Lineup: Animals as Leaders/Intervals/Plini
Venue: Royale, Boston, MA
Date: November 30th, 2016
Plini: Plini has been the most hyped instrumental band of 2016 not named Polyphia and after seeing them perform, I completely understand why. The Australian jazz fusion/prog rock trio played 40 minutes worth of gorgeous, winding musical adventures that reminded me a lot of Collective-era Scale the Summit. These guys have the potential to turn into the genre's next seminal act and I'm mildly ashamed that I didn't take the time to check out them out sooner.
Intervals: While I have a lot of love for Animals as Leaders, the main reason I went to this show was to see Intervals. Their latest release The Shape of Colour was one of my favorite albums of 2015 and I was dying to finally them perform as an instrumental group (the previous time I'd seen them was during their brief stint as a traditional prog metal band). Thankfully, their performance ended up living up to my ridiculous hype level. Aaron Marshall is one of the best guitarists in the game right now and it was fucking awesome to watch him rip through a 40-minute set of his distinct, wildly upbeat brand of prog. I'm elated that Intervals has returned to being a full-time instrumental band and I hope can catch them headline sometime in the near future.
Animals as Leaders: There is no more reliable live act in metal right now than Animals as Leaders. Every single time you purchase a ticket one of their shows you know you're going to see a virtuoso musicianship clinic and last night's show at the Royale was no exception.
Given the fact that I've seen them six times and their stage presence is understandably stoic, there really isn't much to say about their performance aside from gushing about just how fucking talented they are. The level of precision that Tosin Abasi, Javier Reyes and Matt Garska play borders on robotic and it allows every single song-regardless of how I feel about I studio version- to be captivating live. Watching top-tier musicians play in person
that makes my inner music nerd weep with joy and that special (and arguably pathetic) feeling that comes with seeing them live is the biggest reason why I'll continue to go see Animals as Leaders every time they're in the Massachusetts-area.
What will ultimately make this show standout from the previous times I've seen them is the fact that they played in front of a sold-out crowd of 1,000 people. Their ascent from playing before bands like Carnifex and Cephalic Carnage on Summer Slaughter six years ago to mid-size club headliner with one of the most passionate, devoted fanbases in metal is remarkable and something I never expected them to pull off as an instrumental band in a genre that is incredibly hard to breakout in. This wave of success couldn't be more well-deserved and with yet another impressive effort put forth on their just-released fourth LP The Madness of Many, I fully expect their popularity to grow even more in the coming months. Animals as Leaders is a wonder to behold live and an absolute must-see for any fans of complex, heavy and melodic instrumental music.
Scores:
Pilini 8/10
Intervals 8.5/10
Animals as Leaders 8.5/10
Setlists:
Intervals:
I'm Awake
Sure Shot
Fable
Momento
Tapestry
Epiphany
Black Box
Libra
Animals as Leaders:
Arithmophobia
Tempting Time
An Infinite Regression
Do Not Go Gently
Ectogenesis
Crescent
Ka$cade
The Glass Bridge
The Brain Dance
Physical Education
Inner Assassins
The Woven Web
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