Animals As Leaders in Los Angeles
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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 + Los Angeles
Animals As Leaders has maintained a steady presence in LA's progressive music circuit. They most recently brought their instrumental complexity to The United Theater on Broadway in late November, running through 16 tracks including the polyrhythmic showcase Ka$cade. The band continues to draw the city's most dedicated progressive fans whenever they roll through.
Animals As Leaders in Los Angeles News
- ANIMALS AS LEADERS set to hit the road in North America with PLINI on The Joy of Motion tour Lambgoat · Apr 30, 2024
- Concert Review: ANIMALS AS LEADERS with Intervals – Kansas City Antihero Magazine · Apr 1, 2022
- Animals as Leaders to Play New Album in Full on Spring 2022 Tour Loudwire · Jan 18, 2022
- Animals As Leaders announce US tour in support of new album, Parrhesia Guitar World · Jan 18, 2022
- Animals As Leaders announce surprise one-off livestream show Guitar.com · Jul 9, 2020
Live Music in Los Angeles
Los Angeles has a long tradition of instrumental rock and metal that traces back through everything from early Metallica worship to the current generation of progressive and jazz-fusion players. The city's session musician culture and proximity to recording studios means there's always been an audience for technically precise, guitar-centric music. Animals As Leaders fits naturally into that lineage.
Los Angeles road trip to see Animals As Leaders?
Stay in Los Feliz, where you can walk tree-lined streets and catch views from Griffith Observatory. Dinner at Republique in the Arts District—refined French-inspired food in a restored factory space that feels more Paris than LA. Spend an afternoon at the Huntington Library in San Marino, a world-class art collection that justifies the drive. The city's recording studio history is everywhere; walk through Hollywood and you're literally surrounded by the spaces where hits were made. End the night at a jazz bar like The Fonda Theatre or catch live music on Sunset Boulevard.
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