Animals As Leaders - The Joy of Motion (2014)

With a combination of gut instinct and almost mechanical technical brilliance, eight-string virtuoso Tosin Abasi returns with The Joy of Motion, the third album from his project Animals as Leaders. Where the sounds of some of his other Sumerian Records labelmates can sometimes come across as cold and processed, Abasi infuses the project with a sense of beauty and wonder that feels more closely tied to traditional progressive metal, exploring melody while still pushing his musicianship to dazzling new heights. This balance helps to add a sense of humanity to a sound that can sometimes come across as sterile, making The Joy of Motion yet another wildly impressive outing from Abasi and his prog-metal outfit.~ Review by Gregory Heaney