Regular readers should by this point have picked up on the fact that I dig instrumental music, and they may have heard me talk about Animals as Leaders a couple of times, so it should come as no surprise that I'm excited to hear about the upcoming full-length debut from AAL guitarist Javier Reyes' side project Mestis.
Even better, Polysemy will be out in less than a month. Better still is the fact that we can all have a taste of the new material in the form of first single "Pura Vida", which even features some guest guitar work from members of another proggy instrumental outfit, CHON. It's a track that manages to be a little heavy and a little chill at the same time, with lots of interesting guitar stuff going on but none of it too over the top. Mestis has always been a somewhat different beast than Animals as Leaders, and Polysemy sounds like it could be a big step forward in the evolution of Javier and Mestis. Check it out if that sounds like it could be your thing.
Showing posts with label Animals as Leaders. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Animals as Leaders. Show all posts
Monday, 12 October 2015
Monday, 25 May 2015
Sunday: Animals as Leaders - Inamorata
Your belated Sunday song is one that's been sitting on my list of tracks to post about for a while now, a groovy and shreddy tour de force that's always been one of my favourites off of the 2009 debut from one of the titans of modern instrumental metal and jazz-fusion.
Animals as Leaders has a bunch of great songs on it that definitely deserve periodic revisiting, but like I said, "Inamorata" has always been one of my favourites. It's got a couple of relentless, pummeling grooves, and a couple of matching solos and lead sections that consistently rip without ever descending into the realm of wankery.
Newer Animals as Leaders is great, but for my money you don't need to look any further than the first album for some killer jams. Fortune cookie lesson for today: don't get hung up on the past, but don't forget about it either.
Animals as Leaders has a bunch of great songs on it that definitely deserve periodic revisiting, but like I said, "Inamorata" has always been one of my favourites. It's got a couple of relentless, pummeling grooves, and a couple of matching solos and lead sections that consistently rip without ever descending into the realm of wankery.
Newer Animals as Leaders is great, but for my money you don't need to look any further than the first album for some killer jams. Fortune cookie lesson for today: don't get hung up on the past, but don't forget about it either.
Friday, 3 October 2014
Mezonz - Untangling the Quantum Pull
If I were a gambling man, I'd be willing to bet that you probably haven't heard about today's band before. But I'd also be willing to be that, if your musical tastes align at all with mine -- which there's a halfway decent chance they do, since you're reading this right now -- you'll be glad you checked them out.
Atlanta's Mezonz self-identifies as a two-man jazz-prog outfit on their Bandcamp page, but that's a bit of a dry description, and one that leaves a great deal to the imagination. A better approximation of the band's sound, especially on recently released EP Harmonic Oscillators might be to say that Mezonz sounds a little like a slightly more metal-flavoured amalgam of Animals as Leaders and Chimp Spanner (if the latter weren't quite so guitar-centric): heavy, proggy, and groovy instrumental stuff that's technical but not overly so.
Since it's Friday and you've probably got all kinds of Friday-night-type shit to do, I'm going to forgo recommending thirteen-and-a-half-minute EP closer "Projective Space: Fields of Matter" (which is a badass thirteen-and-a-half minutes, so you should really check it out, too) and instead suggest that you start exploring the world of Mezonz with "Untangling the Quantum Pull". It's a much more reasonable four-minutes-and-some, and better yet is a prime example of some of that grooving I was talking about. Tasty.
Atlanta's Mezonz self-identifies as a two-man jazz-prog outfit on their Bandcamp page, but that's a bit of a dry description, and one that leaves a great deal to the imagination. A better approximation of the band's sound, especially on recently released EP Harmonic Oscillators might be to say that Mezonz sounds a little like a slightly more metal-flavoured amalgam of Animals as Leaders and Chimp Spanner (if the latter weren't quite so guitar-centric): heavy, proggy, and groovy instrumental stuff that's technical but not overly so.
Since it's Friday and you've probably got all kinds of Friday-night-type shit to do, I'm going to forgo recommending thirteen-and-a-half-minute EP closer "Projective Space: Fields of Matter" (which is a badass thirteen-and-a-half minutes, so you should really check it out, too) and instead suggest that you start exploring the world of Mezonz with "Untangling the Quantum Pull". It's a much more reasonable four-minutes-and-some, and better yet is a prime example of some of that grooving I was talking about. Tasty.
Monday, 7 July 2014
Pomegranate Tiger - Not to See the Sun
To coincide with the brand spankin' new Twenty Questions interview with Matt and Martin from Pomegranate Tiger I posted earlier, this evening I'm recommending you have a listen to a track from the band's debut LP Entities.
"Not to See the Sun" is a mid-album monster, showing off both PT's ability to turn a riff on a dime as well as Martin's ability to shred out great lead work like it's going out of style. It also serves as a bit of a transition between the more isolated, disjointed elements of the first half of Entities and the three-part "Ocean" suite that dominates the album's second half.
Like I said at the end of the Twenty Questions piece, if instrumental, progressive, and technically proficient metal is your cup of tea, you should order a whole pot of Pomegranate Tiger. Fans of bands like Animals as Leaders, Scale the Summit, and Between the Buried and Me will have little reason to be disappointed.
"Not to See the Sun" is a mid-album monster, showing off both PT's ability to turn a riff on a dime as well as Martin's ability to shred out great lead work like it's going out of style. It also serves as a bit of a transition between the more isolated, disjointed elements of the first half of Entities and the three-part "Ocean" suite that dominates the album's second half.
Like I said at the end of the Twenty Questions piece, if instrumental, progressive, and technically proficient metal is your cup of tea, you should order a whole pot of Pomegranate Tiger. Fans of bands like Animals as Leaders, Scale the Summit, and Between the Buried and Me will have little reason to be disappointed.
Tuesday, 17 June 2014
Animals as Leaders - Lippincott
The Joy of Motion, the latest disc from the instrumental guitar proggers in Animals as Leaders, is chock full of good grooves and riffs, and since the animals themselves recently saw fit to demonstrate some of said riff and grooves for a podcast from the Guitar Center in Holywood, I think it's the perfect time to put one of their tunes before you once again.
"Lippincott" has a very Meshuggah feel to me, with lots jagged edges and angular riffs. But Animals as Leaders tend to rise above their djenty peers by throwing their own twists and turns into the standard Meshuggah formula, twists like some sweet two-handed tapping and even a little finger picking. We all know Tosin and Javier are incredible guitarists, but seeing some of these techniques, especially the finger picking, used in new and interesting ways in a genre like metal is what sets Animals as Leaders apart.
Unless of course you think I'm out to lunch. Do you find Animals as Leaders too mainstream? If I really want to hear some new and interesting uses of this technique or that technique, should I be listening to band X, Y or Z? Leave it in a comment!
"Lippincott" has a very Meshuggah feel to me, with lots jagged edges and angular riffs. But Animals as Leaders tend to rise above their djenty peers by throwing their own twists and turns into the standard Meshuggah formula, twists like some sweet two-handed tapping and even a little finger picking. We all know Tosin and Javier are incredible guitarists, but seeing some of these techniques, especially the finger picking, used in new and interesting ways in a genre like metal is what sets Animals as Leaders apart.
Unless of course you think I'm out to lunch. Do you find Animals as Leaders too mainstream? If I really want to hear some new and interesting uses of this technique or that technique, should I be listening to band X, Y or Z? Leave it in a comment!
Thursday, 3 April 2014
Animals as Leaders - The Woven Web
I've spent a fair amount of time over the past couple of days with the new Animals as Leaders album The Joy of Motion, and so far I have learned at least two things. First, this album is badass. Animals as Leaders have, with the help of co-writer Misha Mansoor of Periphery fame, crafted another tasty collection of jazzy, proggy, instrumental grooves.
Second, my current favourite of those grooves is "The Woven Web", a late-album number that opens up with some labyrinthine riffing before transitioning into a recurring, syncopated aggro-funk part that's just plain fat. I highly recommend you indulge of said funky goodness with all possible speed. It's for your own good.
Second, my current favourite of those grooves is "The Woven Web", a late-album number that opens up with some labyrinthine riffing before transitioning into a recurring, syncopated aggro-funk part that's just plain fat. I highly recommend you indulge of said funky goodness with all possible speed. It's for your own good.
Tuesday, 18 February 2014
Tuesday: Animals as Leaders - Tooth and Claw
Hey instrumental progheads! Have you heard about the new Animals as Leaders album The Joy of Motion? Oh. You have. Well have you heard the first song to be released from the new record?
That's right, this is no mere teaser, there's a full new Animals as Leaders song online today, and it's pretty rad. It's a bit of a departure from some of their material -- a bit more riff-oriented and straight-ahead heavy, if you follow me --but it's nonetheless noodly and shreddy and all the other good things we've come to expect of Animals as Leaders. And then there's Matt Garstka'a muscular drumming... mmmm...
If "Tooth and Claw" is any indication, The Joy of Motion is going to be a doozy. Check it out and see how it compares to the rest of the band's catalogue in your eyes.
That's right, this is no mere teaser, there's a full new Animals as Leaders song online today, and it's pretty rad. It's a bit of a departure from some of their material -- a bit more riff-oriented and straight-ahead heavy, if you follow me --but it's nonetheless noodly and shreddy and all the other good things we've come to expect of Animals as Leaders. And then there's Matt Garstka'a muscular drumming... mmmm...
If "Tooth and Claw" is any indication, The Joy of Motion is going to be a doozy. Check it out and see how it compares to the rest of the band's catalogue in your eyes.
Saturday, 21 December 2013
Twenty Questions - Salt of the Chief Cornerstone
Hey everybody, as you may or may not have noticed, it's been a long
time since I've posted a Twenty Questions interview, and I think it's
high time I fixed that. What's that? You agree that I should rectify
this situation? You want to read another e-mail interview as soon as
possible? Well then today's your lucky day!
Today's Twenty Questions were answered by the boys from Salt of the Chief Cornerstone, an instrumental guitar-and-drums duo I saw open for Protest the Hero back at the start of November. I dug their sound so much that I picked up a copy of their demo EP and subsequently singled them out as my next victims for interrogation. Read on for the results of my questioning.
Today's Twenty Questions were answered by the boys from Salt of the Chief Cornerstone, an instrumental guitar-and-drums duo I saw open for Protest the Hero back at the start of November. I dug their sound so much that I picked up a copy of their demo EP and subsequently singled them out as my next victims for interrogation. Read on for the results of my questioning.
Friday, 8 November 2013
Animals as Leaders - Tempting Time
This evening sees another quintessential band in modern instrumental metal. Yup, it's time for another Animals as Leaders song.
"Tempting Time" is the opening track from the band's 2009 debut, and thus in a way is the listener's introduction to all things Animals as Leaders. High energy and chock full of shreddy goodness, it sets the tone for the kind of instrumetal that's to come. To derisively label Animals as djent because of their rhythmic, percussive grooves and baritone-range guitar tunings would be to vastly underestimate what Tosin and company are up to. Don't make this mistake!
"Tempting Time" is the opening track from the band's 2009 debut, and thus in a way is the listener's introduction to all things Animals as Leaders. High energy and chock full of shreddy goodness, it sets the tone for the kind of instrumetal that's to come. To derisively label Animals as djent because of their rhythmic, percussive grooves and baritone-range guitar tunings would be to vastly underestimate what Tosin and company are up to. Don't make this mistake!
Saturday, 31 August 2013
Tuesday, 20 August 2013
Song of the Day: Misha Mansoor and Tosin Abasi - Optimist
Misha Mansoor and Tosin Abasi: two great tastes that taste great together.
Tuesday, 14 May 2013
Song of the Day: Set and Setting - Spiraling Uncertainties
Cool instrumental stuff seems, thankfully, to be in ready supply these days. Among the instrumental stuff I'm digging durrently: Scale the Summit, Pomegranate Tiger, Russian Circles, Blotted Science, Animals as Leaders, Mestis, Trioscapes, Zaius, Intervals...
Thursday, 4 April 2013
Song of the Day: T.R.A.M. - Endeavour
A quick instrumental jazz metal post for you this evening, and a riddle: what do The Mars Volta, Animals as Leaders, and Suicidal Tendencies have in common? Give up?
Monday, 11 March 2013
Song of the Day: Mestis - Te Mato
This evening you're getting another dose of Mestis, the latin-jazz inspired instrudjent side-project of Animals as Leaders guitarist Javier Reyes for the simple reason that I finally got around to ripping my copy of Basal Ganglia and throwing it on the old mp3 player.
Sunday, 10 March 2013
Song of the Day: Animals as Leaders - Weightless
Sometimes, as I've said before, I feel the need to comment on a post to update it, usually because a band has released a video for a song since I featured it as a Song of the Day. But sometimes I get to get in on the ground floor and come across a video for a song I've yet to feature, meaning I get to kill two pigs with one bird. Today is one of those days.
Tuesday, 26 February 2013
Song of the Day: Animals as Leaders - Song of Solomon
Since tonight is Tired Tuesday, and I want to make it Sleepy-Time Tuesday as quickly as possible, we're just going to go with something tried and tested and call the whole thing Tasty Tuesday, OK?
Tuesday, 24 July 2012
Song of the Day: Animals as Leaders - An Infinite Regression
Today's song aims to correct a mistake that's been bugging me for months (literally, more than one month). Way back in May when I put together the Instrametal list, there was one band that I shamefully forgot to include on the list, even though I had very much intended to. That band is Animals as Leaders, and led by Tosin Abasi's seven- and eight-string guitar acrobatics they are definitely worth checking out, and more than worthy of inclusion in a list of cool instrametal acts.
So as an act of penance (and an all around act of awesomeness) your song for today is "An Infinite Regression" by Animals as Leaders. It's the opening track from their second LP, 2011's Weightless, as it's also a good example of the slightly off-kilter, guitar-driven instramental madness that Animals as Leaders are capable of. See what you think and let me know.
So as an act of penance (and an all around act of awesomeness) your song for today is "An Infinite Regression" by Animals as Leaders. It's the opening track from their second LP, 2011's Weightless, as it's also a good example of the slightly off-kilter, guitar-driven instramental madness that Animals as Leaders are capable of. See what you think and let me know.
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