Tosin Abasi

[Shanannigan]

The man behind Animals As Leaders.

Technically this guy is a guitar player. I think however that he qualifies as a bit of a guitarist/bassist hybrid, he plays an 8 string guitar, with the lowest string tuned down to an E. So he essentially has the range of a guitar and bass, and he uses it to it's full potential.

Considering he adopts a lot of bass techniques into his playing, and takes a lot of influence from bassists, I figured he might get some love here.

 

[AciDBatH666]

Usually when I get sick and tired of what all the heavier djenty bands are doing, I revisit some Animals as Leaders.

 

[Zodion]

Th

The man behind Animals As Leaders.

Technically this guy is a guitar player. I think however that he qualifies as a bit of a guitarist/bassist hybrid, he plays an 8 string guitar, with the lowest string tuned down to an E. So he essentially has the range of a guitar and bass, and he uses it to it's full potential.

Considering he adopts a lot of bass techniques into his playing, and takes a lot of influence from bassists, I figured he might get some love here.

This is god damn awesome

 

[Herrick]

I saw this the other day while looking for some of their stuff from the last two a albums. I like that thumb thing he does.

 

[JimmyM]

Makes me want to throw my bass in the toilet. These kids today are just superhuman.

 

[bholder]

The man behind Animals As Leaders.

Technically this guy is a guitar player. I think however that he qualifies as a bit of a guitarist/bassist hybrid, he plays an 8 string guitar, with the lowest string tuned down to an E. So he essentially has the range of a guitar and bass, and he uses it to it's full potential.

Considering he adopts a lot of bass techniques into his playing, and takes a lot of influence from bassists, I figured he might get some love here.

His approach is rather stickish. Very impressive. So this tune - seems more jazz then djent to me, but I really don't know djent - this ain't it, is it?

 

[bholder]

I see part of my problem playing like these guys - my thumbs don't even bend in that direction!

 

[Hamlet7768]

His approach is rather stickish. Very impressive. So this tune - seems more jazz then djent to me, but I really don't know djent - this ain't it, is it?

AAL is sometimes categorized as djent, but for a better idea of what djent is, see Periphery and Meshuggah.

 

[Watchootognbout]

I went and saw AAL with a fellow musician(drummer)last year.
I was concentrating on Javier Reyes mostly.
HE is doing most of what a bass player would be doing.
If there was a bass player

 

[almost human]

I have a couple of the AAL albums, and think Tosin and Javier are very talented, but the music leaves me cold for the most part.

 

[GK Growl]

Makes me want to throw my bass in the toilet. These kids today are just superhuman.

That's how I felt when my son turned me on to these guys. Also, that's how I feel when my son plays because he is a complete prog metal/jazz guy and does things that makes my head spin.

 

[Watchootognbout]

I have a couple of the AAL albums, and think Tosin and Javier are very talented, but the music leaves me cold for the most part.

They're music tends to appeal to the more cerebral of us.

 

[Rev J]

Tosin uses what I call the "Zawinul Chord" quite a bit. It is a power chord with a Major 6th on top. I always say that if he steals any more from bassists I'm going to start stealing from him.

C/S,
Rev J

 

[HeavyJazz]

Dug the first album, but since it seems the tone has gotten more and more artificial - like your typical bedroom recording project with a million plug-ins. All top, mids and no real low end apart from the overly EQ'd kick drum.

 

[Clef_de_fa]

He sure is a better slapper than many bass player.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

Makes me want to throw my bass in the toilet. These kids today are just superhuman.

I hope you have plumbing skills.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

Tosin is a bad man!

 

[Obese Chess]

Dug the first album, but since it seems the tone has gotten more and more artificial - like your typical bedroom recording project with a million plug-ins. All top, mids and no real low end apart from the overly EQ'd kick drum.

This is interesting because the first album literally was a bedroom recording project with a million plugins and everything since has been recorded in real studios with real amps.

I still regularly revisit the first three records but the most recent album didn't grab me at ALL. "Hey, y'all remember that really wanky, off-time thing we did on the last album? And remember those slap parts? Here's 70 minutes of those and nothing else."

 

[songwriter21]

Mad, mad credit to this band, and especially all the guys who can play this caliber of music...prog, jazz, fusion, funk, etc. But, more and more, when you keeping changing time signatures so much like these guys do, the songs stop being songs, and start being just riffs. I'd love to see what Tosin could do with a more groove-oriented project, instead of sheerly technical stuff, kind of like when Tool branched off, and A Perfect Circle came about. Not to derail this thread, as I just like it when super-technical bands branch off into more flowing sounds into stuff that you can move to.

Regardless, Toastin' Kielbasa is a BAD mofo.

 

[nixdad]

That he is.
My son is good friends with Matt Garstka, the drummer of AAL and has played with him many times. Matt has even subbed in my son's cover band. Matt's Dad Greg is actually one of the guitarists in the group.