Leading Guitar Driven Music into the Future

By Steph Moore

One of the best things about being sent to shows is that I get to see slightly unconventional bands who are on the brink of becoming big names with big followings…and not just because they’ve got a good PR team behind them or  have released a cool video, but because they are dripping with talent.  Such is the case with Animals as Leaders, whom I caught ~ along with Pulse photographer Frank Poulin ~ when they played the Boston House of Blues as part of the Saints and Sinners tour (with openers CaveIn and Tesseract), taking the stage right before always-awesome headliners Between the Buried and Me.

So ~ who are Animals as Leaders?

Some of you might remember a Washington, D.C. based prog metalcore band called Reflux, fueled by 7-string guitarist Tosin Abasi’s fierce riffs and insane solos; Reflux ultimately disbanded, but not before touring extensively with bands including Strapping Young Lad, Darkest Hour, August Burns Red, Animosity, From A Second Story Window and many more.

Reflux’s demise gave Abasi the chance to begin an instrumental solo project which soon turned into his new, 100% instrumental band Animals as Leaders ~ with second guitarist Javier Reyes and former Animosity drummer Navene Koperweis ~  and their debut self-titled album.  Prosthetic Records, the band’s label, shares on its website a quote from legendary guitarist Steve Vai that best sums up what Animals bring to both the recording studio and the stage:

“When I first heard Animals As Leaders, I felt as though at last, I was hearing the future of creative, heavy virtuoso guitar playing. It’s quite amazing.”

Exactly.

Amazing they are, and their new album, Weightless, combined with the awe-inspiring performances they’ve been turning in on the Saints and Sinners tour (watching the band onstage you get the feeling that guitar legends like Vai, Satriani, Page, Van Halen…even the late Hendrix and Randi Rhoads…are somehow present and proudly passing the torch to Abasi) should secure them as one of the most talented, creative, and dazzling bands of this decade and beyond.

I highly recommend having a listen to the band ~ add Animals as Leaders and Weightless to your music collection, check out www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYbu9YRzD3Y (or simply search for additional video clips on YouTube), head to www.facebook.com/animalsasleaders, and learn a lot more about the band and their music on their official Prosthetic Records page at

prostheticrecords.com/?p=499  … but first, take a look at these photos from the Saints and Sinners Oct. 30 tour stop at the House of Blues in Boston ~ and the next time you have a chance to catch Animals as Leaders live … do.

Special thanks to Mark Vieira.