Cynic
Reviewed on this page:
Focus - Gordian Knot - Emergent - Above The Buried Cry - Æon Spoke
- Traced In Air - Carbon-Based Anatomy
Florida-based guitarist/vocalist Paul Masvidal and drummer/keyboardist Sean Reinert put together Cynic in 1987, and after several lineup changes and false starts - during one of which the pair spent some time in another well known Florida metal band, Death - they cut their debut album, which more or less put progressive death metal on the map.
The band split after one disc, and all the members except Malone promptly formed Portal, which soon disbanded as well; Masvidal and Reinert then lit out for the West Coast and formed Æon Spoke, which wrote mood music for film scores.
(DBW)
Personnel:
Paul Masvidal, vocals, guitar; Sean Reinert, drums, keyboards; Tony Choy, bass; Jason Gobel, guitar. Choy left, 1993; replaced by Sean Malone; Tony Teegarden, vocals, also joined. Group split up, 1994. Reformed 2006, without Teegarden and with David Senescu replacing Gobel and Chris Kringel replacing Malone. In 2008, Malone returned and Tymon Kruidenier replaced Senescu. Later in 2008, Robin Zielhorst replaced Malone.
As of 2011, Malone plays studio bass parts while live performances feature Brandon Giffin, bass; Max Phelps, guitar.
 Focus (Cynic: 1993)
Cynic wasn't the first band to combine death metal with jazz (yet another Florida crew, Atheist, had done so), but their sound stood out a mile: melodic sections with vocoder; loud sections with death grunt vocals (courtesy of guest Tony Teegarden); luminous fretless bass lines from Sean Malone ("The Eagle Nature"); highly technical drumming from Reinert; mystical, contemplative lyrics ("Veil Of Maya"). Years before Opeth, the album established the proposition that death metal could be serious music, paving the way for bands like Behold... The Arctopus. And unlike so many prog bands, they know when enough is enough, keeping the running times fairly brief.
For all the positives, though, the melodies themselves are often commonplace ("Sentiment") and the sections often sound thrown together at random.
So despite Masvidal's enviable, freewheeling yet controlled lead style ("Celestial Voyage") and the brilliant closer "How Could I," the record doesn't live up to its promise. Produced by Scott Burns and Cynic.
(DBW)
Cortlandt (Sean Malone: 1996)
Malone was the first band member to follow up Focus; this solo project features Reinert as well as Trey Gunn and Reeves Gabrels. Though mostly self-penned, there are covers of "Giant Steps" and J.S. Bach's Sinfonia #4 in D minor.
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Gordian Knot (Gordian Knot: 1999)
Malone put together a revolving-door backing band; this debut features Reinert and Gunn plus several others.
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Emergent (Gordian Knot: 2003)
The talent collected here is remarkable: the full Focus-era Cynic lineup plus Bill Bruford, Steve Hackett and Fates Warning guitarist Jim Mattheos.
Consequentially, "Mutterprache" (for example) sounds like Cynic playing Crimson, while "Some Brighter Thing" sounds more or less like a fusion act playing metal.
Includes a remake of "Fischer's Gambit" from Malone's Cortlandt.
(DBW)
Above The Buried Cry (Æon Spoke: 2004)
What's weird about this project is not how different from Cynic it sounds - I wouldn't be shocked by these guys tackling any particular genre - rather, how middle of the road and unambitious it is.
The record sounds quite a bit like Crowded House at their mopiest, but not nearly as engaging or substantial.
(DBW)
Æon Spoke (Æon Spoke: 2007)
Strangely enough, three years later Masvidal and Reinert re-recorded most of the previous album ("Emmanuel") with just a couple of new tunes. Even more strangely, the re-recordings are strikingly similar to the originals, bringing new shades of meaning to the word "pointless."
(DBW)
 Traced In Air (Cynic: 2008)
In 2008 Masvidal, Reinert and Malone resurrected Cynic with Tymon Kruidenier on death grunts and additional guitar, and put together this brief, ecstatic album.
The highly accomplished combination of fusion-y, vocoder-sung soft pieces and harsh metal is intact, though the fretless bass and keyboards are downplayed.
More importantly, this time the disparate elements are better organized into songs ("The Space For This"), so the longer suites like "King Of Those Who Know" shift smoothly from tense brutality through low-key syncopation and soar to dramatic heights.
In Masvidal and Reinert's hands, even the heaviest passages seem high-minded, while the mellowest falsetto radiates integrity;
as a result, they can get away with occasional pretentious touches like the Latin-titled intro and outro ("Nunc Fluens" and "Nunc Stans").
(DBW)
Re-Traced (Cynic: 2010)
Heavy metal hasn't produced many remix albums, for which I am grateful.
There's also one new track, "Wheels Within Wheels."
(DBW)
Carbon-Based Anatomy (Cynic: 2011)
On first listen, this EP seems like a retreat to the mellowness of Æon Spoke, with only a couple of certifiably heavy cuts ("Box Up My Bones"). Amy Correia adds impressionistic vocals to a few songs ("Amidst The Coals"); though not officially a member, Malone handles all the bass parts.
(DBW)
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