Animals As Leaders are set to head back to Australia this September to celebrate a decade of The Joy of Motion. While down under they will embark on a full national tour and bring Car Bomb along for the ride as well.
Released in 2014, The Joy of Motion flipped the script on modern metal. Its mix of precision riffing, textured synths and sprawling grooves made it a defining moment for progressive heavy music. Tracks like ‘Kascade’ and ‘Physical Education’ racked up millions of streams, and the album itself hit Number 23 on the US Billboard 200. Which was a nearly unheard-of feat for a band with no vocalist and zero interest in chasing trends.
For the first time, Animals As Leaders will perform the full album live, front to back. Expect every off-kilter rhythm, soaring lead, and punch-you-in-the-gut groove that made the record so impactful. It’s a celebration of a band that’s never stayed inside the lines.
Joining them is New York’s Car Bomb, bringing their brutal, glitchy brand of chaos to the stage. Their live show is quite literally a full-body experience. Think shifting tempos, dissonant riff walls, and whiplash rhythms that never quite let you settle in. They’ve toured with Meshuggah, Gojira, and Dillinger Escape Plan for a reason.
Animals As Leaders don’t fit neatly into any genre. Guitarist Tosin Abasi’s eight-string wizardry, paired with Javier Reyes and Matt Garstka’s locked-in rhythms, makes for a sound that’s as emotional as it is complex. They’ve long ditched convention in favour of something wilder, more instinctive, and deeply human. It’s proof that music doesn’t need lyrics to say something real.
Presale for the tour begins on Tuesday, April 15 at 9am. The general sale for tickets begins on Thursday, April 17 at 9am. Tickets can be purchased here.
Animals As Leaders Tour Dates – Australia 2025
Friday, September 12 – Hindley Music Hall, Adelaide
Sunday, September 14 – The Tivoli, Brisbane
Thursday, September 18 – The Forum, Melbourne
Friday, September 19 – Enmore Theatre, Sydney
Sunday, September 21 – Magnet House, Perth
