ANIMALS AS LEADERS
The Joy of Motion Anniversary Tour - September 2025
with Special Guests Car Bomb
One of the most exciting and boundary pushing acts in the world of heavy
music, Washington D.C.’s Animals As Leaders will return to Australia for
a full national tour this September, celebrating their groundbreaking
album, The Joy of Motion.
In 2014, The Joy of Motion redefined progressive metal with its
masterful blend of technical precision and emotional depth. Tracks like
album opener, Kascade and The Woven Web have clocked up over 10
million steams and the epic Physical Education is closing in on 22 million
which is an incredible achievement for any act, let alone a band so unique
and undefinable as AAL!
To celebrate the anniversary, Animals As Leaders will perform The Joy Of
Motion in its entirety, bringing its genre defying sound to fans old and
new. Joined by Long Island’s experimental metal powerhouse Car Bomb,
this tour promises a mind-bending showcase of virtuosity, innovation, and
unrelenting energy.
Armed with palette expanding eight string guitars, lush synths and
polyrhythmic grooves, Animals As Leaders continue to redefine heavy
music. The band have evolved from prog metal pioneers to a global
phenomenon, blending metal, jazz fusion and electronic elements into a
sound that resonates with metalheads, jazz fans and casual listeners alike.
They jettisoned the rules, limitations and boundaries of conventional rock
music from the start to become one of music’s great storytellers, walking
the tightrope between sheer technical virtuosity and real emotional
resonance. Even without vocals, Animals As Leaders is intimate,
mythmaking music.
On release, The Joy of Motion debuted at Number 23 on the US Billboard
200 and has since sold over 50,000 copies in the US alone. Praised by
Guitar World, Rolling Stone and Modern Drummer, Animals As Leaders
continue to deliver a live experience that’s as precise as it is heartfelt and
this anniversary tour will be no exception.
Joining them on all Australian shows is New York's Car Bomb, whose
aggressive, experimental approach to metal has earned them a huge cult
like following. Their chaotic mix of polyrhythms, shifting tempos and
harmonically deconstructive riffs defy typical convention and create a
sound that is brutally heavy and intensely disorienting. Car Bomb have
toured with heavyweights like Meshuggah, Gojira and The Dillinger Escape
Plan and their unpredictable live shows are a perfect accompaniment to
Animals As Leaders’ virtuosic artistry.