Animals As Leaders Axe Remaining 2025 Tour Dates After Matt Garstka Injures Arm

An unexpected medical emergency is forcing Animals As Leaders to cancel the rest of their 2025 touring plans, putting an end to a list of upcoming shows in Mexico, South America, and Australia.

According to a post on the band’s official social media accounts, drummer Matt Garstka recently suffered a “serious arm injury” that requires surgery in order to properly treat. Without a drummer, the band said they can’t move forward with their previously announced touring plans, so everything got the axe.

In light of the news, the band said they’re going to use their newfound down time to write their next album, so there’s a bit of a silver lining in all of this. They say new songs have already been worked on, so this will just potentially speed up the entire process now that they don’t need to be jetting around the world for live gigs.

The band’s full statement reads:

“To our fans in Mexico, South America, and Australia,

“We have some unfortunate news. We’re going to have to cancel our upcoming tour dates. Matt sustained a serious arm injury that requires surgery, and there’s no way we can perform without him.

“Rather than leave things up in the air, we’re calling it now and putting our full focus into writing the next Animals As Leaders album. New material is already in the works, and we’ll have more to share soon.

“We know this news sucks – especially for those of you who’ve been waiting a long time to see us live. Canceling isn’t something we take lightly. Thank you for sticking with us. We’ll make it back to your cities with new music and a set that hits even harder.

Respect,
Animals As Leaders”