Animals As Leaders are certainly at the vanguard of technical progressive rock these days. Few instrumental bands have made an impact as deep as they have in recent years and there is a good reason for that.
For you see it’s not only the mind boggling display of ability and technical prowess that makes Animals As Leaders such an engaging listen. Rather it is their charming knack for taking heroic moments of instrumental mastery and compressing them into an invitingly diverse auditory voyage.
Where numerous bands in their place often adhere to certain genres and chop them up accordingly; Animals As Leaders instead maintain an esoteric, almost otherworldly approach. Truly there’s a sense of higher intelligence to their music, but it comes without ego or pomp.
It’s an invigorating take and one that the group organically flesh out with immense shades of aural color and riveting highs and lows. The haunting textures and continual whir of activity they create are effortlessly stimulating; yet expressed with enough primal intent that you don’t have to have a Steve Vai picture on your wall to appreciate them.
Perhaps more so than ever though, this trio have struck the perfect balance between interesting song composition and exceptional playing. Whether it be a hyperdrive tapping session (think Between The Buried And Me‘s more interstellar moments) or a jazz fusion led breakdown, the breadth of the material continually unfolds at an engulfing pace.
The included occasional electronic manipulation and ambiance only helps to expand their craft further, ensuring that a wider range of listeners will be entertained. As with any instrumental outfit there is always the danger of appealing only to actual players themselves.
But with the bevy of tastefully distorted angular riffs and spacey chops showcased here; “Weightless” should certainly be able to endear itself to far more than just “Guitar World” subscribers.
