Animals As Leaders MEGATHREAD

[crg123]

It's really interesting to read the first page of this thread with mention of an relatively unknown friend of Misha's named Tosin and how they made a Myspace for a project they were working on together. Misha said tosin would start touring once he found a suitable bassist Also on a more solemn note our recently passed friend Shane Gibson saying that "this shit has potential!" on page 2.

 

[crg123]

.

 

[Alberto7]

It's really interesting to read the first page of this thread with mention of an relatively unknown friend of Misha's named Tosin and how they made a Myspace for a project they were working on together. Misha said tosin would start touring once he found a suitable bassist Also on a more solemn note our recently passed friend Shane Gibson saying that "this shit has potential!" on page 2.

... and so a blast from the past slammed me in the head and made me dizzy. Pretty crazy to think that it all started here, too.

 

[Opion]

Man I remember listening to Tempting Time back in '09 and knewing this band would be the next big thing. Pretty awesome to see and hear the difference from POD X3 recording to now. The music still stands the test of time.

 

[fungwabus117]

Man I remember listening to Tempting Time back in '09 and knewing this band would be the next big thing. Pretty awesome to see and hear the difference from POD X3 recording to now. The music still stands the test of time.

xt

 

[Entropy Prevails]

Does Tosin still post here?

 

[JosephAOI]

A quick look at his profile says his last post was in September, and he hasn't been online since Mid-May!

I also went back through the first 10 or so pages of this thread and it's crazy to see what everyone had to say about Tosin and AAL in the beginning of it all!

 

[russmuller]

I went out to catch Animals As Leaders with Conquering Dystopia and Chon last night at The Nile in Mesa, AZ.

What a friggin' killer show. It was a nice turnout and good energy from the crowd. Chon really blew me away. Actually, I think they blew everyone away. I bought the CD and I can tell you their recording does not capture the band. It's not a bad EP by any means, but go see them live if you get the chance. Lots of potential.

Conquering Dystopia was pretty cool. It was my first time seeing any of those guys live, so I was a little bummed that Merrow didn't take a single solo. Jeff Loomis is a friggin' beast though. The bass player had to leave the tour early and was replaced by a MacBook, but the drummer absolutely killed it. They had a nice pit going. Moshing isn't my thing, but the guys were all clearly having fun and helping people when they fell. Good vibes.

But Animals... I've seen them a few times since 2009 and I can say with certainty that their tone and vibe are better than ever. While I like a lot of their music, I was never crazy about their tone until this last record. Especially after hearing Tosin live, I'm pretty sold on a set of Ionizers for my next guitar. They played an awesome medley from the first album, and they rocked Physical Education and The Woven Web back to back. I think I might have peed a little.

I was saying goodbye to a friend after the show and came across Tosin in the parking lot. I try to keep my fandom to a minimum, so I congratulated him on a great show and shook his hand. He complimented my Zeppelin shirt and my friend's Rush shirt. It was a brief encounter, but he was very kind and friendly.

My legs were tired by the end of the show, but totally worth it. Definitely need me some Ionizers.

 

[fatalfable]

Merrow doesnt play any solos on the album. I dont see why he would live

 

[anomynous]

Vinyl still hasn't shipped for me. Come on, it's almost July. Sent an email but I know I won't get a reply.



Sumerian really needs to outsource their merch/pre-orders instead of doing it themselves.

 

[russmuller]

I am not familiar with the album.

 

[BEADGBE7]

I went out to catch Animals As Leaders with Conquering Dystopia and Chon last night at The Nile in Mesa, AZ.

I was there, and it was amazing, and i agree ive seen AAL like 6 times in the last 4 years, and they are truly growing as a band, the songs are breathing well with Garstka. very impressive.

wave of babies is a great example, they are really letting that song grow with them, i think they should treat the whole project the way they treat that song. last night was the best ive seen them yet

 

[Webmaestro]

I went out to catch Animals As Leaders with Conquering Dystopia and Chon last night at The Nile in Mesa, AZ.

What a friggin' killer show. It was a nice turnout and good energy from the crowd. Chon really blew me away. Actually, I think they blew everyone away. I bought the CD and I can tell you their recording does not capture the band. It's not a bad EP by any means, but go see them live if you get the chance. Lots of potential.

Conquering Dystopia was pretty cool. It was my first time seeing any of those guys live, so I was a little bummed that Merrow didn't take a single solo. Jeff Loomis is a friggin' beast though. The bass player had to leave the tour early and was replaced by a MacBook, but the drummer absolutely killed it. They had a nice pit going. Moshing isn't my thing, but the guys were all clearly having fun and helping people when they fell. Good vibes.

But Animals... I've seen them a few times since 2009 and I can say with certainty that their tone and vibe are better than ever. While I like a lot of their music, I was never crazy about their tone until this last record. Especially after hearing Tosin live, I'm pretty sold on a set of Ionizers for my next guitar. They played an awesome medley from the first album, and they rocked Physical Education and The Woven Web back to back. I think I might have peed a little.

I was saying goodbye to a friend after the show and came across Tosin in the parking lot. I try to keep my fandom to a minimum, so I congratulated him on a great show and shook his hand. He complimented my Zeppelin shirt and my friend's Rush shirt. It was a brief encounter, but he was very kind and friendly.

My legs were tired by the end of the show, but totally worth it. Definitely need me some Ionizers.

Awesome, thanks for the detailed recap. I was so stoked when I saw they were coming to the Nile, but I ended up not being able to go. My friends did though. They said the moshing got pretty crazy at one point, but amazing show. I hope AAL comes back sometime next year. They're one of my favorite bands, and I missed em. I would've loved to see Loomis and Merrow too. Like both those guys as well. Just a shitty time for me to miss a show

 

[Zalbu]

Guitar Center Session - awesome!

It always blows my mind to see drummers make do with such small kits, and then comparing it to something like this

How much bigger is it at proper shows?

 

[Kwirk]

It always blows my mind to see drummers make do with such small kits, and then comparing it to something like this

How much bigger is it at proper shows?

He has a 5 or 6 piece during their live shows.

Also, I caught them in Bloomington, IL a few weeks ago and Matt blew me away. This was my third time seeing them (actually saw them only a few months prior here in Minnesota, haha) but daaaaaamn he went nuts on a few songs. I don't remember which song it was but he was absolutely putting everything into every hit at one point. It was some of the most intense drumming I've ever seen.

 

[BEADGBE7]

My friends did though. They said the moshing got pretty crazy at one point,

ya, AAL played CAFO for their encore, and the place erupted, most movement ive seen at one of their shows yet.

 

[Khoi]

Anyone still wondering how to play "dat riff" from The Woven Web? I have it finally figured out if there's any interest for a lesson/tutorial.

 

[Deception]

^ I'd be interested!

 

[Daf57]

Abasi and Reyes Teach Prog-Metal to Dance
Young Guns: Tosin Abasi and Javier Reyes Teach Prog-Metal to Dance - Video | Rolling Stone

 

[QuantumCybin]

Hahah I loved watching that guy's reactions. He was literally being mind-f_cked for nine minutes straight. Cool stuff regardless.