Groundbreaking, genre-defying instrumental trio ANIMALS AS LEADERS has announced the “Parrhesia” tour that will be hitting 19 cities across the U.S. to accompany their upcoming album of the same name. This monumental tour, produced by Live Nation, will feature two special sets by the progressive metal outfit — one of which will feature the new album “Parrhesia” (out on March 25 via Sumerian Records) in its entirety. Tickets go on general sale at 10 a.m. local on Friday, January 21 from AnimalsAsLeaders.org.
Beginning at the end of March, the tour will kick off in Denver on March 30 and travel throughout 18 further cities, ending in Los Angeles, California at the notable Ace Theater on April 22.
Citi is the official card of the “Parrhesia” tour. Citi card-members will have access to pre-sale tickets beginning Tuesday, January 18 at 12 p.m. EST local time until Thursday, January 20 at 10 p.m. local time through the Citi Entertainment program.
ANIMALS AS LEADERS Tour dates:
Mar. 30 – Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall
Apr. 01 – Kansas City, MO @ Truman Theater*
Apr. 02 – Omaha, NE @ Slowdown*
Apr. 03 – Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theater
Apr. 04 – Chicago, IL @ House of Blues
Apr. 05 – Cincinnati, OH @ Bogarts
Apr. 06 – Detroit, MI @ St. Andrews Hall
Apr. 08 – Hampton Beach, NH @ Wally’s*
Apr. 09 – Lititz, PA @ Mickey’s Black Box*
Apr. 10 – New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
Apr. 11 – Philadelphia, PA @ Brooklyn Bowl
Apr. 12 – Boston, MA @ Big Night Live
Apr. 13 – Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Soundstage
Apr. 15 – Atlanta, GA @ Buckhead Theatre
Apr. 16 – Orlando, FL @ House of Blues
Apr. 18 – Dallas, TX @ House of Blues
Apr. 19 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s
Apr. 21 – Phoenix, AZ @ Marquee Theater*
Apr. 22 – Los Angeles, CA @ Theater At The Ace Hotel
* Not a Live Nation date
“Parrhesia” has been highlighted so far by the release of singles “Monomyth” and “The Problem Of Other Minds”, which, combined, have clocked up 1.3 million YouTube views and over two million streams on Spotify alone since release. Find them below.
“Parrhesia” Album Artwork
“The Problem Of Other Minds” arrives two months after the release of “Monomyth”, which was accompanied by a music video directed by Telavaya Reynolds and featuring choreography by Tlathui Maza of Nohbords. The music video has clocked up nearly 900,000 YouTube views, with the track clocking up over 1 million cross-platform streams.
“Parrhesia” track listing:
1. Conflict Cartography
2. Monomyth
3. Red Miso
4. Gestaltzerfall
5. Asahi
6. The Problem Of Other Minds
7. Thoughts And Prayers
8. Micro-Aggressions
9. Gordian Naught
It might sound strange to associate “storytelling” with instrumental music. But ANIMALS AS LEADERS jettisoned the rules, limitations, and boundaries of conventional rock music from the start. Armed with palette-expanding eight-string guitars, rich synths, and pummeling percussive grooves, the trio is beloved by metalheads, aspiring virtuosos, jazz fanatics, and casual listeners alike. As Pitchfork observed, “ANIMALS AS LEADERS have walked the tightrope between sheer technical virtuosity and actual emotional resonance.” Even without vocals, this is intimate, myth-making music.
ANIMALS AS LEADERS began as a solo outlet for Abasi, whose creative partnership with classically trained guitarist Javier Reyes and Berklee-educated drummer Matt Garstka is built on a shared love of everything from fusion to technical death metal. Garstka graced the cover of Modern Drummer in 2015. In one of his many appearances on their cover, Guitar World named Tosin among the Guitarists Of The Decade. Rolling Stone featured him as part of their “Young Guns” series. The Chicago Tribune declared him “the closest thing prog-metal has to an Eddie Van Halen.” Kerrang! included their album “Weightless” among its Best Albums of 2011. “The Joy Of Motion” entered the Billboard 200 at No. 24 in 2014, and “The Madness Of Many” cracked the Top 20 in 2016. Now more than a decade into their career, a quick look at the bands they’ve toured with demonstrates the consistently diverse appeal of ANIMALS AS LEADERS. It’s a list that includes KORN, DEFTONES, THRICE, MESHUGGAH, UNDEROATH, TESSERACT and CIRCA SURVIVE, as well as major festivals with the likes of LINKIN PARK, AVENGED SEVENFOLD and SLIPKNOT.
ANIMALS AS LEADERS offer more than clinic-ready musicianship and proficiency. A focus on mood, texture, and emotive power elevates the material past any preconceived notions, resulting in a fascinatingly unique phenomenon, with an unlikely and profound appeal across multiple sub-genres and over 200 million career streams to date.
