Animals As Leaders MEGATHREAD

[xwmucradiox]

I vaguely remember seeing Reflux a few times back in the day, before their first album. I remember the name more than anything. I was big into the local hardcore scene back then and they played a lot of little local shows in Hampton Roads for a few months there. It seemed they were playing nearly every hardcore show during that time and I remember a lot of the scene guys were getting tired of them playing every show. I swear I remember them having 3 singers in the band at the same time, but everything I can find about them online now only shows them having 4 members total. In fact, I had no idea Tosin was in Reflux until I read his more recent article in Guitar World and it got me searching. Can anyone else confirm Reflux had more than 4 members in their early days? I doubt there was another band from DC named Reflux around that time that I'm confusing them with. I also remember them having a demo song I downloaded and listened to a bunch. I might have burned it to a CD, hopefully I'll find it.

They had another singer in addition to Ash up about until Vinny Vinh joined the band. IIRC dude had dreads but I cant be sure. Its been quite a while.

 

[guitareben]

5:05. WTF was he doing in Charleston lol

Wait... WHAT?!?!? XD

 

[guitareben]

Also.... YEA!!! MISHA AND TOSING OMFG!!!

Weightless was good, but it suffered to to not that great mixing and sometimes the structure was a bit messed (imo).

And + Anything with Misha is good too

 

[travis bickle]

i prefer weightless as well, but was a bit underwhelmed at the sonic quality of it. looking forward to the next release!!!!!

 

[Slunk Dragon]

Getting on the Hype-mobile for this! I loved both albums for different reasons, and I don't think that this collab again will prove faulty. If Tosin, Javier, Matt, AND Misha write this album, it's going to be next year's metal album of the year, for sure!

 

[ROAR]

Sometimes I feel like people care about the guy more than the guy's music.

 

[glassmoon0fo]

^I've said this before but...WAT

 

[MobiusR]

"2 days into writing/recording with Tosin Abasi for the new Animals As Leaders album and we have 2 songs down, making good progress! Can't wait for you guys to hear this stuff!!" - Misha Mansoor

Via Facebook


STOKED!!! \m/

 

[Kiwimetal101]

Come on Misha!! 10 sec lil audio clip??

 

[Rook]

Am I the only one that saw that Tosin was writing this with misha and went 'aaaah nuts'?

I quite like the self titled, I loved weightless, I love the really original, almost primal, super clean sound of Weightless, lots of headroom, the writing was amazing.

Weightless is one of my all time favourites, I appreciate periphery and the misha-isms that appear on different albums on a different level, the difference when AAL did it for themselves sealed the deal with that band for me.

Without sounding harsh, because Misha's thing is great, I really hope the next offering isn't profoundly Misha-y in the way things like Eclipse are, I love that richness and free flowing nature of Weightless, it makes it truly unique and original to me.

 

[TIBrent]

I think the biggest thing that the self titled record has on 'Weightless' is that the ideas are more complete. Songs like 'new eden' would be amazing, but right when the idea sort of took, the song ends, there are multiple places like this on the record where I think that they had a solid idea but couldn't figure out how to mess it with a bridge or a b or c section. Where as the first record, every song has good beginning, middle & end with no fizzle outs or 2 minute jams.
-Brent

 

[MythicSquirrel]

I think the biggest thing that the self titled record has on 'Weightless' is that the ideas are more complete. Songs like 'new eden' would be amazing, but right when the idea sort of took, the song ends, there are multiple places like this on the record where I think that they had a solid idea but couldn't figure out how to mess it with a bridge or a b or c section. Where as the first record, every song has good beginning, middle & end with no fizzle outs or 2 minute jams.
-Brent

Totally agree with this. That's what really got me about Weightless, none of the songs sounded complete, they all just sounded like little jams. While with the S/T album everything worked, no matter how long or short the song was it just worked and sounded great.

 

[bulb]

Without sounding harsh, because Misha's thing is great, I really hope the next offering isn't profoundly Misha-y in the way things like Eclipse are, I love that richness and free flowing nature of Weightless, it makes it truly unique and original to me.

I notice a lot of comments like this.
What I don't understand is, do you guys think that I am some sort of dictator who somehow convinces bands to pay me to record them, and on top of that I manage to force my ideas onto them?

Tosin is working with me again because he liked the dynamic we had when we wrote the first album together. I am here to contribute what I can and do what I do, and Tosin decides what makes the cut and what doesn't at the end of the day.

I am working for him, not the other way round, and all that I care about is that the ARTISTS that I work with are content with the work I put forth and the final product, not their fans or some people who have an opinion on the internet.

You may be able to criticize this and that about how "mishafied" I will make x band, but the fact of the matter is that they came to me for a reason, and so far they have always left happy with the result.

Edit: Funny enough, all you need to do to get some context on all of this is click on the first page of this thread and read the first post.

 

[spawnofthesith]

Besides, how could "Misha-fication" be a bad thing

 

[JosephAOI]

I think the biggest thing that the self titled record has on 'Weightless' is that the ideas are more complete. Songs like 'new eden' would be amazing, but right when the idea sort of took, the song ends, there are multiple places like this on the record where I think that they had a solid idea but couldn't figure out how to mess it with a bridge or a b or c section. Where as the first record, every song has good beginning, middle & end with no fizzle outs or 2 minute jams.
-Brent

THIS. I could not have said it any better. Although I wish Point To Point was longer.

 

[JPhoenix19]

I notice a lot of comments like this.
What I don't understand is, do you guys think that I am some sort of dictator who somehow convinces bands to pay me to record them, and on top of that I manage to force my ideas onto them?

I don't think he said that at all. It sounds like he expressed his opinion about a preference for the style of Weightless.

 

[technomancer]

Honestly the only thing I didn't like about hearing that Misha and Tosin were writing the new album is that it pretty much puts to rest Tosin's statements in a couple of interviews that AAL isn't the Tosin Abasi project. I was interested to see how the band would evolve over time with the band writing the material, especially after hearing Mestis

That said I loved the self titled and will be buying the new album, so I'm obviously not terribly bothered by it

 

[JPhoenix19]

That said I loved the self titled and will be buying the new album, so I'm obviously not terribly bothered by it

 

[Equivoke]

I notice a lot of comments like this.......

Slight overreaction. He prefers Weightless, I don't think he implied you are a music dictator at all.

I think the biggest thing that the self titled record has on 'Weightless' is that the ideas are more complete. Songs like 'new eden' would be amazing, but right when the idea sort of took, the song ends, there are multiple places like this on the record where I think that they had a solid idea but couldn't figure out how to mess it with a bridge or a b or c section. Where as the first record, every song has good beginning, middle & end with no fizzle outs or 2 minute jams.
-Brent

I guess I'm the opposite. Although I think New Eden could have been longer, I think most of songs on the S/T drag a bit. I think Weightless got it a bit better.

 

[Rook]

I notice a lot of comments like this.
What I don't understand is, do you guys think that I am some sort of dictator who somehow convinces bands to pay me to record them, and on top of that I manage to force my ideas onto them?

Tosin is working with me again because he liked the dynamic we had when we wrote the first album together. I am here to contribute what I can and do what I do, and Tosin decides what makes the cut and what doesn't at the end of the day.

I am working for him, not the other way round, and all that I care about is that the ARTISTS that I work with are content with the work I put forth and the final product, not their fans or some people who have an opinion on the internet.

You may be able to criticize this and that about how "mishafied" I will make x band, but the fact of the matter is that they came to me for a reason, and so far they have always left happy with the result.

Edit: Funny enough, all you need to do to get some context on all of this is click on the first page of this thread and read the first post.

That's not really what I meant. I wasn't giving it a 'LEAVE ANIMALS AS LEADERS ALONE', I like your style and everything (not that you care what I think, haha) but Tosin has a sound - playing, composition, mix, everything - Tosin and Javier together has a subtly different sound, if Tosin collaborated with (pick a random artist who I love) Evan Brewer it'd be different again. In this case I like whatever Weightless was (I assume Tosin/Tosin and Javier) over his work with you. I loved the self-titled, it's what got me into AAL, but if I had a choice I'd have more of whatever Weightless was.

I dunno, most of your post doesn't apply to what I think at all really. Being as this is the internet however, it wouldn't be beyond me to imagine that people have taken the LEAVE AAL ALONE view and thusly expressed it so your response doesn't surprise me either.

I also share a similar sentiment to Techno, and that was in fact my initial reaction