Cynic

After last year's experimental "Re-Traced", Cynic are back with another EP, and this time a more integrated conceptual one containing all original tracks. The overall style is softer than on both the legendary "Focus" and the equally legendary "Traced in Air", but more metal-relevant than "Re-Traced", as the style of the three major tracks on "Carbon-Based Anatomy" are more in the vein of 'Wheels Within Wheels' - the only original track on "Re-Traced".

The three tracks in question are 'Carbon-Based Anatomy', 'Box Up My Bones', and 'Elves Beam Out', all of which have the usual rich texture that characterizes Cynic's music in general, combining Sean Reinert's dynamic drumming with Paul Masvidal and Sean Malone's technically advanced and expressive playing. Unlike "Focus" and "Traced in Air", which are more on the metal-side, these three tracks fall somewhere in between rock and metal, but still have the unmistakable Cynic sound. Adding to the already rich soundscape of the album, electronic elements pop up every now and then (an example being the effects applied to the drums in sections of 'Elves Beam Out', which also appears to involve guitar synths in one of the solos).

The title track is probably the mellowest of the three but features some heavy guitars towards the end, while 'Box Up My Bones' has a big epic sound with ... -> show full review

Cynic are back! And what a majestic return! While the musicianship on "Focus" was already at a very advanced level, it's at an even higher level now, as they have had some 14 years to mature as musicians and improve their performance and writing skills even more.

This has resulted in a kind of short, yet very breathtaking and powerful technical progressive metal album. The fomula is essentially the same as on "focus" - namely the use of ever-driving complex jazzy metal guitar riffs combined with crisp, and crystal clear clean guitar parts and independent bass ostinatos and Reinerts dynamic drumming adding an extra dimension that goes beyond your average rhythm section. Masvidal's high-pitched melodic vocals are less robotized than on "Focus", but they are really haunting on this one, and his first vocal lines on "The Space for This" are certain to send shivers down the spines on many a listener's back. The death growls are also back and offer a perfect foil for Masvidal's soft ... -> show full review

Cynic are a bunch of genii, there is no doubt about that. Their two full length albums are both groundbreaking and outstanding metal releases. Cynic are also very versatile musicians, and "Re-Traced", which contains mainly reintepretations of tracks from the 2008 success "Traced in Air" plus one original song called "Wheels within Wheels".

"Space", which is a reinterpretation of "The Space for This", is an almost athmospheric piece of progressive rock, whose atmospheric mood at times remind me of Depeche Mode. On "Evolutionary", which is a reinterpretiation of "Evolutionary Sleeper", Cynic experiment primarily with alternative rock (in a way "Evolutionary" seems to be inspired by 90s alternative rock which was inspired by 80s U2). "King", a reinterpretation of "King of those who Know", is more of a modern jazz fusion affair (there is some impressive fretless bass work and lots of jazz chords in this version) which also draws on 90s alternative noise rock and also has Reinert emulate the typical drum beat of Prodigy-inspired techno (I'm sure there's a specific name for the genre I'm thinking og, but I'm not well versed in the world of electronica music). "Integral", a ... -> show full review

Yet another metal release that chellenges the notion of the rigidity of metal, "Focus" is a multi-facetted release containing compositions that are very dynamic and quite varied... and certainly not rigid at all.

A wonderful album ... a bit short, but also very concise and right to the point. The music is more melodic than their debut, it often reminded me of Aeon Spoke, which is a non-metal side project which is also quite recommended. This album is also a mix of rock and metal, there are some quite heavy outbursts of metal and the rest is rock. I think what amazes me the most is how they combine beautiful melodies and - occasional - highly technical playing with hints towards Fusion.