ALBUM REVIEW: The Madness Of Many – Animals As Leaders
As an instrumental band it can be quite a task ensuring your material stays fresh and inviting, this is one obstacle ANIMALS AS LEADERS certainly have no issue with as they constantly devise new ways to reinvigorate their boundless technical abilities and push the boundaries of their craft.
The Madness of Many proves to be their most refined and cohesive effort yet displaying yet again that a three piece can provide a sound just as powerful and substantial as other member laden bands. Arithmophobia kicks the album into gear with a hypnotic sitar like contribution accompanied by a signature frantic polyrythmic frenzy that has become an unmistakable facet of the bands armoury. The jazzy guitar tones are ever present and sound crystal clear partnering the erratic shifts in pace.
Ectogenesis commences with an almost retro gaming 8 bit style tone before the introduction of some mind bending sweeping and equally baffling drum fills similar to the insanity that unfolded on The Woven Web whereas Cognitive Contortions ups the ante with perplexing overlaying guitars like they are battling for prominence. The sheer intricacy that Tosin and Javier provide creates an almost vocal like texture intertwined amongst the storm of riffs.
Inner Assassins maintains the upbeat pace with a consistent rhythm and silky smooth guitar tones, it almost gives off the vibe of a jam environment walking that fine line between instrumental mastery and self indulgence before briefly dialling down the intensity to gently draw the track to a close. Private Visions Of The World offers a less chaotic ambience with its blissful strides and calming mood before Backpfeifengesicht (loosely translated as a slap to the face!) nonchalantly makes its presence felt with its almost mechanical riffing and unrelenting tempo.
Transcientience is a crash course in bamboozling scales and making the fretboard aware that no note is safe from the elaborate outburst before descending into a feeling of weightlessness with tranquil, drifting harmonies before The Glass Bridge provides another round of majestically precise sweep picking and jazz enfused riffing.
Brain Dance is a welcoming interruption in pace with its calm, subtle tones without ingeniously not compensating on intricacy. Interlaced with a piano like narrative it gives your brain a moment to gather its thoughts while Apeirophobia unassumingly seeps through your pores with its complex yet delicate flamenco-like acoustic approach to bring the album to a peaceful and serene close.
The Madness of Many shows a more organic progression in comparison to the albums before it, almost leaving you gasping for air once you have digested the sheer array of complexity on show but you can’t help but lust for more as it chaperones you through the dense layers of its anatomy.
ANIMALS AS LEADERS have managed to improve on what was an already seamless formula and have constructed a creation that will satiate even the most stringent of critics.
Rating: 8/10
The Madness Of Many is set for release on November 11th via Sumerian Records.
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