Since moving to Los Angeles from Washington D.C. in 2010, metal instrumental trio Animals As Leaders have drawn serious accolades. Their heavy sound includes progressive-rock guitar, as well as moments of jazz and electronic music.

Their dynamic virtuosity has allowed them to connect  connect with younger metal listeners, rather than just, say, aging Guitar World readers. Their guitarists Tosin Abasi and Javier Reyes are at the forefront of a wave of new ax heroes inspiring kids to pick up guitars with increasingly larger numbers of strings.

But enough about how great they are: How can you become that great yourself? For clues, check out West Coast Sound's premiere of their performance of their new song, “Lippincott,” recorded during a visit to the At Guitar Center with Nic Harcourt podcast.
]

Like us on Facebook at LAWeeklyMusic

The Year's Most Ridiculous Metal Album Covers
The 20 Greatest Metal Albums in History
Top 20 Sexiest Female Musicians of All Time

Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.