band is notable for its absence of a bass player, who is "replaced" by two eight-string guitarists.[3]
Band members
Abasi and Reyes are also members of the supergroup TRAM, alongside former Mars Volta wind instrumentalist Adrián Terrazas-González and Suicidal Tendencies drummer Eric Moore. Reyes also has his own side project, Mestis.
Current
Tosin Abasi – lead guitar (2007–present), bass (2008–2012)
Javier Reyes – rhythm guitar (2009–present), bass (2015–2022)
An eight-string guitar is a guitar with eight strings, or one more than the Russian guitar's seven. Eight-string guitars are less common than six- and seven-string guitars, but they are used by a few classical, jazz, and metal guitarists. The eight-string guitar allows a wider tonal range, or non-standard tunings, or both.
Evan Brewer is an American musician from Nashville, Tennessee. He is the current bassist of Entheos and Fallujah and formerly played bass for The Faceless. He has also been involved in other bands such as Reflux and the last bassist to be a part of Animosity. He also released two solo albums under his own name. In 2011, he released his debut solo album titled Alone, and his second solo album, Your Itinerary, was released on July 16, 2013.
Scale the Summit is an American instrumental progressive metal band formed in Houston, Texas in 2004. The band comprises guitarist Chris Letchford, bassist Kilian Duarte and drummer Charlie Engen. They were signed to Prosthetic Records before the band decided to release their work independently. The band is influenced by other progressive acts such as Cynic and Dream Theater. The band gained notice as part of the Progressive Nation 2009 tour with Dream Theater, Zappa Plays Zappa and Bigelf.
Oluwatosin Ayoyinka OlumideAbasi, is an American musician, best known as the founder and lead guitarist of the instrumental progressive metal band Animals as Leaders. He has recorded and released five albums with Animals as Leaders: a self-titled debut, Weightless, The Joy of Motion, The Madness of Many, and their most recent album, Parrhesia.
Animals as Leaders is the debut studio album by American instrumental progressive metal band Animals as Leaders. It was released on April 28, 2009 by Prosthetic Records. In 2015, a reissue titled Animals as Leaders – Encore Edition was released with bonus tracks.
Periphery is an American progressive metal band formed in Washington, D.C., in 2005. Their musical style has been described as progressive metal, djent, and progressive metalcore. They are considered one of the pioneers of the djent movement within progressive metal. They have also received a Grammy nomination. The band consists of vocalist Spencer Sotelo, guitarists Misha Mansoor, Mark Holcomb, Jake Bowen, and drummer Matt Halpern.
Antagonist is an American metalcore band from Whittier, California, formed in 1998. They released numerous EPs prior to being signed with Prosthetic Records. They have released two albums while under the Prosthetic Records banner, "Exist" and "World in Decline". In 2012, Antagonist once again became an independent band and released the five-song EP, “Antagonist” (2015). In 2019, Antagonist signed with independent label Infinite Strength Records and released a two-song EP “Human Failure” on July 19.
Djent is a subgenre of progressive metal characterized by its use of complex and heavily syncopated rhythm patterns. Its distinctive sound is that of high-gain, distorted, palm-muted, down-tuned strings. The name "djent" is an onomatopoeia of this sound.
Weightless is the second studio album by American instrumental progressive metal band Animals as Leaders. It was released on November 4, 2011 in Europe, November 7, 2011 in the UK, and November 8, 2011 in the US by Prosthetic Records. The album charted at No. 92 on Billboard’s Top 200 Chart, as well as No. 7 on Billboard’s Hard Rock Albums Chart, No. 16 on their Top Independent Album Chart and No. 50 on the Top Current Digital Album Chart.
Eclipse is the fourth studio album by American metalcore band Veil of Maya. It was released on February 28, 2012, and is the band's shortest album to date, clocking in at only 28 minutes. Eclipse was co-written and produced by Misha "Bulb" Mansoor, who is the guitarist of the Maryland-based metal band Periphery. It is the first record by the band to feature bassist Danny Hauser and the last with vocalist Brandon Butler.
Misha Mansoor, also known as Bulb after the name of his solo project, is an American musician, best known as the founder of and one of the three guitarists in the progressive metal band Periphery. He is also a part of the projects Haunted Shores and Four Seconds Ago, and Of Man, Not of Machine.
Periphery II: This Time It's Personal is the second studio album by American progressive metal band Periphery. The album was released on June 29, 2012 through Roadrunner Records in Australia and on July 3 through Sumerian in America. It was produced by Misha Mansoor and Adam Getgood. It is the first record by the band to feature new members Mark Holcomb and Adam "Nolly" Getgood, replacing Alex Bois and Tom Murphy on guitar and bass, respectively.
The Joy of Motion is the third studio album by American instrumental progressive metal band Animals as Leaders. It was released on March 24, 2014, in Europe, March 25, 2014, in North America and on March 28, 2014, in Australia and New Zealand by Sumerian Records. The entire album was previously made available on YouTube on March 19, 2014.
Matthew Wolfgang Garstka is an American drummer, best known for his work with instrumental progressive metal band Animals as Leaders.
The Madness of Many is the fourth studio album by American instrumental progressive metal band Animals as Leaders. It was released on November 11, 2016.
Entheos is an American progressive metal super-group formed in 2015 by ex-members of Animosity, Animals as Leaders, and The Faceless. They released their debut EP Primal in March 2015 and their debut album The Infinite Nothing in April 2016. The band announced their return to the studio in March 2017 and released Dark Future in November of the same year.
Matt Halpern is an American drummer best known for his work with progressive metal band Periphery.
Parrhesia is the fifth studio album by American instrumental progressive metal band Animals as Leaders. It was released on March 25, 2022, by Sumerian Records.
The Illusion of Democracy is the only studio album by American progressive metalcore band Reflux. It was released on October 12, 2004, through Prosthetic Records. Live music videos were released for the songs "Above the Pyramid and the Eye" and "Single File to Bliss".
Lingua Franca is an EP by the supergroup T.R.A.M., featuring multi-instrumentalist Adrian Terrazas, formerly of The Mars Volta, guitarists Javier Reyes and Tosin Abasi of Animals as Leaders, and drummer Eric Moore of Suicidal Tendencies, with Kelela Mizanekristos and Sheera Ehrig providing backing vocals on several tracks. The group's sole release, it was recorded at Farias Productions in Los Angeles, California, and was issued in 2012 by Sumerian Records. The band name is an acronym of the musicians' last names.
↑ Buchta, Mikey (February 14, 2011). "Interview with Animals as Leaders guitarist Tosin Abasi". Pure Grain Audio. Retrieved August 13, 2015. Animals as Leaders is a progressive instrumental metal band Tosin created after the breakup of his previous band Reflux.
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