Animals As Leaders Discography of CDs

Animals As Leaders albums Debuting at number 92 on the Billboard Top 200 list, Weightless marks a change in Animals as Leaders' tone. While 2009's self-titled album saw guitarist Tosin Abasi and Misha Mansoor handling all the duties, Animals as Leaders' sophomore studio album finds the new lineup of eight-string virtuoso Tosin Abasi, drummer Navene Koperweis, and rhythm guitarist Javier Reyes focusing on songcraft as much as speed in their instrumental exercises. Another notable enhancement is that they add electronic breakdowns (à la "Impulse") in more arrangements to make the music that much more complex. Epic riffs play a bigger part than before, but Abasi is as jaw-dropping as ever with his double-tapping technique and arpeggiated whirlwind solos, proving once again that he is one of the most imaginative guitar players in modern-day prog metal. ~ Jason Lymangrover Audio Mixer: Javier Reyes.

Animals As Leaders music CDs And now for something completely different...at least for fans of Washington, D.C., metalcore also-rans Reflux, whose rather ignominious demise after just one critically acclaimed but poor-selling LP wound up freeing resident guitar virtuoso Tosin Abasi to accept an offer from Prosthetic Records to deliver his first solo album. That album, like the pseudonym adopted to mask the ostensible solo nature of Abasi's new project, was Animals as Leaders, and it proceeded to showcase the guitarist's formidable mastery of his instrument through a wholly instrumental, daringly progressive, and, perhaps most surprisingly, oftentimes mellow and ambiently new agey collection of songs. Of course, Abasi's heavy metal proving ground inevitably takes charge on more aggressive, maniacally intense workouts like "Tempting Time," "Thoroughly at Home," and "CAFO" -- all of which make reference ...