Animals As Leaders — Reviews

Guitar master Tosin Abasi is ready to show his skills again on Animals As Leaders' new record The Madness Of Many. His complex playing goes beyond djent rhythms and spidery riffs, spreading into some different instrumentation and electronic sounds.

The album begins as you'd expect, but still with a twist. The song 'Arithmophobia' kicks the album off with an Indian vibe, a sitar-esque instrument sounding and bending its note. The familiar djent rhythms soon return, powerful and spidery guitars soon sounding high above the thick punches. There are some very crazy and innovative guitar sounds on the album, some tinged with electronica will others feature variations of Abasi's signature delay.

Frantic and evil sounds continue to serve as a recurring theme throughout the record - it carries right into the next track 'Ectogenesis,' beginning with ominous electronica before the frantic guitars build the track, the rhythm tight yet sporadic. 'Private Visions Of The World' sounds like good fighting evil; the song's dreamy textures sound beautiful as the high guitars soar as if they were flying. The nightmarish djent soon kicks in, contrasting the dreamy guitars in a violent dance as the two fight stand off in a heroic battle.

What's most refreshing about this album is it's end - electronic experimentation gave the intro some color, and the acoustic guitars make the record as fresh as the start. The album's lead single 'The Brain Dance' is the first of the two acoustic-centric tracks, and is a blend of the distorted nature of the band and a light acoustic side. Our review of the song complimented its refreshing sound, and that remains unchanged in the record. It still serves as a powerful track with a sweet blend of acoustic and electric. Closing track 'Apeirophobia' ends the record on a fully acoustic note. 'Apeirophobia' is the fear of eternity, and the song, in a way, reflects that. It's a cinematic song, sounding very elegant and classical. It's gentle, but also frantic, as if running from something. The track's infinite atmosphere gives it a lot of dimension that helps it sound beautiful in its fear.

Animals As Leaders really know how to channel emotion through their art. The Madness Of Many is a solid record, and though some tracks are pretty standard for the band, it definitely shows the mastery they have at their instruments and their willingness to expand on it. A new era of Animals As Leaders is coming - The Madness Of Many is just the start.

Favorite Tracks: Apeirophobia, Private Visions Of The World, Arithmophobia

Least Favorite Track: The Glass Bridge

Rating: 79 / 100

Animals As Leaders are famous for good reason. There are few people in the world who can exhibit such a mastery of their craft as Tosin Abasi, a modern guitar legend. Their new album The Madness Of Many is out November 11, and the first single from it is 'The Brain Dance'.

Their unique blend of incredible playing and djent comes to an interesting crossroads in 'The Brin Dance'. The song actually begins with an acoustic nylon guitar, plucked with mind boggling brilliance as drums and bass slowly start joining the mix. The nylon guitar eventually becomes the band's signature electric guitar, performed with a mix of slap and plucks. The song then concludes as it began, peacefully with one final chord on the acoustic and bass.

The beauty of the song is that it truly emits fascinating imagery with only instruments, and guitar and drums at that. It doesn't need heavy, djent riffs downtuned to Drop A to be impactful; in fact, it's not wrong to say the acoustic guitar performance has more of an impact than the detuned guitars would. 'The Brain Dance' invigorates the mind as it tries to follow the sweet guitars and the jazzy vibes. The aesthetic and atmosphere of the song are pure and show the band's talent isn't limited to trudging, sludgy riffs with spidery guitar above. The talent lies in the playing itself - every element of the song soars in their own delicate dance.

Animals As Leaders are a different force on the block. There's nothing quite as evocative as they are in the format in which they perform in. The beautiful playing is sometimes heavy, but when it's softer and jazzier there is not complaint. This band is full of legendary players with underappreciated talent, and their next album is bound to be a testament to that.

Rating: 85 / 100