Tosin Abasi: CAFO
Tosin and his bandmates in Animals as Leaders, shredding the 8-string guitars!
I love that Animals as Leaders aren't afraid to smash through musical genres like a chrome-plated bulldozer. Not a lot of pretty melodies in this nearly 7 minute piece, (except for that one part) but there's plenty of ultra-tight, grinding, ethereal musical textures.
My theory has always been if you do something really well, and you enjoy what you're doing, that others will enjoy it too. It's obvious that these guys love what they do and they aren't afraid to be who they are. That's a rarity in today's cookie-cutter musical world. Now 'scuse me while I bang my head for a while...
Artist Info
Tosin Abasi Bio
Tosin Abasi is a Washington DC based virtuoso guitarist who is best known for playing in the instrumental progressive metal band Animals as Leaders. Before Animals as Leaders was formed, he was the guitarist for the technical metalcore band Reflux. He has recorded and released one self-titled debut album with Animals as Leaders.
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Career
Tosin Abasi is a classically trained guitarist. He was the guitarist for the Silver Spring, Maryland based metal band PSI. He joined Reflux in the early to mid-2000s. During a Reflux show, Prosthetic Records noticed his skill and offered him a record deal as a solo artist. At first, he refused, calling it "egotistical and unnecessary". He then formed his "solo" project, Animals as Leaders, the name loosely being derived from the book Ishmael. At first, producer Misha Mansoor (from Periphery) programmed all the drums and synthesizers in the album, but Tosin then chose Javier Reyes and Navene Koperwies on rhythm guitar and drums, respectively. Tosin has recently been making material with his new band T.R.A.M., consisting of Animals as Leaders alumnus Javier Reyes, Suicidal Tendencies drummer Eric Moore and former Mars Volta wind instrumentalist, Adrian Terrazas. 'T.R.A.M.' stands for Terrazas, Reyes, Abasi, Moore. In mid March, 2011, T.R.A.M. played their first show at South by Southwest, a multi-day music festival in Austin, Texas. Animals as Leaders are currently writing for a second album, which will not be produced by Misha Mansoor as he is busy producing the next 2 Periphery albums.Template:Citation needed
Equipment
- Guitars:
- Ibanez RG2228 8-string
- 8-string Ibanez LACS RGA, 7-string Ibanez LACS
- 7-string Eastman ER-1 hollow body
- Custom Illustrated Luthier 8-string
- Custom Strandberg baritone hybrid 8 string
- Legend custom 6 string
- Pickups:
- Lundgren M8
- Q-tuner BL-5
- EMG 808/EMG 808X
- Kent Armstrong Handmade Pickup
- DiMarzio Tone Zone 7
- Amp(s):
- Fractal Audio Axe-FX Ultra preamp (previously he used a Line 6 POD unit)
- Fractal Audio Axe-FX 2
- VHT 2/50/2 stereo power amp
- Cabinet(s):
- Orange Amplification 4x12 speaker cabinet
- Effects:
- Voodoo Lab Ground Control Pro MIDI Foot Controller
- Fractal Audio MFC-101 MIDI Foot Controller
- Boomerang Plus Phrase Sampler
Discography
- "Virus" (2002) (with PSI)
- "Illusion of Democracy" (2004) (with Reflux)
- Animals as Leaders (2009)
