This cd is amazing, stunning, and all around perfect. It is progressive the way progressive should be. It is loud and quiet, never pretenscious, and always beautiful.
The cd starts off slamming you in the eye with a meshuggah-esque time signature and guitar riff, but thats as far as the comparison goes. Before you know you’ve hit some plain of metal jazz/fusion that sounds almost like a totally different cd, but it works. The music transitions into so many varying degrees of tempo and style that it’s hard to keep up, but it’s always tasteful. I simply can’t find enough to say about the cd. Surelly the most important aspect is the guitars. This band layers metal riffs over AND under clean guitar, sometimes almost sounding like funk-style stuff, but it stays true to the original intention of the song. The drummer is no less important, but I only say the guitar is more important because this drummer needs to follow whatever the heck he is doing 24/7. This is where the drumming is amazing though. He plays a style very much like the drummer of Meshuggah in the metal sections but soon shows his chops via the more quiet elements and jazz sections. He is incredibly capable of playing anything, because he almost HAS to on this cd. The time signatures are just wrong at times and I have to say I find myself enthralled by his cymbal play when combined with his unbelievably well-controlled and independent bassdrum work.
Everything about this band has to be heard to truelly understand any of what I just said. Bands like Canvas Solaris are great and they have wonderful ideas, but they never quite coalesce into the song structure that this band seems to fully comprehend. They write such ludacris material that takes nothing short of virtuoso skill to play most of the time, but it doesn’t push itself into the territory of over-the-top. If you love anything progressive, particularly beautiful guitarwork, whether it’s acoustic or heavy-handed electric work, you will find something to please. I give this a perfect score, hands down 5/5. I’m going to be busy prying my jaw off the floor, I’ll help with yours when I’m done.
Rating: 5 / 5
The other reviewers have already said everything you need to hear to be convinced that you should own this CD.
I’ll merely add that you won’t tire of listening to the complex, beautiful tracks.
I got to see these guys play live on one of their first tours (in 2009) and they were just as incredible live as they are on the CD. Tosin is a gifted guitarist and composer.
Gets better with every listen although the first listens are stupendous anyways. intricate, genius. awesome. beautiful, unique, intriguing, Technical, smart, get it, listen to it, spread it.
There have been a few musical projects over the past 10 years or so that have sparked the imgination: TMV: De-loused in a Comatorium, Anathema: Judgment, BoC: Geogaddi, BBS: Full of Elevating Pleasures, Cynic: Traced in Air, FB: The Sense Apparatus, Isis: Panopticon, Phideaux: Doomsday Afternoon, PT: In Absentia, Riverside: Second Life Syndrome, Trentmoller: The Last Resort… the list is impressive; everything from electronic/trip-hop to metal (of its various sorts).
Animals as Leaders self-titled debut easily places itself right alongside these genre-busting standouts. Tosin Abasi is a genius on the guitar pure and simple. His command of the instrument is beyond impressive, coaxing out melody after mind-boggling melody.
In order to keep this review somewhat brief I will say that my only niggle of a negative I have about this album are the drums; although very well programmed, I still think that someone like a Gavin Harrison from PT could really elevate this material even further (as witnessed by his collaborations with 05ric on “Drop” and “Circles” albums). However, this little nitpick is just that and not really worth getting too worked up over. The entire album is a treasure trove of ideas for those that like their music sensibilities stretched a little bit now and then.
Tosin Abasi is a brilliant man. And for me, he came out of nowhere. I never listened to Reflux, though I did know about them. After discovering this album, I listened to a few of their songs… not bad, but nothing to rave about either. I can’t help but wonder, why did Abasi not go off on his own to begin with? In Reflux, he wasn’t given the room to shine with all his genius. I am happy that he FINALLY agreed to do an album on his own. He is now one of my favorite modern guitarists, a true master of his craft. I cannot wait to hear more from him, hopefully soon.
Rating: 5 / 5
This cd is amazing, stunning, and all around perfect. It is progressive the way progressive should be. It is loud and quiet, never pretenscious, and always beautiful.
The cd starts off slamming you in the eye with a meshuggah-esque time signature and guitar riff, but thats as far as the comparison goes. Before you know you’ve hit some plain of metal jazz/fusion that sounds almost like a totally different cd, but it works. The music transitions into so many varying degrees of tempo and style that it’s hard to keep up, but it’s always tasteful. I simply can’t find enough to say about the cd. Surelly the most important aspect is the guitars. This band layers metal riffs over AND under clean guitar, sometimes almost sounding like funk-style stuff, but it stays true to the original intention of the song. The drummer is no less important, but I only say the guitar is more important because this drummer needs to follow whatever the heck he is doing 24/7. This is where the drumming is amazing though. He plays a style very much like the drummer of Meshuggah in the metal sections but soon shows his chops via the more quiet elements and jazz sections. He is incredibly capable of playing anything, because he almost HAS to on this cd. The time signatures are just wrong at times and I have to say I find myself enthralled by his cymbal play when combined with his unbelievably well-controlled and independent bassdrum work.
Everything about this band has to be heard to truelly understand any of what I just said. Bands like Canvas Solaris are great and they have wonderful ideas, but they never quite coalesce into the song structure that this band seems to fully comprehend. They write such ludacris material that takes nothing short of virtuoso skill to play most of the time, but it doesn’t push itself into the territory of over-the-top. If you love anything progressive, particularly beautiful guitarwork, whether it’s acoustic or heavy-handed electric work, you will find something to please. I give this a perfect score, hands down 5/5. I’m going to be busy prying my jaw off the floor, I’ll help with yours when I’m done.
Rating: 5 / 5
The other reviewers have already said everything you need to hear to be convinced that you should own this CD.
I’ll merely add that you won’t tire of listening to the complex, beautiful tracks.
I got to see these guys play live on one of their first tours (in 2009) and they were just as incredible live as they are on the CD. Tosin is a gifted guitarist and composer.
Buy it.
Rating: 5 / 5
Gets better with every listen although the first listens are stupendous anyways. intricate, genius. awesome. beautiful, unique, intriguing, Technical, smart, get it, listen to it, spread it.
Rating: 5 / 5
There have been a few musical projects over the past 10 years or so that have sparked the imgination: TMV: De-loused in a Comatorium, Anathema: Judgment, BoC: Geogaddi, BBS: Full of Elevating Pleasures, Cynic: Traced in Air, FB: The Sense Apparatus, Isis: Panopticon, Phideaux: Doomsday Afternoon, PT: In Absentia, Riverside: Second Life Syndrome, Trentmoller: The Last Resort… the list is impressive; everything from electronic/trip-hop to metal (of its various sorts).
Animals as Leaders self-titled debut easily places itself right alongside these genre-busting standouts. Tosin Abasi is a genius on the guitar pure and simple. His command of the instrument is beyond impressive, coaxing out melody after mind-boggling melody.
In order to keep this review somewhat brief I will say that my only niggle of a negative I have about this album are the drums; although very well programmed, I still think that someone like a Gavin Harrison from PT could really elevate this material even further (as witnessed by his collaborations with 05ric on “Drop” and “Circles” albums). However, this little nitpick is just that and not really worth getting too worked up over. The entire album is a treasure trove of ideas for those that like their music sensibilities stretched a little bit now and then.
High recommended!
Rating: 5 / 5
Tosin Abasi is a brilliant man. And for me, he came out of nowhere. I never listened to Reflux, though I did know about them. After discovering this album, I listened to a few of their songs… not bad, but nothing to rave about either. I can’t help but wonder, why did Abasi not go off on his own to begin with? In Reflux, he wasn’t given the room to shine with all his genius. I am happy that he FINALLY agreed to do an album on his own. He is now one of my favorite modern guitarists, a true master of his craft. I cannot wait to hear more from him, hopefully soon.
Rating: 5 / 5