D.C. “metal fusion” trio Animals as Leaders have exerted a great influence over metal subgenres such as prog and djent with their five instrumental albums and awe-inspiring, musically dextrous live shows. Signed to the legendary Sumerian Records, their biggest success to date came with 2014’s The Joy of Motion, which reached 23 on the US Billboard Charts —a truly incredible feat for an instrumental band who mix metal with jazz-like complexity. Their follow-up album, 2016’s The Madness of Many, topped the US Hard Rock charts. Their most recent album, Parrhesia, was released in March 2022.

Animals as Leaders began in 2007, ostensibly as a solo project for guitarist Tosin Abasi, whose incredible talent on his instrument has seen him lauded as one of the 100 greatest guitarists of all-time by Guitar World magazine. After a few changes, the line-up ultimately settled around Abasi, bassist Javier Reyes, and drummer Matt Garstka. Abasi and Reyes have also formed a supergroup called TRAM alongside members of The Mars Volta and Suicidal Tendencies.

Among Animals as Leaders best-known tracks are ‘Physical Education’ (from The Joy of Motion), whose distinctive video has been watched 7 million times on YouTube (the track has also been streamed more than 15 million times on Spotify) and ‘Cafo’ (from their eponymous 2009 debut), which has also been streamed and viewed more than 15 million times.