Who Are Animals as Leaders? The Trio Behind the Music

If you have ever tried to count along to an Animals as Leaders song, you know the feeling: the groove is right there, and then it slips through your fingers. But who are the three people making it? Here is the short story.

How did Animals as Leaders start?

Animals as Leaders began in 2007 as a solo project by guitarist Tosin Abasi, after his earlier metalcore band, Reflux, broke up. The band comes from Washington, D.C., and plays instrumental progressive metal: no singer, just guitars and drums carrying every idea.

Where does the name come from?

The name was inspired by Ishmael, the 1992 novel by Daniel Quinn, a book about people's place among other living things. Abasi has said the name is a reminder that we are all, in the end, animals.

Who is in the band?

The line-up grew around Abasi:

• Tosin Abasi on lead guitar, since 2007.
• Javier Reyes on rhythm guitar, since 2009.
• Matt Garstka on drums, since 2012, after Navene Koperweis, who played drums and keyboards from 2009 to 2012.

Which albums should I know?

Five studio albums so far:

• Animals as Leaders (2009), the debut, on Prosthetic Records.
• Weightless (2011), also on Prosthetic.
• The Joy of Motion (2014), on Sumerian Records, which reached No. 23 on the Billboard 200.
• The Madness of Many (2016).
• Parrhesia (2022).

In 2024 the trio marked ten years of The Joy of Motion by playing the whole album live, night after night, on a tour billed as The Joy of Motion X.

Wear the motion

Our designs come straight from that story, from the angular wordmark to the Parrhesia snake. Shop the Animals as Leaders collection and find your piece.