Animals As Leaders and TesseracT at Thekla in Bristol review from Sunday 9 Nov
Posted on: 2014-11-18
Our rating:
The playing was completely on point. Spot on in every sense, despite the outrageously complex nature of the songs, and both Animals as Leaders and TesseracT deserved the sold-out status of the night.
Animals As Leaders and TesseracT both performed incredible sets on Sunday at Thekla. Their crazily fast sound crashed around the room with expert precision, creating a wave of admiration and awe that washed across the crowd. These pioneers of djent have a lot to live up to with regards to their recorded sound, which is dead on and very, very technical. But they far and away surpassed any expectations that I already held prior to the gig.
The night was started by one man loop-pedal machine Navene-K, who seems to have mastered his every instrument to an unbelievable level, literally creating colossal walls of devastating prog sound all by himself. As he darted across the stage, attending to his instruments and layering music with almost clinical precision, there was a definite sense of “who is this guy? Why haven’t we heard of him before?” rattling about the audience. He was a brilliant support choice, someone of immense talent and drive, and definitely worth checking out for any fans of the headlining bands.
First up, Animals as Leaders played a powerful set of around 45 minutes, playing songs from across their incomparable repertoire as true leaders of progressive metal. Tosin Abasi is well regarded in the musical community and rightly so. With his earth-shattering shredding and nimble fingerwork, sometimes the crowd would stop their dancing for a moment and lean in, as if watching some miracle take place before them. For sure, the band didn’t give anyone much time to breathe, barrelling into song after furious song, I am sincerely surprised no one passed out.
TesseracT were of course, equally good, but what’s left to say? Again, this band was just flawless, almost painfully brilliant, executing their sometimes 8 minute songs with dedicated perfection. The distinction here was the introduction of a band with vocals, as AAL stick to instrumentals, and it really worked. The melodic nature of these vocals stands TesseracT a way off from their contemporaries, and certainly brings in yet another selling point for a unique and pioneering band in the Djent scene. After offering Animals as Leaders Jagermeister straight from the bottle, it surprised me that the band’s collective heads were clear enough to battle their way through a decent selection of songs that seemed to excite those of us watching no end.
The only negative about watching these bands play, is that due to the crazy time signatures, poly rhythms and quickly changing nature of their style... it is so very hard to headbang in time.
As soon as both of the bands started playing they commanded the respect and admiration of the entire audience. No doubt these musicians have honed and perfected their gift to such a degree that anyone watching – casual observers or dedicated fans – would be amazed and inspired by what they saw. The playing was completely on point. Spot on in every sense, despite the outrageously complex nature of the songs, and both Animals as Leaders and TesseracT deserved the sold-out status of the night.
4.5/5
Reviewed by Miri Teixeira for 365Bristol
Animals As Leaders and TesseracT played at The Thekla in Bristol on Sunday 9 November 2014.
Article by:
Born and raised in the suburbs of Swansea, Jimmy moved to Bristol back in 2004 to attend university. Passionate about live music, sport, science and nature, he can usually be found walking his cocker spaniel Baxter at any number of green spots around the city. Call James on 078 9999 3534 or email Editor@365Bristol.com.
