MYSTERIOUS: Animals as leaders - You Need To See This

Manuel Gardner Fernandes breaks down the 5 techniques that define his sound

Manuel presents his percussive strumming, tapped harmonics, selective picking, and Hetfield-inspired downpicking approaches

Guitar World · Jul 14

“At this point, we’re even being emulated by other companies”: Tosin Abasi never planned to be a guitar designer – he explains how Abasi Concepts became one of the biggest names in progressive guitars

The Animals as Leaders virtuoso charts his journey as an ergonomic guitar pioneer, from commissioning eight-strings to having his own designs imitated

Guitar World · Feb 10

“What’s Japanese for shameless?” Tosin Abasi's Animals As Leaders bandmate lambasts Ibanez's new Alpha guitar design

The Alpha’s similarities to two of Tosin Abasi’s out-there guitar designs are not lost on his co-guitarist, Javier Reyes

Guitar World · Jan 12

"Instrumental albums are often made by musicians for musicians, so we wanted to keep things tuneful and hold the listener’s attention" How Animals As Leaders broke the mould with The Joy Of Motion

The story of the Washington instrumental trio's third album, 2014's The Joy Of Motion

Metal Hammer · Mar 24, 2025

“We’re guitar players. The reason we’re designing gear is we’re making things that we wish existed”: Tosin Abasi is pushing the boundaries of progressive music and guitar gear on multiple fronts – and he’s got no plans to slow down

The Animals As Leaders and Abasi Concepts mastermind on upcoming music, his favorite new players, switching from modelers to tube amps, and why he might not be ready to record a blues album just yet

Guitar World · Feb 28, 2025

“There’s amazing players like Josh Smith and Eric Gales, and I thought, ‘OK, I’ve been missing out. I’m learning the blues’”: Tosin Abasi said he wanted to release a blues album – is it still on the cards?

We asked the progressive metal innovator for an update on his prospective blues record, which he teased back in 2022

Guitar World · Feb 20, 2025

“I like seeing boundaries pushed. With these loops, I wanted to inject my identity”: Tosin Abasi’s playing is now available in Garage Band and Logic thanks to a high-profile new producer pack

The guitar innovator has lent his creative force to a versatile pack of 170 loops available exclusively on Apple’s DAWs

Guitar World · Jan 29, 2025

I used to feel like a geek for loving prog metal. In 2025, it’s taking over the world – and I couldn’t be happier!

Sleep Token headlining Download! A long-awaited Mastodon album! Polyphia x Babymetal?! This is why forward-thinking metal will have a banner year in 2025

Metal Hammer · Jan 29, 2025

“For me to be so appreciated, I think I can start to feel guilty and pressured. But I guess it’s a good problem to have”: From playing Steve Vai's guitars to playing with him onstage, Tosin Abasi's rapid ascent made him one of the biggest names in guitar

Speaking to Guitar World in 2014, the Animals As Leaders maestro recalls the grueling salmon cannery and poop-scooping dog kennel jobs that helped him save for his first Vai signature model, and discusses how to adapt to seven- and eight-string models

Guitar World · Jan 7, 2025

Current and former members of Trivium, Killswitch Engage, Animals as Leaders, Polyphia, While She Sleeps and more team up for epic, metalled-up Cult of the Lamb game soundtrack - listen to first single Cult

Breakout indie game Cult of the Lamb is getting a special soundtrack makeover courtesy of some metal heavyweights

Metal Hammer · Oct 21, 2024