February 2012 \ Features \ Artist Interview \ Animals as Leaders: A Different Breed

Animals as Leaders: A Different Breed

Joe Charupakorn

Tosin Abasi and Javier Reyes—Animals as Leaders’ jaw-dropping dualguitar team—live up to their name and create a new progressive-rock beast by cross-breeding jazz, classical, and metal techniques in a way that simultaneously blows your mind and defies the genre’s stereotypes.
Premier Guitar February 2012
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Javier Reyes' Gear

Guitars
Ibanez RGA guitars with DiMarzio D Activator 8 pickups.

Effects
Fractal Audio Systems Axe-Fx II controlled by Fractal MFC-101 MIDI foot controller.

Strings and Picks
DR .010 sets with a .060 seventh string and an .080 bass string for 8-string standard tuning (with the eighth string tuned down to low E), Jim Dunlop .60mm picks.

Tosin Abasi's Gear

Guitars
Ibanez RG2228 with EMG 808X pickups, Ibanez custom 8-string hollowbody, Ola Strandberg custom 8-string with fanned frets.

Effects
Fractal Audio Systems Axe-Fx II controlled by Fractal MFC-101 MIDI foot controller, Boomerang Plus phrase sampler.

Strings and Picks
DR .010 sets with a .060 seventh string and an .080 bass string for 8-string standard tuning (with the eighth string tuned down to low E), Jim Dunlop .60mm picks.

Youtube It
For an up-close look at Animals as Leaders’ instrumental prowess, check out the following clips on YouTube.com.


Dig an entire Animals as Leaders concert from Kosmonavt in St. Petersburg, Russia, on September 29, 2011.


Animals as Leaders “Cylindrical Sea” LIVE 11/8/11 in Indianapolis IN


Abasi employs unorthodox techniques to create an otherworldly effect at the House of Blues in Houston, Texas, on November 17, 2011.


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Comments

 (8 comments) display by
UsernameComment
murray
on 01/12/2012 		Reminds me of Yes and Steve Howes guitar style around the time of "Close to the Edge".
Lysle
on 01/12/2012 		I came here from the Animals as Leaders facebook, and after reading this in its entirety I will be a fan of premierguitar for life! Great interview.
Uriah
on 01/11/2012 		Great interview! Thorough incite into the band's influences and well-informed questions and retorts!
The Comedian
on 01/10/2012 		You guys are on a different level. Navene is up high, and Javier is standing below Tosin.
Stephen Knives
on 01/10/2012 		Excellent interview. Very great questions posed with well-articulated answers.
Cody P.
on 01/10/2012 		Excellent interview! Great stuff man, very in depth and not the same shenanigans repeated over and over. Pretty spot on for an interview, I would just like to hear a little bit more about recording gear, and a little more about the process. You did great and pretty well got her down though, good work.
David
on 01/10/2012 		I thought they switched to .011 strings recently?
Luke
on 01/10/2012 		Great article guys. I appreciate the depth of your questions, and the fact that you got both Tosin and Javier involved. It's definitely intriguing to hear more about their writing process and how they work together as musicians. Well done!



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