Animals As Leaders in Cleveland

About Animals As Leaders

Animals As Leaders is Tosin Abasi's instrumental progressive metal project that basically redefined what guitar-centric metal could be. Starting as a solo endeavor in 2007, the band evolved into a full unit with bassist Javier Reyes and drummer Matt Garstka, creating some of the most technically demanding and rhythmically complex music in modern metal. Their self-titled debut introduced a sound built on extended-range guitars, polyrhythmic foundations, and zero reliance on vocals—just pure instrumental storytelling. Albums like "Weightless" and "The Joy of Motion" cemented them as the thinking person's metal band, pulling equally from jazz fusion, prog rock, and metal traditions. Tracks like "Cafo" and "An Infinite Regression" showcase their ability to balance inhuman technical precision with actual emotional weight. They're the kind of band that makes you realize how limiting conventional song structures are. Their influence on progressive music over the last 15 years is hard to overstate.

Animals As Leaders shows are dense, focussed experiences. The crowd tends toward musicians and serious listeners who actually track the time signatures. There's an intensity that comes from watching people execute this level of technical material live without a net. Energy builds through precision rather than spectacle.

Known for Tempting Time, An Infinite Regression, The Brain, Cafo, Lippincott

Animals As Leaders + Cleveland

Animals As Leaders has maintained a presence in Cleveland's progressive music scene over the years. Their November 2024 stop at House of Blues saw them deliver a 16-song set that included "Ka$cade," showcasing the mathematical precision and technical prowess that define their live shows. The band continues to draw the city's most devoted guitar enthusiasts.

Animals As Leaders in Cleveland News

• Animals as Leaders Cleveland Jewish News · Feb 20, 2026
• SatchVai Band Ft Joe Satriani & Steve Vai with Animals As Leaders Cleveland Jewish News · Feb 19, 2026
• Tour news: Missy Elliott, Cat Power, Gogol Bordello, PartyNextDoor, Animals as Leaders, more BrooklynVegan · Apr 30, 2024
• DREAM THEATER, DEVIN TOWNSEND & ANIMALS AS LEADERS Announce North American Tour Metal Injection · Apr 12, 2023
• DREAM THEATER announce tour with DEVIN TOWNSEND, ANIMALS AS LEADERS Revolver Magazine · Apr 12, 2023

Live Music in Cleveland

Cleveland's got a scrappy tradition of supporting bands that don't fit neatly into categories—think Pere Ubu, Devo, and the endless parade of hardcore and punk acts that have found a home here. The progressive metal and instrumental scenes aren't as visible as the rock institutions, but there's a subset of listeners who actively hunt for this stuff. Animals As Leaders should find their people.

Cleveland road trip to see Animals As Leaders?

Stay in Ohio City, where Victorian brownstones meet serious coffee shops and galleries. Dinner at Fairmount, where chef Jonathon Sawyer sources locally and cooks with real technique—expect seasonal American food that doesn't announce itself. Spend an afternoon at the Cleveland Museum of Art, which is free and genuinely excellent. Walk through the West Side Market before the show, grab something you don't need, and feel the bones of the city. The whole neighborhood has that working-class dignity that makes Cleveland distinct.