CYNIC have released ‘Focus, The Official Drum and Bass Tracks’ on Friday, October 3, exclusively on Bandcamp. For the first time, fans can hear Sean Malone’s bass and Sean Reinert’s drums in complete isolation from the band’s landmark era. This collection offers an intimate listen into the rhythmic heart of Cynic, revealing the nuance, interplay, and precision that shaped the group’s sound. Listen at THIS LOCATION.
CYNIC guitarist and founding member Paul Masvidal comments, “These tracks let you sit inside what feels like an intimate conversation between two master musicians. Malone and Reinert created a foundation that remains vividly alive, existing in its own realm. This release honors their legacy and offers a glimpse into the heartbeat that carried Focus. And for drummers and bass players out there, it is a master class in progressive metal rhythm section work from true visionaries.”
‘Focus’ is the debut album by American progressive death metal band Cynic, released in 1993. It is renowned for its innovative blend of technical death metal with jazz fusion elements, featuring complex time signatures, philosophical lyrics, and prominent use of vocoder effects on the vocals. The album is considered a landmark in progressive metal, influencing countless bands with its unique sound and intricate musicianship.
Last Friday’s launch was taking place on Bandcamp, an artist- driven initiative that began in March of 2020 at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic when the shuttering of venues led to a loss of vital tour revenue for artists. Since then, Bandcamp Fridays—on which Bandcamp waives its revenue share and passes the funds directly to artists & labels—has resulted in millions of fans paying over $120 million directly to labels and musicians they love. In addition to helping artists pay the rent, or fund album recordings and tours, Bandcamp Fridays have also become a beacon for artists and record labels looking to raise awareness for causes or raise money for charities.
As the cataclysms of the past emerge as profound metamorphoses, CYNIC return to Europe, igniting stages with their spectral presence and unquenchable fire, propelling themselves into an era of unparalleled spiritual musicianship. The Ascending Europe Tour 2024 beckons you to a pilgrimage through an aural tapestry, artfully woven with threads of the band’s storied legacy and forward-reaching visionary compositions.
In 2024, CYNIC‘s journey ascends to new heights, harmoniously melding echoes of past tribulations with the bold aspirations of their future. Reuniting Paul Masvidal’s transcendental vision with a timeless narrative, the tour not only immortalizes the band’s endeavors but also dives into the depths of their expansive discography. With the resounding echos of their seminal reissues, Uroboric Forms and Traced in Air, ringing through the cosmos, it’s a sanctified opportunity to witness these ethereal musings in the live realm.
“These demos are like sketches of young, aspiring artists,” says Paul Masvidal. “Hearing these demos is akin to looking at old pictures of yourself or reading historical diary entries and realizing you’re a different person now.“
Ascending Europe Tour Dates 2024:
Embodying the spirit of resurrection and progression, CYNIC invite you to share in their journey on these auspicious dates:
02 August: Brasov, RO @ Rockstadt Extreme Fest 06 August: Istanbul, TR @ Performance Hall Besiktas 07 August: Krakow, PL @ Kwadrat 08 August: Vienna, AT @ Replugged 09 August: Jaromer, CZ @ Brutal Assault 10 August: Warsaw, PL @ Hydrozagadka 11 August: Poznan, PL @ 2Progi 13 August: Den Bosch, NL @ W2 14 August: Cologne, DE @ Club Volta 15 August: Kassel, DE @ Goldgrube 17 August: Francavilla al Mare, IT @ Frantic Festival
As CYNIC traverse through Europe’s storied cities, they are offering fans more than just live transcendence. In collaboration with Season of Mist, CYNIC has reissued two seminal works that encapsulate the band’s philosophical and musical journey: Uroboric Forms and Traced in Air.
UROBORIC FORMS Tracklist 1. Uroboric Forms (3:48) 2. The Eagle Nature (3:28) 3. Pleading For Preservation (5:03) 4. Lifeless Irony (4:08) 5. Thinking Being (4:53) 6. Cruel Gentility (4:32) 7. Denaturalizing Leaders (3:47) 8. Extremes (2:30) 9. A Life Astray (2:45) 10. Agitating Affliction (3:39) 11. Once Misguided (3:00) 12. Weak Reasoning (3:38) 13. Dwellers Of The Threshold (3:59) 14. Uroboric Forms (Alternative Version) (3:47) 15. The Eagle Nature (Alternative Version) (3:34) Total runtime: 45:42
TRACED IN AIR Tracklist 1. Nunc Fluens (2:56) 2. The Space For This (5:47) 3. Evolutionary Sleeper (3:36) 4. Integral Birth (3:53) 5. The Unknown Guest (4:14) 6. Adam’s Murmur (3:29) 7. King Of Those Who Know (6:09) 8. Nunc Stans (4:14) Total runtime: 34:18
These reissues are spiritual artifacts, embodying the continuous evolution and boundless creativity of CYNIC. Each track is a brushstroke on the grand canvas of their legacy, now immortalized and available through Season of Mist.
Live Lineup: Paul Masvidal – Vocals and Guitars Max Phelps (Exist, Death to All) – Guitars and Vocals Brandon Giffin (The Faceless, The Zenith Passage) – Bass Matt Lynch (Nova Collective, Intronaut) – Drums & Percussion Zeke Kaplan – Keyboards
Putting your creative process into words is difficult, especially if you’re as forward-thinking as CYNIC. But after 30+ years, weathering hurricanes, teenage angst, homophobia and the tragic loss of their legendary rhythm section has given Paul Masvidal sage-like insight into the band’s celestial voyage.
Paul recently touched down at Audiotree Studiosto talk about his journey. He and his interstellar bandmates also performed songs from Cynic’s groundbreaking discography, including “Adam’s Murmur” off the newly re-issued Traced in Air.
Audiotree is a Chicago-based music discovery platform producing high quality studio sessions and live performance recordings from artists all around the world. Discover your next favorite band at audiotree.tv.
Traced in Air changed the game for Cynic, much like their landmark album Focus did years before. The band’s precedent-setting fusion of progressive music and mind-bending spiritual lyrics took the listener on an entirely new journey, solidifying their place as boundary-pushing pioneers.
Traced in Air is now being reissued on vinyl by Season of Mist.
Praise for Traced in Air
“On the basis of Traced in Air, more so than its 1993 predecessor Focus, Cynic should be understood not so much alongside any metal bands but along with the radical harmonic progressives in the last 45 years of pop and jazz: composers like Milton Nascimento, the Beach Boys or Pat Metheny.” – The New York Times
“Where would we be without Cynic? Where would Cynic be without Traced In Air? I don’t want to imagine that world. 2008’s LP by the crown princes of progressive metal set the high watermark for progressive metal in the new millennium, one that has arguably still not been surpassed.” – Everything is Noise
“The album is sonicaly heavier than Focus, but no less overt in its prominent jazz influence, with tracks like “Evolutionary Sleeper” showing they could defy time and be the band from the past and a band from the future at the same time.” – Treble Zine, who listed Traced in Air among the 10 Essential Sci-Fi Metal Albums.
“As liberally and recklessly as the term “progressive” is regularly applied to any sort of rock music that breaks with conventional genre templates, there are certain bands and albums for which it still feels not only necessary, for lack of better definitions, but actually appropriate. Cynic and their 1993 watershed, Focus, are a perfect case in point. … In short, those expecting a mere sequel to Focus will be mildly disappointed (but should have known better), and those worried about Traced in Air’s altogether brief, 35-minute length should rest assured that it is easily offset by the sheer density of strange and beautiful musical nuances layered within, and the time required to absorb them all. And ultimately, the album does Cynic’s legacy justice precisely because it challenges the listener to comprehend, by opening more doors than it closes and posing more questions than obvious answers — and what could be more “progressive” than that?” – All Music
Get excited for Traced in Air all over again with this teaser video that the band filmed back in 2008, plus a live video from the 2010 Traced in Air tour.
Cynic’s continual state of development has met its share of challenges over the years, hurdles that threatened to dismantle the entity’s forward surge. Yet through hurricanes, breakups, and assorted acrimony both personal and existential, it remains inspired to create.
Their name is synonymous with what it means to be truly progressive in music. Cynic’s top-tier performance acumen and cerebral/spiritual/yogic themes finds them inhabiting a corner of the musical spectrum all their own. Their Venn diagram shows intersections with death metal, prog rock, thrash metal, experimental, new age, jazz fusion, and a myriad of other sonic expressions.
Debut album, Focus (1993), is a certified classic. Although that era ended with transformation into the short-lived Portal, and then a further splinter toward Aeon Spoke, Cynic’s reunion-era has found them embraced in a way that proves how ahead of the times they were in the ‘90s. Through monuments such as the Traced in Air (2008) and Kindly Bent to Free Us (2014) albums, the Carbon-Based Anatomy and Re-Traced EPs, and a surprising rebirth with the “Humanoid” single of 2018, the Cynic legacy remains untarnished. Yet early in the creation cycle for their fourth full-length album, they experienced horrible events that tested the entity’s resolve.
The year 2020 will go down in history as a tremendously difficult time for the global human population. For the Cynic family, the struggle was not restricted to a pandemic. It was two utterly senseless losses that threw the band’s immediate concerns into the background: the premature deaths of drummer Sean Reinert in January, at age 48, and bassist Sean Malone in December, at age 50, were shocking and unthinkable.
Reinert and Malone heard elements of what ended up on Cynic’s fourth and latest album. Slowly, methodically, and with much careful deliberation, Masvidal completed an album titled Ascension Codes, to honor the memory of his fallen band mates. And while the album honors the lives and contributions of Reinert and Malone, it also pushes Cynic forward for its own sake and through its own will to live. The album, paradoxically, acts as both swan song and rebirth. It is, throughout its 49 minutes, a vivid and highly cosmic journey into the very core of every impulse this band has ever explored.
Audiotree Lineup: Paul Masvidal – Vocals and Guitars Max Phelps (Exist, Death to All) – Guitars and Vocals Brandon Giffin (The Faceless, The Zenith Passage) – Bass Matt Lynch (Nova Collective, Intronaut) – Drums & Percussion
CYNIC has endured more than its fair share of ups and downs. The progressive metal pioneers have weathered hurricanes, teenage angst, homophobia and the tragic loss of their legendary rhythm section. But through it all, Paul Masvidal has stood as a trailblazer for the electric guitar. Today, he’s being recognized with an endorsement from Kiesel Guitars.
Photo by Ekaterina Gorbacheva
While alien to the scene back when Cynic first started in the early ’90s, the way Masvidal fuses extreme technical thrashing with jazzy, harmonic grooves now holds a heavy influence over the world of metal. His first forays with headless guitars date back to his time in Death. That he’s still finding new ways to break boundaries with these beauties has helped launch today’s headless boom.
Along with Cynic, Masvidal also plays in Æon Spoke, as well as his own solo projects. Wherever he might be, he’ll now be carrying Kiesel’s vast array of headless electric and acoustic-electric guitars.
“I am beyond excited for the opportunity to work with Paul and look forward to a very bright and creative future together”, Vice President Jeff Kiesel says.
“Paul is the best. Without a doubt a true artist to the core”, says Chrys Johnson, Director of Artist Relations at Kiesel Guitars. “An incredible composer and collaborator who channels from the unseen realms. A fully manifested lightworker with a huge heart bent towards the human predicament and a great sense of humor…so yeah ..you could say I’m pretty stoked.”
“I am grateful and excited for the opportunity to collaborate with Kiesel Guitars,” Masvidal says. “The potential for creativity and exploration inspires me greatly. Our goal is to push boundaries and create innovative instruments that will hopefully inspire musicians worldwide to create more art!”
Cynic recently released Uroboric Forms, a compilation that collects the seminal demos from their groundbreaking debut Focus.
CYNIC Live Lineup: Paul Masvidal – Vocals and Guitars Max Phelps (Exist, Death to All) – Guitars and Vocals Brandon Giffin (The Faceless, The Zenith Passage) – Bass Matt Lynch (Nova Collective, Intronaut) – Drums & Percussion Zeke Kaplan – Keyboards
This year, CYNIC celebrated the 30th anniversary of their landmark debut album. Interstellar shredder Paul Masvidal and his band of aliens played ‘Focus’ in all its mind-bending intensity, while also paying tribute to late drummer Sean Reinert and bassist Sean Malone, on a special headlining tour of North America.
Now, Cynic are busy preparing for their next voyage. The cosmos have conspired to bring the progressive music icons to Europe next March. But this won’t be an ordinary tour, earthlings – the planets have aligned for Cynic to cross paths with Obscura and Cryptosis!
The Focus of a Valediction European Tour 2024 8 March: Bochum, DE @ Matrix [TICKETS] 9 March: Aschaffenburg, DE @ Colos-Saal [TICKETS] 10 March: Eindhoven, NL @ Dynamo [TICKETS] 15 March: Paris, FR @ Petit Bain [TICKETS] 16 March: Nantes, FR @ Ferrailleur [TICKETS] 17 March: Toulouse, FR @ Le Rex [TICKETS] 19 March: Madrid, SP @ Copernico [TICKETS] 20 March: Barcelona, SP @ La Nau [TICKETS] 21 March: Lyon, FR @ MJC O Totem [TICKETS] 22 March: Aarau, CH @ Kiff [TICKETS] 23 March: Milan, IT @ Slaughter Club [TICKETS] 24 March: Ljubljana, SL @ Orto Bar [TICKETS] 26 March: Munich, DE @ Backstage [TICKETS] 27 March: Berlin, DE @ Hole44 [TICKETS] 28 March: Hamburg, DE @ Logo [TICKETS] 29 March: Aarhus, DK @ Voxhall [TICKETS] 30 March: Copenhagen, DK @ Pumpehuset [TICKETS] 31 March: Oslo, NO @ Inferno Festival* [TICKETS] *Only Cynic
CYNIC have been out on tour celebrating the 30th anniversary of ‘Focus’. Paul Masvidal and his band of aliens played the entire album at ProgPower USA last weekend, while also paying tribute to late members Sean Reinert and Sean Malone.
Today, they’re announcing the reissue of ‘Uroboric Forms’. This compilation collects seminal demos that Cynic recorded leading up to their groundbreaking debut.
“These demos are like sketches of young, aspiring artists”, Masvidal told Decibel writer Chris Dick. Although I can hear in them some fragment of my playing now”.
‘Uroboric Forms’ comes out on November 17. The LP includes a 7″ that has alternate versions of the title track and “The Eagle Nature”.
This compilation will only be pressed once, so don’t miss out on the chance to hear how this band evolved from death metal teens to prog mystics.
‘Uroboric Forms’ includes demos from 1988 through 1992. The ’88 demo glances back at the early days, when Cynic was still in its rawest form. It was recorded on a boom box while Masvidal and Reinert were high school classmates. Their next demo channeled enough teenage rage to kick up a buzz among fellow South Beach metal heads, but by 1991 they had elevated their technical skills to such death-defying heights, that they blew away the suits at Roadrunner Records.
“Hearing these demos is akin to looking at old pictures of yourself or reading historical diary entries and realizing you’re a different person now,” said Masvidal during that same interview. “Sometimes seeing those old pics or hearing this work can even feel embarrassing, as if they’re someone you don’t care to know anymore, but it’s who we were, and I’ve come to embrace how genuine the work actually is. There’s an earnestness in these recordings that’s particular to a space and time, and it will never happen again. We now have evidence exposing the roots of an artist’s journey and there’s nowhere to hide. That’s the beauty of it.”
Live Lineup: Paul Masvidal – Vocals and Guitars Max Phelps (Exist, Death to All) – Guitars and Vocals Brandon Giffin (The Faceless, The Zenith Passage) – Bass Matt Lynch (Nova Collective, Intronaut) – Drums & Percussion Zeke Kaplan – Keyboards
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