Animals As Leaders in Salt Lake City
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Never miss another Animals As Leaders show near Salt Lake City.
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 + Salt Lake City
Animals As Leaders played The Depot in Salt Lake City on November 5, 2024, with a substantial 16-song set that included a four-song encore. They opened with Ka$cade and pulled deep with Lippincott, Air Chrysalis, and Another Year before the mid-set run of Physical Education and Tooth and Claw. The Future That Awaited Me and Para Mexer were welcome additions. The encore kicked off with The Brain Dance and ran through Ectogenesis and Red Miso before closing with Monomyth. This was a band clearly in album-cycle mode, playing with something to prove.
Animals As Leaders in Salt Lake City News
- ANIMALS AS LEADERS announce off-dates from supporting Steve Vai and Joe Satriani Lambgoat · Feb 16, 2026
- Venue Guide: The Depot – Salt Lake City, UT Ticketmaster Blog · Jul 23, 2023
- Animals as Leaders Announce Fall 2022 Headlining Dates Loudwire · Jul 13, 2022
- Animals As Leaders announce tour dates w/ Car Bomb & Alluvial Metal Insider · Jul 13, 2022
- Animals as Leaders and Periphery announce co-headlining tour The Prog Report · Jul 25, 2017
Live Music in Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City's metal scene is surprisingly robust for its size, with a solid base of prog and metal fans who dig complex instrumentation. The city supports venues that book heavier acts and touring bands, though progressive instrumental metal remains a niche. Animals As Leaders should find receptive ears among the local musicians and dedicated metalheads who appreciate virtuosity and odd time signatures.
Salt Lake City road trip to see Animals As Leaders?
Stay in the Avenues neighborhood—tree-lined streets with actual character, close enough to downtown but removed from the noise. For dinner, Lazy Dog in Sugar House serves exceptional Colorado lamb and maintains a wine list that doesn't insult your intelligence. Spend an afternoon at the Natural History Museum of Utah in Red Butte Canyon; the building itself is architecturally stunning and the collection gives real context to the landscape you're actually standing in. The city's proximity to actual mountains matters when you've got downtime.
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