Animals As Leaders

When unknown virtuoso guitarist Tosin Abasi released his debut solo album under the moniker ANIMALS AS LEADERS in 2009, few would have predicted the now ground-breaking, critically-acclaimed, genre defying instrumental Washington D.C. trio's meteoric rise since.

Although Abasi earned acclaim as the lead guitarist in the metalcore act Reflux, it was still a long-shot that an instrumental album of progressive metal with jazz, electronic and ambient flourishes would develop anything more than a cult following. Instead they are now revered worldwide as a trailblazing pioneer of modern heavy music with the group's genre-defying compositions earning extensive praise; Steve Vai called the band "the future of creative, heavy virtuoso guitar playing," and MetalSucks recently ranked Abasi #2 on their list of modern metal's top guitarists.