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Editorial Reviews
When unknown virtuoso guitarist Tosin Abasi released his debut solo album under the moniker ANIMALS AS LEADERS in 2009, few would have predicted the band's meteoric rise over the next two years. Although Abasi earned acclaim as the lead guitarist in the Washington, D.C.-based metalcore act Reflux, it was still a long-shot that an instrumental album of progressive metal with jazz, electronic and ambient flourishes would develop anything more than a cult following.
Now, on the eve of the release of "Weightless," the group's sophomore effort, ANIMALS AS LEADERS is revered worldwide as a trailblazing pioneer of modern heavy music. The group's genre-defying compositions have earned extensive praise Steve Vai called the band "the future of creative, heavy virtuoso guitar playing," and MetalSucks recently ranked Abasi #2 on their list of modern metal's top guitarists - and the diversity of their music has enabled them to tour with a wide variety of acts, including Deftones, Underoath, Circa Survive, BTBAM (with whom the band will tour for the third time this fall), The Dillinger Escape Plan, The Faceless, Thursday, Dredg and, on the 2010 Summer Slaughter tour, even Decapitated.
Whereas the group's self-titled debut was a collaboration between Abasi and Periphery's Misha Mansoor, "Weightless" features the recording debut of ANIMALS AS LEADERS, the true band - that is, Abasi (guitars), Javier Reyes (guitars) and Navene Koperweis (drums). After nearly two years of touring together, the trio wrote and recorded "Weightless" together in mid-2011, with Koperweis producing and Reyes mixing. The group debuted a new track, "Isolated Incidents," during their inaugural headlining tour this summer, which included sellout shows from coast-to-coast - a sign that as quickly as ANIMALS AS LEADERS have risen, the best is yet to come.
Now, on the eve of the release of "Weightless," the group's sophomore effort, ANIMALS AS LEADERS is revered worldwide as a trailblazing pioneer of modern heavy music. The group's genre-defying compositions have earned extensive praise Steve Vai called the band "the future of creative, heavy virtuoso guitar playing," and MetalSucks recently ranked Abasi #2 on their list of modern metal's top guitarists - and the diversity of their music has enabled them to tour with a wide variety of acts, including Deftones, Underoath, Circa Survive, BTBAM (with whom the band will tour for the third time this fall), The Dillinger Escape Plan, The Faceless, Thursday, Dredg and, on the 2010 Summer Slaughter tour, even Decapitated.
Whereas the group's self-titled debut was a collaboration between Abasi and Periphery's Misha Mansoor, "Weightless" features the recording debut of ANIMALS AS LEADERS, the true band - that is, Abasi (guitars), Javier Reyes (guitars) and Navene Koperweis (drums). After nearly two years of touring together, the trio wrote and recorded "Weightless" together in mid-2011, with Koperweis producing and Reyes mixing. The group debuted a new track, "Isolated Incidents," during their inaugural headlining tour this summer, which included sellout shows from coast-to-coast - a sign that as quickly as ANIMALS AS LEADERS have risen, the best is yet to come.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
33 of 34 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
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Length:
4:23
Mins
Like the previous release I have nothing bad to say about this album. This is truly a five star gem that has no flaws. From the sheer rawness of the chugging guitars to the intense and complex leads Abasi proves he and his band have no interest in straying away from the technical death style heard on the previous release even in light of their recent success and popularity. The one thing that has changed is the electronic/synth work is of a much higher value then on the self titled album Animals As Leaders, thankfully it is again used sparingly just to add dimension to the tracks rather then over power them. The technical leads again take the front stage and are the driving force of this group as if to say the leads take on the role of the lead vocalist. All in all Weightless is an amazing album by a band that deserves every second of fame they acquire, a must own for all Metal fans and in particular Technical/Complex Metal fans will fall in love. I included the full length track 'Isolated Incidents' with my review, please give it a look and listen. Support a supporter of Metal and click yes below and please check out my other reviews.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:MP3 Download|Amazon Verified Purchase
This album put a huge smile on my face the instant I hit play. It's so weird, heavy and beautiful. That eight string...my god man, that eight string. Tosin's combinations of crazy poly-rhythms, spacy-sounding progressions and face-melting power riffs just really hits the spot for me. (Thank you Tosin!) I've been looking forward to this since his first album, and it does not dissapoint. I actually feel smarter after having listened to this.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
"Djazz?" I can hear the readers of this review asking.
Yes, Djazz. It is really the only way I can categorise (not that one needs to categorise music) the music of Animals as Leaders. They definitely form part of the 8-string madness and musicianship that has been given the name "Djent" in the last couple of years. But they rise above that category just purely due to how ridiculously talented they are as musicians, and how musical they are at the same time. The jazz influences are undeniable on an album that is both brutal and spacey at the same time!
A purely instrumental album, Weightless is not for everyone, but the chances are that if you have heard of the band you already form part of the collective of people that would probably love it! Weightless is a great example of just how far you can push the envelope on heavy rock music without falling off the edge and rendering it unlistenable. It boggles the mind to consider the sounds that these guys are able to get out of their instruments. Every time I listen to it I hear something new, which is one of the marks of a good instrumental album (of any album, in fact, but more importantly for an instrumental album due to the fact that the lack of lyrics can cause an album to slip into the background)
Animals as Leaders have already taken their place alongside Scale the Summit for me as forerunners in this relatively new genre of music, and this album only solidifies that position. I hope that reading this review inspires you to take a listen to the album, because if you enjoyed their last album, or if you have enjoyed bands like Scale the Summit then this album is for you! Enjoy!
Yes, Djazz. It is really the only way I can categorise (not that one needs to categorise music) the music of Animals as Leaders. They definitely form part of the 8-string madness and musicianship that has been given the name "Djent" in the last couple of years. But they rise above that category just purely due to how ridiculously talented they are as musicians, and how musical they are at the same time. The jazz influences are undeniable on an album that is both brutal and spacey at the same time!
A purely instrumental album, Weightless is not for everyone, but the chances are that if you have heard of the band you already form part of the collective of people that would probably love it! Weightless is a great example of just how far you can push the envelope on heavy rock music without falling off the edge and rendering it unlistenable. It boggles the mind to consider the sounds that these guys are able to get out of their instruments. Every time I listen to it I hear something new, which is one of the marks of a good instrumental album (of any album, in fact, but more importantly for an instrumental album due to the fact that the lack of lyrics can cause an album to slip into the background)
Animals as Leaders have already taken their place alongside Scale the Summit for me as forerunners in this relatively new genre of music, and this album only solidifies that position. I hope that reading this review inspires you to take a listen to the album, because if you enjoyed their last album, or if you have enjoyed bands like Scale the Summit then this album is for you! Enjoy!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
A Two-Thirds Good Album
This is my first Animals as Leaders album to purchase. I think the band is 2/3 good, meaning I think the bass and guitar are solid, but the drummer not so much. Read more
Published 22 days ago by Craig Mooneyham
Good stuff.
Great album, great musicians. If you are into metal, but aren't big on the vocals, check these guys out, very talented bunch.
Published 2 months ago by Ben Bailey
awesome album
IF you liked the first album, you will like this one. This album will take you on a wild ride and you will enjoy every minute of it.
Published 2 months ago by Lucas Lecompte
So incredibly good
Love it!! Perfection!!! Why are these guys not winning grammies?? I love the fact that there is a human drummer on this album that is better than the drum machine on the freshman... Read more
Published 2 months ago by michael shaun mcmillan
Amazing
My favorite album of 2011 and possibly one of my favorite albums ever. I've been listening to it nonstop since it was released; it just keeps growing on you. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Hugo Frazao
New breaking ground...
I come from a long background of Jazz and watched dissolve in the late 60s into nothing. Miles Davisesque fusion went into tinny guitars and keyboards until the early 80s where it... Read more
Published 4 months ago by F. Y. Chan
Whoa!
I hadn't a clue what Animals As Leaders were about when I picked up this album, I just bought it because Amazon recommended it and I wanted to take a stab in the dark at finding... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Archer
Solid Release
This release will not disappoint the fans of this band. The musicianship is fantastic, and as others have mentioned, there are some jazz influences thrown in there for good... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Shared Gum
Ugh.. wow
Sounds like a bunch of sound, and that is not metal. There is no form and flow. My ears are bleeding now... thanks
Published 5 months ago by ADoll1616
Dare I say it...?
No question, I really like this CD - it's definitely worth five stars. But, Animals As Leaders the album, I think, is still the better one of the two, and I also think Wave of... Read more
Published 5 months ago by S. Hyvonen
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