
Animals As Leaders & Conquering Dystopia at the Town Ballroom (5/21/14)
It’s probably easier to describe the music of Animals As Leaders by citing the myriad of influences that they bring to their sound. That of course is the easy way , which I will absolutely avoid. Led by guitarist Tosin Abasi, this Washington D.C. based trio “noodle like no one has noodled before” (quoted from a guy I met at the show). Backed by Javier Reyes on guitar and drummer Matt Garstka, their all-instrumental set focused mainly on their latest album, Joy of Motion, on Sumerian Records. Animals As Leaders’ jazz influenced metal can veer from completely bombastic to nearly ambient in a split second. Far from contrived, each song flows rather seamlessly from start to finish. Also on the bill were another all instrumental band, the distinctively more metal Conquering Dystopia, a project that features Jeff Loomis (Nevermore) and Alex Webster (Cannibal Corpse). Loomis and partner-in-crime Keith Merrow are[...]