"Animals As Leaders" is an American Djent and Instrumental Metal artist. The group was formed and is run by guitar virtuoso Tosin Abasi. "Djent" is a new genre of heavy metal music combining 'Math Metal' and 'Progressive Metal' (It's shorter than saying "Second Wave of Progressive Metal"). While "Djent" is the easiest way to tag Animals as Leaders, this album spans many genres and styles, some of them not as familiar to me. There are obvious Jazz influences, some use of the acoustic guitar, and the occasional electronic beat or synthesizer.
The album has no real drummer or bassist; Tosin Abasi plays the bass guitar and the drums were programmed by Misha Mansoor (Periphery guitarist), the only other person to record on the album (Misha is also credited for the electronic parts and engineering). The songs are all instrumentals built around and to show off Tosin Abasi's technical prowess and virtuosity on the guitar. The percussion sounds exactly what you would expect from programmed drums; a very mechanical, fake feeling. Most of the songs feature a short intro that differs from the rest of the track. None of the songs sound the same or even that similar. With the lack of vocals the songs also have a slight-lack of emotion. It should be noted that the percussion is much more dynamic towards the end of the album.
The first time I heard the record it was a little overwhelming; I thought all the songs went on for too long or just weren't that well written. Upon each further listen I raised my score of the album to where it is now.
1 - Tempting Time - 8.5/10
2 - Soraya - 7.5/10
3 - Thourougly At Home - 7/10
4 - On Impulse - 7.25/10
5 - Tessitura - 7/10
6 - Behaving Badly - 8.5/10
7 - The Price of Everything and the Value of Nothing - 6.5/10
8 - CAFO - 7/10
9 - Inamorata - 7.5/10
10 - Point to Point - 7.5/10
11 - Modern Meat - 7.5/10
12 - Song of Solomon - 8/10
After listening to this album there are two things you have to admit about it:
1 - He's an amazing and talented guitarist
2 - One instrument isn't everything
The majority of this album manages to escape the usual pitfalls of the genre, solo guitar artists and instrumentals. I'm confident Animals as Leaders have a bright future in the world of heavy metal.
The Album Cover
The album has no real drummer or bassist; Tosin Abasi plays the bass guitar and the drums were programmed by Misha Mansoor (Periphery guitarist), the only other person to record on the album (Misha is also credited for the electronic parts and engineering). The songs are all instrumentals built around and to show off Tosin Abasi's technical prowess and virtuosity on the guitar. The percussion sounds exactly what you would expect from programmed drums; a very mechanical, fake feeling. Most of the songs feature a short intro that differs from the rest of the track. None of the songs sound the same or even that similar. With the lack of vocals the songs also have a slight-lack of emotion. It should be noted that the percussion is much more dynamic towards the end of the album.
The first time I heard the record it was a little overwhelming; I thought all the songs went on for too long or just weren't that well written. Upon each further listen I raised my score of the album to where it is now.
1 - Tempting Time - 8.5/10
2 - Soraya - 7.5/10
3 - Thourougly At Home - 7/10
4 - On Impulse - 7.25/10
5 - Tessitura - 7/10
6 - Behaving Badly - 8.5/10
7 - The Price of Everything and the Value of Nothing - 6.5/10
8 - CAFO - 7/10
9 - Inamorata - 7.5/10
10 - Point to Point - 7.5/10
11 - Modern Meat - 7.5/10
12 - Song of Solomon - 8/10
After listening to this album there are two things you have to admit about it:
1 - He's an amazing and talented guitarist
2 - One instrument isn't everything
The majority of this album manages to escape the usual pitfalls of the genre, solo guitar artists and instrumentals. I'm confident Animals as Leaders have a bright future in the world of heavy metal.
70/100
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