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.

Raving about the brilliance of Animals As Leaders are but mere words that are a pale substitute for experiencing them live. 

And given their reputation as one of the most in demand live acts in the world, you better act fast as tickets won’t last long! 

Prepare yourself for a night where technical brilliance meets raw emotion, as Animals As Leaders and Car Bomb redefine what’s possible in heavy music in an unforgettable night of boundary pushing heavy music.

The celebration of The Joy of Motion’s legacy promises to be a highlight for fans across Australia.