Great googalimoogali! I believe we have a new wave of instrumental metal on our hands folks! Washington DC based Animals As Leaders, featuring guitarist Tosin Abasi (ex Reflux), is yet another promo I have received of an all instrumental group, and like the others I have received, this one is just as wonderful and colorful.
What much of metal is somewhat missing, especially in America, is that intense passion to create unyielding music that is art, instead of a sense of pandering to what labels and fans want to hear. Progression is the lifeblood of metal, and our music has constantly pushed the envelope for what is new and relevant. What other genres on the planet literally hosts sounds from every other genre? Very few, if any at all, besides metal of course. Metal gives us something to constantly look forward to, but recently, if you hadn’t been able to tell by my cynicism, American metal has become muddled by an over saturation of particular sounds. Now that’s not to say that American metal doesn’t have stand out performers, but in the mainstream, where the bands are receiving all the critical attention, most of the scene sounds the same, and that depresses me. However, with this recent surge in instrumental releases (along with the astounding new Mastodon), a part of the creative spirit has been re-invigorated. Animals as Leaders represents a movement for change, and I love it.
Technically speaking, the talent of this band is very good, with much of the focus taking place around the skills of Tosin Abasi, who wields both a 7 string and an 8 string guitar which makes music that one might confuse for jazz fusion instead of a heavy metal album, which is exactly what makes this album splendid. For those Jeff Beck fans, imagine if he created a heavy metal record, then you might be in the ballpark of what this album sounds similar to. In addition to the wonderfully intricate guitar work, track after track, there is an array of electronic based background noises that really embrace the laid back jazz feel of the entire album. The drums, I was initially high on when listening to, are actually synthetic, along with all the other non-guitar parts which I found to be quite impressive because the drums are actually quite convincing. I am getting this info from the band’s Myspace page only, so if it is a real drummer, I apologize to the individual who performed this!
For those who are enjoying this latest trend in metal, I’d highly suggest checking out this album once its released. This is great material, and really shows off the maturity that metal can indeed handle when placed in the right hands. Animals as Leaders, a jazz fusion metal record that once again shows why metal is the greatest genre of music that has ever been created.
Track List:1. Tempting Time
2. Soraya
3. Thoroughly At Home
4. On Impulse
5. Tessitura
6. Behaving Badly
7. The Price of Everything and the Value of Nothing
8. CAFO
9. Inamorata
10. Point to Point
11. Modern Meat
12. Song of Solomon
Download info: Size: 85.8 MB, Format: Mp3 - 256 kbps
Download Link:
http://rapidshare.com/files/386188193/Animals.As.Leaders.2009.Animals.As.Leaders.rar
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