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General => General Music Discussion => Topic started by: nakedman on May 01, 2009, 02:02:55 PM
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Does anybody else think that the vocals (effects) ruin Cynic? I mean, they even use that effect live. He's like the T-Pain of death metal..
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I don't think Paul's vocal effects ruin the songs at all. They were amazing when I saw them, and they use the effects live because they use them a lot in the songs, and they work well.
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i like the vocals. it's almost like a trademark of theirs, and i think it adds to the music. many other metal bands have started using vocoders, and most of them fail.
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They're tiring after many, many listens of the album, but in small doses, the vocals are fucking amazing :metal
they is peaceful and relaxuing! :metal :metal :metal
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Cynic isn't ruined by anything.
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Cynic isn't ruined by anything.
When it all comes down to it, this.
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I just got all their demos and listening to them all in one go. Can't wait to get to the Portal demos from 95.
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The vocals enchace the music. And he actually is a good singer, even without them.
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The use of vocoders in their music is definitely one of their trademarks, and I think that they add immensely to their music.
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Yeah, it adds to the "spacey atmosphere" of their music
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I never had a problem with the vocoding.
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Love the vocal effect that they use. I think it is a key element that makes them stand out.
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vocoders=/=autotune
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vocoders=/=autotune
Err.. no.
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Cynic isn't ruined by anything.
:heart
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Cynic isn't ruined by anything.
/thread
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They're tiring after many, many listens of the album, but in small doses, the vocals are fucking amazing :metal
they is peaceful and relaxuing! :metal :metal :metal
:lol
Was that Dark Master or -D.T.-?
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Cynic isn't ruined by anything.
/thread
Jeez, it's like "Cynic fanboys unite!!!" the way you and I always seem to pounce on these Cynic threads in 1-2 fashion :lol
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Cynic isn't ruined by anything.
/thread
Jeez, it's like "Cynic fanboys unite!!!" the way you and I always seem to pounce on these Cynic threads in 1-2 fashion :lol
Cynic fanboys unite. I'm up for that!! At least we are safe knowing any sort of Cynic thread will never slip through the cracks! :lol
I mean, how could you not love this man. His guitar has no headstock ffs :heart
(https://www.gibson.com/Files/aaFeaturesImages2009/cynic.jpg)
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Speedloaders scare me.
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I like Masvidal's axe.
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I like Masvidal's axe.
Yeah, it looks just plain badass.
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The vocals got on my nerves at first but I kinda got used to them...
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vocoders=/=autotune
Err.. no.
They are two different things, my point is that Cynic doesn't use "autotune" like some people think.
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vocoders=/=autotune
Err.. no.
They are two different things, my point is that Cynic doesn't use "autotune" like some people think.
Haha, sorry about the misunderstanding there then :tup
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Speedloaders scare me.
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Speedloaders scare me in a good way.
:lol fixed sorry
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I just listened to the Re-Traced EP. Not impressed at all. I originally thought the whole concept of re-writing half of the album was a neat idea, but after listening to it I can't help but wonder why they wasted their time making it when they could have been working on entirely new material.
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I'm still trying to obtain the EP. Only have the track King, good song.
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I've heard a lot about this band. What album should I start with?
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Well they only have 2 LPs, so I think you should be fine starting out with either one.
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I've heard a lot about this band. What album should I start with?
Unless you have a signifigant problem with death metal vocals I strongly recommend Focus. It's got a very good mix of intelligently arranged death metal that is more of what I'd refer to as intricate metal(not strongly like Nevermore but vaguely similar in that it's quite heavy while being very palatable for non-death metal folks) mixed with some truly beautiful jazzy-sounding sections. A fair amount of Cynic n00bs will try to steer you toward the newer one(Traced in Air) but for some strange reason it seems that people who got on board for that one really have trouble getting into Focus while most who got into Focus first still seem to like Traced in Air at least a little if not love it.
Here's the opening track from Focus, Veil of Maya: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdwrOESDXxo
Let me know whatcha think and enjoy!
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Well they only have 2 LPs, so I think you should be fine starting out with either one.
Wow I didn't realize that.
:-[
I've heard a lot about this band. What album should I start with?
Unless you have a signifigant problem with death metal vocals I strongly recommend Focus. It's got a very good mix of intelligently arranged death metal that is more of what I'd refer to as intricate metal(not strongly like Nevermore but vaguely similar in that it's quite heavy while being very palatable for non-death metal folks) mixed with some truly beautiful jazzy-sounding sections. A fair amount of Cynic n00bs will try to steer you toward the newer one(Traced in Air) but for some strange reason it seems that people who got on board for that one really have trouble getting into Focus while most who got into Focus first still seem to like Traced in Air at least a little if not love it.
Here's the opening track from Focus, Veil of Maya: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdwrOESDXxo
Let me know whatcha think and enjoy!
Not liking the production. I'm hoping it's just youtube doing something weird. The vocals are going to take a little getting used to, but I'm really into the sound of the bass.
Thanks guys!
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Listened to Traced in Air for the first time tonight. Really liked it, though it'll take some time to absorb. I also don't see the big deal about the vocals.
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Good! It's one of those albums to absorb too.
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bumping because black_floyd mentioned their song How Could I in the tallica thread.
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I'll get this party started. When did all of you first hear Focus and what was your initial reaction to it? I'd ask about Traced in Air but I already saw most folks' reaction on this forum as it happened lol.
I heard it first in 2000. A very good friend of mine whom got me into virtually every non-mainstream metal band I listened to(except for Death) up to my discovering Opeth on my own from Guitar World or some other guitar mag back in '04 had given me three new cds including Focus, No Interference by Dysrhythmia, and A Social Grace by Psychotic Waltz. Veil of Maya starts and the first minute delightfully reminds me of Death's Human/Individual Thought Patterns era and before I can even get comfy that magical jazz break comes in and absolutely floors me. I'd never heard such a dramatic and well-executed shift in mood and dynamic in a song this heavy in my life. I was hooked. It's been 11 blissful years and I haven't looked back.
I just hope that Paul doesn't release another Traced in Air-type album under the Cynic name. Although I don't like it all that much as of now, I'm hopeful it'll grow on me once I get past the initial samey-ness aspect of it(not talking shit here...I loved Focus from the getgo even though I felt it was a little samey at times before I fully delved into it.) I say this because TiA brought in a lot of new blood which was great because more folks now listen to them but it really sucks to strike up a conversation that goes something like this:
Me: Have you ever listened to Cynic?
Other person: Yeah! They're pretty awesome!
Me: What's your favorite part of Focus?
OP: Uhh. I don't really know. It's okaaay but I'm not big on all the growls. Traced in Air is amazing though.
Me: ...(combs through mind for a way to break the awkward silence)
Same thing seems to have happened with Symphony X. So many r-tards just write off at least half of their pre-Odyssey body of work because the focus wasn't intently placed on heaviness or because they think it sounds cheesy(SymX sounding cheesy, imagine that :angel: ) I'm all about respecting people's opinions but it feels shitty to go several years being into certain bands where it was like finding a needle in a hay stack to ever come across a fan of these bands I thoroughly loved and now despite there being way more fans of them around it actually is even harder to find someone to converse with about these bands since you have to sift through the less open-minded newer fans that disavow the original half of said bands' discographies.
Back to why I hope Paul doesn't release any more stuff like TiA under the Cynic name. I have no problem if he wants to make all of his future material in the same vein as TiA because I don't find it bad at all but it just doesn't represent what Cynic has meant to me or probably a lot of other fans who have held Focus so near and dear to their hearts. It was an incredibly unique and well-written album that was infinitely better than 99% of the stuff in any metal scene at that time and has held up extremely well in the 18 years since its release. I'm not asking him to throw Focus in a Xerox machine for the next Cynic album(if it ever is made) but merely hoping that if we do get a third Cynic album that the growls not be used as pathetically as they were on TiA(burying them in the mix volumewise and frequently masking them with that high-register vocoder stuff was way worse than leaving them out altogether.)
Once again, I'm cool with Paul doing TiA-type stuff but since he's open to having other projects like Portal and Æon Spoke I don't see why he didn't just release TiA with one of those bands or if that wasn't a possibility than simply come up with a new band name altogether since Sean Reinert was the only other Focus-era member of Cynic involved in both the recording and touring that has transpired since the recent reunion.
I just fear that if Paul releases one more album that completely abandons Focus' style that their fanbase will be overrun with newer fans who don't care two shits about Focus and the legacy for that album will be something along the lines of "that rough, early days album before they found their sound" which would be pretty sad.
When error-checking for this post I came across this somewhat misleading quote from Reinert:
In 2008, drummer Sean Reinert gave an update on the second studio album and its musical style in an interview with Metal Hammer saying:
“ Yeah we got tons and tons of stuff lying around man from '94 [1994] to the present day man, it's gonna be great. Everyone can expect something stylistically the same as Focus but more upbeat, energetic and most important of all, pretty god damn brutal! I mean we're gonna mix in Bullacake by Niche Dexplicit into one of our songs but will be using real scary riffs and solos and more savage growling as well as Paul's robotic vocals and keyboarding. Basically all the shit which was there on Focus is all gonna be there with this new one too. But with some new things bundled in and a bit more brutal. It's gonna be good ”
— Sean Reinert
Maybe this was the way they were headed and Paul got cold feet about it and shifted toward what TiA ultimately became or Reinert was hopeful in the early stages and spoke too soon before he could actually see how the songs were taking shape :huh:
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my friend showed me focus because i liked death, i believe that's why. we sat and listened to it and it was pretty damn good.
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I first heard Focus probably about 1998 - 1999. I actually can't remember exactly how I found out about them, but it might have been Death. I picked up the album and listened to it in the car on the way home. It was like nothing I'd ever heard before.
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I picked up Focus after Traced in Air. You'd think people would complain less about Traced in Air because its not like Focus, considering that we're talking about albums from a very radical prog metal band known for doing something different. :biggrin:
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Any new album updates?
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I picked up Focus after Traced in Air. You'd think people would complain less about Traced in Air because its not like Focus, considering that we're talking about albums from a very radical prog metal band known for doing something different. :biggrin:
Different is totally fine but the heavy aspect and the way it interacted with the beautiful melodic sections was THE cornerstone of their sound. There're numerous ways to branch out without having to seemingly abandon your initial style. I think Paul's zest for heaviness has long since faded away yet in his mind it might have felt "right" to call it Cynic either based on the reunion with the Seans or the possibility that this was how he envisioned Cynic should sound coalescing to his move away from writing heavy material.
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See, trying to pin down Cynic to just one "sound" based on one album when they're clearly a band that is trying to do new things doesn't make sense to me. Its like the people who complained about Awake not being like I&W. You listen to a band doing something new, and you expect them to keep doing the same thing? :lol They're both excellent albums, and I see nothing wrong with calling Traced in Air a Cynic album. Most of the original members played or wrote on it. Paul probably mellowed out a lot through the years (when I saw them he was talking about meditating in a local park) which is why it isn't as heavy as Focus, but considering that Cynic was clearly a band whose purpose was to shake things up I see nothing wrong with making something totally different like TiA.
Any new album updates?
Apparently the new album should be coming in late 2011, and the group is just a duo now with Masvidal and Reinhart.
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Checking in to prove BF wrong about only being two Cynic fans.
I first heard Focus in 2000 or so. I was in college.
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I think it's not even as radical as, say, Ulver. I have zero issue whatsover with the change of sound. A band should change their name everytime they do something different? Ridiculous.
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Traced in Air is a glorious album.
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Checking in to prove BF wrong about only being two Cynic fans.
Oh I know there are numerous Cynic fans here but I was saying I only knew of two others whom prefer Focus.
I think it's not even as radical as, say, Ulver. I have zero issue whatsover with the change of sound. A band should change their name everytime they do something different? Ridiculous.
Jeez dude, try reading my posts. He went on a 15-year hiatus from Cynic and played in multiple other acts in that time. TiA, minimal growls aside, seems to be a bit more similar to those other bands than Cynic in that they(TiA and the material of Paul's non-Cynic bands) have an emphasis on atmosphere and mood with heaviness being very much an afterthought and at times nonexistent. I have no problem whatsoever with Paul making TiA but it sucked a lot to be looking forward to a new Cynic album for 8 years just to have it be virtually nothing like what their longtime fans had come to expect. You exaggerate to the point of ignorance when you say I'm trying to pin them down to one sound, as if there's only one way in the universe for them to merge death metal with jazz/ambient/avant garde/etc. Paul obviously had this monkey on his back for some time regarding when, if ever, a new Cynic album would come out and for years he was content doing other styles which is beyond fine. He's an accomplished musician and a brilliant songwriter and never owed it us to come out with a new Cynic album just because. My big issue is why, after all this time, would you come out with something you know people are aching to hear and overhaul the sound altogether? I don't know when you got into them so I won't prejudge your level of anticipation leading up to TiA but I'll say that after 8 years of Focus never exiting my alltime top 10 albums it was a huge bummer to think, "maybe in another 15 years(or never.)"
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I really need to give Traced in Air a full listen. I've heard the first 3 tracks and my friend really enjoys it. Focus however, I fucking love. Took me a while to really appreciate it (partially because the production feels really "small" at times) but man what a good album.
I'm a relatively new fan, seeing how I've known about Cynic for years but never checked out Focus until about a year or two ago.
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My big issue is why, after all this time, would you come out with something you know people are aching to hear and overhaul the sound altogether? I don't know when you got into them so I won't prejudge your level of anticipation leading up to TiA but I'll say that after 8 years of Focus never exiting my alltime top 10 albums it was a huge bummer to think, "maybe in another 15 years(or never.)"
But at the same time, one would suspect that a band like Cynic would change at least a fair bit in 8 years, right? I still feel like it's the same band though. Like, I understand how fans of Radiohead may have been confused during the OK Computer --> Kid A phase. Changing that much in three years is more of a shock than doing it in 8 years, don't you think? Again, it's still feels like two albums from the same band to me.
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My big issue is why, after all this time, would you come out with something you know people are aching to hear and overhaul the sound altogether? I don't know when you got into them so I won't prejudge your level of anticipation leading up to TiA but I'll say that after 8 years of Focus never exiting my alltime top 10 albums it was a huge bummer to think, "maybe in another 15 years(or never.)"
But at the same time, one would suspect that a band like Cynic would change at least a fair bit in 8 years, right? I still feel like it's the same band though. Like, I understand how fans of Radiohead may have been confused during the OK Computer --> Kid A phase. Changing that much in three years is more of a shock than doing it in 8 years, don't you think? Again, it's still feels like two albums from the same band to me.
I respect all your points and agree with them to at least a slight extent. Alls I was sayin is that if he didn't feel like putting out something even in the same ballpark stylistically as Focus(imo anyway lol) then he had numerous alternate routes to take. Additionally, Sean Reinert was the only other original dude to be involved in both the recording/touring in full since the recent reunion.
This will shed light in a way far more concise than my windbaggery will: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynic_(band)#Reunion_.282006-2007.29
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Love Focus. I've actually never heard Traced In Air, but I do have the remix EP Re-Traced and I really dig it.
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New Cynic EP coming this November:
(https://www.season-of-mist.com/common/covers_releases/high/SOM236.jpg)
Six brand-new tracks - with bass once again recorded by Sean Malone! :)
More here:
https://www.season-of-mist.com/bands/cynic
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That's awesome and I'm excited for it; don't get me wrong, but I thought they were releasing a new full-length? I mean, Focus and Traced in Air are already so short, they could write two more songs, attach it to the EP, and make it an LP. Why not do that?
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Really excited for this. I've been loving this band lately.
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That's awesome and I'm excited for it; don't get me wrong, but I thought they were releasing a new full-length? I mean, Focus and Traced in Air are already so short, they could write two more songs, attach it to the EP, and make it an LP. Why not do that?
Maybe for the flow... Anyhoo, I'm really excited for this!
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awesome news (even if its only an EP)! 2011 just keeps getting better.
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Amazing. Can't wait.
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That's awesome and I'm excited for it; don't get me wrong, but I thought they were releasing a new full-length? I mean, Focus and Traced in Air are already so short, they could write two more songs, attach it to the EP, and make it an LP. Why not do that?
They've already written more for a full length. I'd rather get an Ep and and Lp wouldn't you?
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This topic has reminded me to listen to Focus, I've liked a lot of Traced for ages, but it did seem a bit samey, or maybe i didnt give it enough listens.
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This thread just reminded me, since I can, to find Focus and listen to it fully. I've only hear Veil of Maya, Eagle Nature and one I can't name. I enjoyed them all and wanted to enjoy the rest. One thing that bugs is the production, but that's not my fault. I enjoyed the Flow of TiA, and if Focus does this then that album would be considered ahead of its time.
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i don't want a fucking new ep. i want a fuckin album for once
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Anyone know if Paul's gonna phase out growling altogether on this one? Given their diminished role on TiA and the apparent inclusion of a female singer I could very easily see the death vox gone forever :'(
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Anyone know if Paul's gonna phase out growling altogether on this one? Given their diminished role on TiA and the apparent inclusion of a female singer I could very easily see the death vox gone forever :'(
Yeah, not to mention the Re-Traced EP.
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That's fine. The deathvox were pretty much a distraction on TiA.
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That's fine. The deathvox were pretty much a distraction on TiA.
And also a somewhat significant reason that a fair bit of the Cynic oldtimers didn't like it quite as much as Focus. They implemented it horribly on that album. Growls were always buried in the mix and were reduced to a laughably smaller role on that album. Can only take so much of Paul's moaning processed vocals. Bring back the growls I beg you Mr. Masvidal.
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That's fine. The deathvox were pretty much a distraction on TiA.
And also a somewhat significant reason that a fair bit of the Cynic oldtimers didn't like it quite as much as Focus. They implemented it horribly on that album. Growls were always buried in the mix and were reduced to a laughably smaller role on that album. Can only take so much of Paul's moaning processed vocals. Bring back the growls I beg you Mr. Masvidal.
Maybe he just got tired of them. I really don't mind at all what an artist does. Its been what more than 8 years since Focus was released. People change, and the original line-up probably weren't into doing Cynic as much as Reinhart and Masvidal. So, in turn don't expect a band who hasn't been together for more than 8 years to churn out the ONLY album they released again.
As I have been saying Cynic were way ahead of their time at that point. Now they're playing together again, and thats all that matters. Growls or no Growls doesn't bother me at all. Since going into music shouldn't involve expectations, just go into it with an open mind as if discovering a new band, not knowing what to expect. Not hard at all, and also might be why I enjoy lots of unpopular songs.
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Maybe he just got tired of them. I really don't mind at all what an artist does. Its been what more than 8 years since Focus was released. People change, and the original line-up probably weren't into doing Cynic as much as Reinhart and Masvidal. So, in turn don't expect a band who hasn't been together for more than 8 years to churn out the ONLY album they released again.
As I have been saying Cynic were way ahead of their time at that point. Now they're playing together again, and thats all that matters. Growls or no Growls doesn't bother me at all. Since going into music shouldn't involve expectations, just go into it with an open mind as if discovering a new band, not knowing what to expect. Not hard at all, and also might be why I enjoy lots of unpopular songs.
How did I indicate I wanted a carbon-copied rehash? It's also quite easy for you to have an apathetical view on growls since they apparently never meant that much to you as a component of Cynic's music. Additionally, expectations are totally fine. If you think otherwise then good for you but I really am not sure why you think that way. If you went to a restaurant and had an incredible ribeye but returned there to find out that they were now only doing chicken it seems plausible that you might be somewhat put off. It just sucks that a band that made one of (probably) my five favorite albums ever seems to never intend on doing anything remotely close to that again. And no, don't misinterpret this as wanting a rehash but rather that I deeply miss quality death metal with all of the wonderfully-surprising elements that were incorporated into it on Focus. You can continue to push the envelope in a familiar sound without getting stagnant. If you can't realize this then I'd say you're beyond guilty of having the same "expectations" you accused me of since you're expecting that any continuation in the same vein of Focus would just be "churn[ing] out the ONLY album they released again."
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I agree with Floyd. The growls were part of the sound, they lost a lot of depth to their music IMO when they diminished the growls on TIA.
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Cynic isn't ruined by anything.
/thread
Jeez, it's like "Cynic fanboys unite!!!" the way you and I always seem to pounce on these Cynic threads in 1-2 fashion :lol
Cynic fanboys unite. I'm up for that!! At least we are safe knowing any sort of Cynic thread will never slip through the cracks! :lol
I mean, how could you not love this man. His guitar has no headstock ffs :heart
(https://www.gibson.com/Files/aaFeaturesImages2009/cynic.jpg)
He plays with the guitar that high so the 7 girls in the audience can gawk at his huge dick.
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:rollin
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So Cynic's released their new single here: https://www.metalsucks.net/2011/10/11/the-cynic-get-a-little-faceless-in-their-existence-with-new-members/
It reminded me of a local indie rock band I like but more technical.
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So Cynic's released their new single here: https://www.metalsucks.net/2011/10/11/the-cynic-get-a-little-faceless-in-their-existence-with-new-members/
It reminded me of a local indie rock band I like but more technical.
Well, I held off listening to anything from the newest DT, Opeth, and Mastodon albums until having the actual hard copies of those in my hands with the exception of less than 5 seconds of Curl of the Burl that I accidentally heard on some crappy DirecTV music station. I'd better keep that streak going since TiA did virtually nothing for me and it sounds like this new single could greatly hurt my initial reception of the new EP. :-\
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If I didn't listen to indie rock, I can see where you are coming from.
EDIT: Jesus christ some people on Metalsucks really are stupid.
Carrottopso 3 hours ago in reply to Dylan Jones
Pray tell, what indie rock band you know sounds like cynic?
Andrew 2 hours ago in reply to Dylan Jones
No, what we're saying is that Cynic doesn't sound like technical indie rock...and we think you're crazy.
blackjustice 56 minutes ago in reply to Dylan Jones
How about some examples then?
____________________
I say it reminds me of some aspects of some indie rock bands I like and now i have to prove myself??
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Word. The internet is rife with the same cowardish mentality of "I'm gonna mouth off because you'll never be able to hunt me down and kick my ass in real life" that you see on display all the time when people wanna start shit in traffic and then drive off. The fact that the music we listen to has a primarily younger fanbase only compounds this issue.
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Lol Cynic sounds nothing like indie rock though. :P
The new song is good.. I guess. I'm not sure if it's TiA level but it's OK.
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That song could totally fit in a indie rock album or something of the nature. Its not like I'm saying it as a bad thing even.
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That song could totally fit in a indie rock album or something of the nature. Its not like I'm saying it as a bad thing even.
Yeah... I really don't see/hear that. It just sounds like a slightly less metal Cynic to me.
Interesting song though I do miss the death vocals. They weren't used much in TiA, but they added a nice texture to those songs.
I wonder if Paul's ditched the vocoder?
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It gives me a strong feel of a band called Starfucker.
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I recently got Traced in Air and have been listening to it an absurd amount of times. What a great album
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New song is very good.
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Okay, this new EP fucking owns.
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Okay, this new EP fucking owns.
Where are you listening to it? Scionav hasn't released it yet..
EDIT: Whoops, I mistook that, sorry, Scionav was also releasing other metal band's ep's so I accidentally looped Cynic in. damn, now this means it isn't free.
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I am listening to it through other means. :P
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Carbon-Based Anatomy and Box up my Bones are fucking incredible songs. Holy hell, I can't wait to see these guys this month.
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When's this suppose to be released?
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This new EP is fantastic. "Box Up My Bones" is easily my favorite.
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Can't wait to pick up the new EP. I love the direction they're taking!
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Been listening to it since Saturday. Pretty good, reminds me of bands like Starfucker.
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Will probably be going to the Cynic/3/Scale the Summit show next Friday. Need to get out of an obligation first though.
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Damn, it looks like I work a closing shift the night Cynic is playing in Seattle. It's an 8 hour shift, so I don't know if I can afford to call out or give it up to someone else.
EDIT: HNNNGGGG they have been playing How Could I at every recent show so far. God damn it Cynic, stop making this decision more difficult.
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So Carbon-Based Anatomy is realllly good. By that I mean the song and the rest of the EP as well.
Edit: Also, am I the only one that thinks Paul sounds a lot like Steven Wilson at times on this EP? :lol
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Wow. I love Sean Malone. His bass tone and sound is just out of this world
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About a minute into the first track I had to recheck that it was in fact Cynic I had put on. That woman singing caught me off guard. :lol
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The EP is so fuckin' solid. I love it. The title track is easily one of my favourite tracks Cynic has ever put out.
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I've been listening to it through other means for the past month, but I found it at my local Bestbuy today and jumped on it. Great EP, and the packaging is gorgeous.
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Donkey Hawaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
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I wish Sean Malone had more shit out there. He is such an incredible bassist. Literally, he's in my Pantheon of influences.
1a. JMX
1b. Sting
1c. Sean Malone
And a shit load of others. I can't cite one as a favorite because they've all influenced me in different ways.
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Aye, Sean Malone is a beast.
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So according to recent interviews on their European tour they have a new album planned for the summer. Apparently CBA is to the new album what Re-Traced was to Traced In Air, colour me excited. :D
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So according to recent interviews on their European tour they have a new album planned for the summer. Apparently CBA is to the new album what Re-Traced was to Traced In Air, colour me excited. :D
:omg: :omg: :omg:
DO WANT!
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CBA is awesome.
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Anybody know of any death metal bands that do the style Cynic had on Focus. Like with really intricate structures seamlessly woven together and with a fair amount of melody. I loved Focus but have been painfully disappointed by all efforts since.
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have been painfully disappointed by all efforts since.
wat
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We will never come close to agreeing on this so it's best we not delve further into the disagreement and perhaps see if you know of any bands that fit the criteria of what I asked for.
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They aren't quite the same as Cynic, but Atheist are the first band that comes to mind. Unquestionable Presence particularly. Jazz influenced technical death.
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They aren't quite the same as Cynic, but Atheist are the first band that comes to mind. Unquestionable Presence particularly. Jazz influenced technical death.
Bummer :lol I already have all three of their albums lol They really hit their stride on Elements :metal
Good call any way Alex.
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Floyd, they have a 4th album out. :p Have you heard that one?
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We will never come close to agreeing on this so it's best we not delve further into the disagreement and perhaps see if you know of any bands that fit the criteria of what I asked for.
Focus is a lot different. I think Atheist is probably the best way to go. If you haven't heard of them Ephel Duath has a huge death metal-jazz thing going on. It's a tad different, though.
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Floyd, they have a 4th album out. :p Have you heard that one?
I thought I'd heard about plans for a new album around '07 or '08 when they originally reunited (thanks in part to the renewed interest in legitimate technical metal inspired by Cynic's reformation?) I remember seeing a live clip of them in recent years where the vocals were a bit off compared to the quality shown back during their heyday and forgot to keep tabs on 'em. I'll look into this real soon and thanks for the heads up :)
We will never come close to agreeing on this so it's best we not delve further into the disagreement and perhaps see if you know of any bands that fit the criteria of what I asked for.
Focus is a lot different. I think Atheist is probably the best way to go. If you haven't heard of them Ephel Duath has a huge death metal-jazz thing going on. It's a tad different, though.
I'll be sure to check out Ephel Duath. Thanks snapple pie!
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They aren't quite the same as Cynic, but Atheist are the first band that comes to mind. Unquestionable Presence particularly. Jazz influenced technical death.
Bummer :lol I already have all three of their albums lol They really hit their stride on Elements :metal
Good call any way Alex.
Jupiter is one hell of an album as well, really glad they reformed
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It can be album ranking time now?
1. Traced In Air
2. Carbon-Based Anatomy
3. Re-Traced
4. Focus
I just listened to the Re-Traced EP. Not impressed at all. I originally thought the whole concept of re-writing half of the album was a neat idea, but after listening to it I can't help but wonder why they wasted their time making it when they could have been working on entirely new material.
My opinion of Re-Traced has done a complete 180 since I made this post. :lol
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1. Focus
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Traced In Air
Focus
Carbon Based Anatomy
Re-traced In Air
That said I love every single Cynic song.
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I cannot stop listening to Carbon-Based Anatomy. It is a beautiful piece of music.
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1. Focus
2. Carbon-Based Anatomy
3. Traced in Air
4. Re-traced
Carbon and Traced are pretty close, but holy fuck Carbon is one of the best EPs I've heard in so long.
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So I keep trying these guys. I can definitely see the talent and creativity. I've listened to both of their albums a couple times. But I just can't get over this weird prog metal vibe that puts me on edge. I'll keep trying. They obviously are very skilled, and it's really great to see a prog band committed to shorter albums. They are prog, right?
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Yeah, I'd definitely call them prog. Even though they don't have 25 minute epics about counts or whatever. :p
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Yeah, I'd definitely call them prog. Even though they don't have 25 minute epics about counts or whatever. :p
Nope. That's definitely a requirement. Sorry buddy, can't call them "prog."
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Then they're progressive. :neverusethis:
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I hope we get a full length Cynic album this year. Carbon-Based Anatomy was such a tease!
Here is my Cynic ranked.
Focus
Traced in Air
Carbon-Based Anatomy
Re-Traced
Is anyone here a fan of Masvidal's short lived side project, "Portal"? On the Focus re-issue they included a few tracks from their 1994 demo. I think it sounds pretty awesome I wish he would revive interest in that project.
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Is anyone here a fan of Masvidal's short lived side project, "Portal"? On the Focus re-issue they included a few tracks from their 1994 demo. I think it sounds pretty awesome I wish he would revive interest in that project.
Already happening mang. (https://www.metalsucks.net/2012/01/10/cant-wait-for-more-cynic-well-here-comes-portal/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Metalsucks+%28MetalSucks%29)
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Is anyone here a fan of Masvidal's short lived side project, "Portal"? On the Focus re-issue they included a few tracks from their 1994 demo. I think it sounds pretty awesome I wish he would revive interest in that project.
Already happening mang. (https://www.metalsucks.net/2012/01/10/cant-wait-for-more-cynic-well-here-comes-portal/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Metalsucks+%28MetalSucks%29)
:metal
Awesome! It's like they read my mind! Will order a copy for sure
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ya, i read about the portal re-issue yesterday. good news indeed.
the three songs included in the re-issue of Focus are top notch. it's entirely possible i would like a full length of that type stuff (if it's all similar quality) more than i like any given cynic release .
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Last month I conducted a lengthy interview with Cynic's Paul Masvidal, check it out! :)
https://www.prog-sphere.com/2012/01/05/interview-with-paul-masvidal-of-cynic/
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Great interview :D
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I just got The Portal Tapes. Oh it's hella good.
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I wish a new Gordian Knot album would come out :(
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Yeah Portal Tapes is really good. I've had it for a few months and I still have been listening at least couple times a week. Great atmosphere on that album.
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CBA is my favorite thing they've done so far, so tickle me excited.
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CBA is my favorite thing they've done so far, so tickle me excited.
CBA is fucking amazing
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I wish a new Gordian Knot album would come out :(
this. big time.
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So, I can't stop listening to CBA
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I never really gave CBA much of a chance. There were a few releases around the same time so it sort of got lost on me. I'll get it out and again and give it a spin.
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I never really gave CBA much of a chance. There were a few releases around the same time so it sort of got lost on me. I'll get it out and again and give it a spin.
I think the story the album tells is pretty cool. Lyrically it's quite cryptic, but also painfully obvious what it's talking about. The music is so driving. I love it.
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Bump, because iTunes shuffled just reminded me of how awesome Cynic are and how amazing Traced in Air is. Evolutionary Sleeper = :metal :metal
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Holy shit, that is so weird. Last night I put my iPod on shuffle and that was the first song that came on. I haven't listened to it in like two years and I was like "Oh man, I forgot how good this was."
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Just listened to Carbon Based Anatomy earlier today. :metal
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Bump with news that Cynic's new album comes out in February.
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you even beat their GayBook page with that scoop; still no word there.
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Actually its thanks to their GayBook page that I found out. It's one of their comments.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151956639819936&set=a.387278574935.165208.32178939935&type=1&theater
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Fuck yes~ :heart
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The only Cynic album I care two shits about is Focus. Can someone point me in the direction of more music like that?
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^Carbon Based Anatomy was okay, but I'm somewhat with you. Focus is awesome, Traced in Air is boring as fuck. And the Portal Tapes were probably worse.
I will check out their new record certainly, but I guess if it's mostly resembling CBA, I may give up on them ever making something like Focus again.
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I really can't imagine them ever going back to that sound, but maybe I'm wrong.
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Actually its thanks to their GayBook page that I found out. It's one of their comments.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151956639819936&set=a.387278574935.165208.32178939935&type=1&theater
Touché; I stand corrected.
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I'm the exact opposite. :lol Love Traced In Air, but every time I try and get into Focus all I can think is "why would anyone like this?".
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Because Focus is awesome. :P
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They're all good. I really enjoyed The Portal Tapes and wish that album and Focus had the production of Traced In Air.
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Back on (my) topic, is there anything else out there that has that Focus vibe? I don't need vocoder vocals but definitely need harsh vocals in it. Clean vocals of any kind to add to the depth would be nice though.
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Given The Portal Tapes/Portal were written not long after Focus, I was figuring they would resemble Focus, but they didn't. I was bored to tears.
As far as albums like Focus, I honestly haven't found anything exactly like it. Some people compare The Faceless, which I guess their 1st album, Akeldama, I find to be their best record, but I don't typically think of Cynic necessarily when I hear it.
You have bands like Obscura, Atheist (duh), Gordian Knot, Aghora and Spiral Architect among others suggested as "similar artists" on last.fm.
I would endorse Spiral Architect's "A Skeptic's Universe" as that record is quite good, although like The Faceless, I don't necessarily hear blatantly obvious similarities, but there are some still.
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Cynic is one of my favorite bands ever, just a shame they have such a small catalog. TiA is my personal favorite, I just think their song writing on that album was impossibly magnificent. Space, Integral, Sleeper, King of Those Who Know, just a ridiculous collection of amazing songs. A beautiful album. I would kill for more like it. Focus is great but just doesn't have the beauty that Traced has.
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I would endorse Spiral Architect's "A Skeptic's Universe" as that record is quite good
Lol, that's been my alltime favorite album for 12 years. Spot-on recommendation despite it tragically being something I was already aware of. I also have both Gordian Knots (fuck yeah Muttersprache and Reflections!) and Atheist's original 3 albums. I like what I've heard from Obscura though and I'll be sure to check out Aghora.
Great post dude :tup
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I shoudl check that Spiral Architect album out. I've seen it recommended a lot over the time.
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Spiral Architect is bloody fantastic, but their music is a bit more technically oriented than Cynic, a lot of changes in their songs. They can be a bit overwhelming, but worth the trip.
As for the debate over Focus-I actually think that had Cynic continued, we would have wound up where we are now anyway. The death metal aspects in Focus always felt a little grudging to me, the band holding onto their death metal origins when they really wanted to explore other areas. Focus is a great album, don't get me wrong, but I think we still would have gotten to Traced In Air had the band never broken up.
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I would endorse Spiral Architect's "A Skeptic's Universe" as that record is quite good
Lol, that's been my alltime favorite album for 12 years. Spot-on recommendation despite it tragically being something I was already aware of. I also have both Gordian Knots (fuck yeah Muttersprache and Reflections!) and Atheist's original 3 albums. I like what I've heard from Obscura though and I'll be sure to check out Aghora.
Great post dude :tup
reflections is straight up gangsta as shit
from their Facebook
(https://i.imgur.com/uMterKv.jpg)
2-14-14
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I would endorse Spiral Architect's "A Skeptic's Universe" as that record is quite good
Lol, that's been my alltime favorite album for 12 years. Spot-on recommendation despite it tragically being something I was already aware of. I also have both Gordian Knots (fuck yeah Muttersprache and Reflections!) and Atheist's original 3 albums. I like what I've heard from Obscura though and I'll be sure to check out Aghora.
Great post dude :tup
Yessss you need to check out that Obscura in depth! Omnivium is a masterpiece.
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Oh my God. That picture got me WAYYYYYYY too excited. I don't think I've been as excited for a new album... well, ever. I don't think I've ever been as excited for a new piece of music. A new DT/Rush/Metallica album comes out, that's expected. But man.... oh my lord I can't wait. I'm going to spend the next 4 months of my life staring at that image an unhealthy amount
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I really hope this album is 40 minutes or longer. :lol
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NEW ALBUM ART HOLY CRAPSTICKS
I'm seriously more excited for this than I have been for any album this year, including DT12.
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Love that artwork. Can't wait for this. :metal
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That artwork rules. :metal
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Progressive rock/metal band CYNIC will release its new album, "Kindly Bent To Free Us", on February 14, 2014 via Season Of Mist. Songtitles set to appear on the effort, which was recorded at Perfect Sound studios in Hollywood, California with engineer Jason Donaghy, include "Endlessly Bountiful", "Moon Heart Sun Head" and "True Hallucination Speak".
The group's drummer, Sean Reinert, previously stated in an online posting: "Some people are gonna be pissed and others are gonna say 'thank you!!!' I'm with the latter!"
He added: "It's a bold new sound for CYNIC and marks a gigantic leap in the band's progression."
Read more at https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/cynic-to-release-kindly-bent-to-free-us-in-february/#bVcM9QfGxCBOy8Av.99
Interesting to see what direction this album is going to be.
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Guarantee a lot of people here will be among the pissed group.
That saying makes me excited as I love when bands deviate and are not afraid of fans highly impossible expectations.
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I think it's going to be more similar to the sounds they explored on Carbon.. not a bad thing at all I must say but I do love the sound the capture on Traced in Air.
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I'm hoping it sounds similar to Carbon Based Anatomy (without all the segue tracks).
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So according to recent interviews on their European tour they have a new album planned for the summer. Apparently CBA is to the new album what Re-Traced was to Traced In Air, colour me excited. :D
This post caught my interest.
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Yes, that sounds marvelous. :metal
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Cynic wouldn't be Cynic if they repeated themselves, this is glorious news.
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"Kindly Bent To Free Us" track listing:
01. True Hallucination Speak
02. The Lion’s Roar
03. Kindly Bent To Free Us
04. Infinite Shapes
05. Moon Heart Sun Head
06. Gitanjali
07. Holy Fallout
08. Endlessly Bountiful
09. Earth Is My Witness (deluxe CD book exclusive bonus track)
https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/cynic-kindly-bent-to-free-us-track-listing-revealed/#q80yZtX0QsoDGZ7t.99
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I'm hoping it sounds similar to Carbon Based Anatomy (without all the segue tracks).
Yeah. Sometimes I'll listen to the whole EP, but I mostly listen to the "song" songs on the album. Feels like there's only 2 out of 6 that aren't there for the sake of segues.
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"Kindly Bent To Free Us" track listing:
01. True Hallucination Speak
02. The Lion’s Roar
03. Kindly Bent To Free Us
04. Infinite Shapes
05. Moon Heart Sun Head
06. Gitanjali
07. Holy Fallout
08. Endlessly Bountiful
09. Earth Is My Witness (deluxe CD book exclusive bonus track)
https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/cynic-kindly-bent-to-free-us-track-listing-revealed/#q80yZtX0QsoDGZ7t.99
Based on the Names, its going to be another great spiritual inspirational cynic album
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I wasn't a big fan of the last EP, so I don't have much expectations for this. Saying that, I'm still looking forward to it and am open to whatever the band give us.
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I wasn't a big fan of the last EP, so I don't have much expectations for this. Saying that, I'm still looking forward to it and am open to whatever the band give us.
Good, High expectations means greater disappointment.
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FINALLY, new Cynic, The Lion's Roar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8Z-vn67srU&feature=player_embedded (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8Z-vn67srU&feature=player_embedded)
Simply beautiful!
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FINALLY, new Cynic, The Lion's Roar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8Z-vn67srU&feature=player_embedded (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8Z-vn67srU&feature=player_embedded)
Simply beautiful!
GOD DAMN IT
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:lol
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Caught this on Blabbermouth when I got up today. Can't wait for this record.
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Good song but I feel that the new album will be more of a grower than TiA. Still really excited for it though.
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Good song but I feel that the new album will be more of a grower than TiA. Still really excited for it though.
...Did you click the link?
edit: nevermind, there actually is a video. I'm dumb. :lol
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FINALLY, new Cynic, The Lion's Roar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8Z-vn67srU&feature=player_embedded (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8Z-vn67srU&feature=player_embedded)
Simply beautiful!
What the hell. :lol
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Found a link to that song. At first I thought it was fake but after first listen, I'm not digging that at all to be honest. Perhaps a big big grower.
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It was different. I enjoyed it, but I think it still needs to grow on me. Really looking forward to the album! :metal
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its happy as fuck. cynic meets frost* a little bit. kinda wouldn't mind the whole thing being one big happyfest. :metal
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samples: https://www.amazon.co.jp/Kindly-Bent-Free-Us-Cynic/dp/B00HEW32NE (https://www.amazon.co.jp/Kindly-Bent-Free-Us-Cynic/dp/B00HEW32NE)
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The previously released single and those samples don't have me that excited, honestly. I don't see myself buying this one without hearing it first.
And maybe it's just me, but the mixing just sounds... odd. Especially the bass.
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It'd be awesome if they screwed the pooch badly with this album and gave their Focus sound another shot.
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I don't think they'll ever go back to that, honestly.
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You sure? First time I've ever gotten this reaction.
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:lol
Seriously though, they're always progressing, doing something different. Hopefully it's something I like, though.
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I get that but it's woefully narrow-minded to suggest that there's only one way to combine death metal vocals, death metal riffs, clean vocals, and mellow jazz fusion interludes. For as much as Cynic fans praise the band's diversity, they sure seem to have zero faith in their ability to do anything with death metal despite the fact that Focus was one of the most revered progressive or technical releases of its time.
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I get that, and honestly, I wouldn't mind seeing it come back, because I loved Focus. It seems to me like Paul and Sean just aren't interested in death metal anymore, or really, even metal at all.
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Focus may be incredibly important and revered but it was also made twenty years ago. To ask a band (one that was nonexistent for fifteen of those years at that!) to go an recreate the same energy and style and, well, focus of that album is asking a bit much methinks.
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:| :| :| :| :|
That ain't what I meant. I was using Focus as an umbrella term for Cynic's style of music done in a viscerally intense manner not seen since Focus.
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:| :| :| :| :|
That ain't what I meant. I was using Focus as an umbrella term for Cynic's style of music done in a viscerally intense manner not seen since Focus.
No, that's exactly what you asked for. You wanted them to give their 'Focus sound' another shot and I was positing why they might not.
I think Traced In Air is probably the closest they'll ever come. Maybe they should've retired the name and done this all under something different, but, for better or worse, they didn't and now they've clearly moved on from that sound.
I think, at this point, it's best to just appreciate Focus for what it is; an anomaly, an aberration in Cynic's career made on the heels of Human and one that's not likely to be recreated again.
One thing I am surprised about is that after Cynic's break-up in the 90's, no other bands really picked up 'that sound' and continued to develop it. This is especially surprising considering the burgeoning tech death metal movement in the mid and early 90's. Maybe I'm just unaware of any such attempts, but usually when something is as popular as Focus was, other bands practically jump all over each other to recreate that sound.
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I think Focus was so... different, so unique, hardly anybody has even tried to replicate it.
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Not giving the production "faults" any comments until the real album is released. Anytime that an album comes out now a days it sounds somewhat different than the actual album does. SO I just listen for the actual songs being produced.
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For me, TiA sounds like an improved Focus. And I love TLR. To each his own.
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You can now listen to "Kindly Bent to Free Us" here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJ6MXHOXLq4#t=13
And it's awesome! :coolio
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God, that song was even better than TLR. Cynic is so amazing, I wish I knew another band that sounded like them. They're totally unique. And they're like a fine wine, they just keep getting better with age. They're like a wine that stops being wine and changes into a million different types of beverage, but becomes higher in quality every time. I guess they're not really like wine.
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Liking this song better than The Lion's Roar.
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You can now listen to "Kindly Bent to Free Us" here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJ6MXHOXLq4#t=13
And it's awesome! :coolio
Damn it, your post made it sound like it was a full album stream. :lol
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Good song, needs a while to grow on me though.
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New song is great, and pretty much reminds me of TIA. Sounds like the album might have good variety. Actually looking forward to it now.
I think The Lion's Roar we will find will probably work well in the context of the album.
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Kindly Bent To Free Us :caffeine:
(https://i.imgur.com/cDuYvbK.gif)
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I ordered the box set.
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longer previews are available: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/kindly-bent-to-free-us/id784965995 (https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/kindly-bent-to-free-us/id784965995)
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lyric vid for True Hallucination Speak: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDNr3p6jQ-A (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDNr3p6jQ-A)
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I don't think I'll watch that video. I don't like having so many of the songs available, it will ruin the excitement of getting the album. Suprised so many songs have been released.
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How many songs on the album?
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Um, twelve, I think? I'll go check...
edit: Nine, with the bonus track.
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Probably should have checked it myself but am at work and am a lazy ass.
I guess 3 songs with 9 on the album is a little much. 2 songs would have been sufficient.
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Yeah, I think I'm going to wait until I get the album to listen to any more.
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I normally only listen to the songs once or twice, but then I wait until the album. I'll check this third song later, but yeah, once is enough until I get the whole thing.
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Man, this new song is very different too. Not sure what to think. It's cool, but I think all these songs will work better when we have the full album.
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Only listened to one song. The rest I'm gonna hear on Valentine's Day.
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Only listened to one song. The rest I'm gonna hear on Valentine's Day.
Bullshit,I'm listening to it right now. But from what I've heard,there are so many different opinions on this album so far.
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Only listened to one song. The rest I'm gonna hear on Valentine's Day.
Bullshit,I'm listening to it right now. But from what I've heard,there are so many different opinions on this album so far.
A real man can always call bullshit on himself. :tup
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I'm kinda underwhelmed. The Lion's Roar was the only song I had heard before and it's my favorite on the entire album. Hopefully it will grow on me like Traced In Air.
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Definitely my least favorite album of theirs, but it's by no means bad.
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It's not... Valentine's day...
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I'm waiting for my copy.
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Support good music, buy the album.
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I almost always wait until the release date, but just because someone listens to it early doesn't imply that they're not going to buy it.
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I'm waiting for my copy.
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Support good music, buy the album.
I WILL!
(Reference to The Lion's Roar)
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If you can't wait any longer, the whole album is streaming here:
https://www.progrockmag.com/stream/cynic-exclusive-premiere-kindly-bent-to-free-us/ (https://www.progrockmag.com/stream/cynic-exclusive-premiere-kindly-bent-to-free-us/)
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If you can't wait any longer, the whole album is streaming here:
https://www.progrockmag.com/stream/cynic-exclusive-premiere-kindly-bent-to-free-us/ (https://www.progrockmag.com/stream/cynic-exclusive-premiere-kindly-bent-to-free-us/)
Just finished my first listen.
I'm still kinda on the fence about this one; while some of the songs seemed pretty good, I don't think the more raw, stripped-down production works that well for the band.
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Disregard that, this album is great.
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I just got my copy of the album today. :coolio
Just finished my first listen. This is a very obvious step away from Carbon-Based Anatomy so if you didn't like that, then this probably won't do much for you. After one listen, I definitely dig a few of the tracks. True Hallucination Speak is a bitching opener. The title-track is awesome as is Holy Fallout. The only tracks I don't care for are The Lion's Roar (still don't like it) which only has a killer solo and not much else, and Endlessly Bountiful. I'm glad I got the deluxe edition with the bonus track as I don't think I would've cared for having Endlessly Bountiful close out the album.
The bonus track, Earth Is My Witness, is pretty damn cool too.
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I'm still waiting for mine....hopefully tomorrow, if not then on Valentines day.
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The four song run from Infinite Shapes to Holy Fallout is just fantastic.
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I believe my stuff got stuck in the winter storm. Tracking says it left Jersey weds. But no updates since.
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Any growls?
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Any growls?
No growls, just vocoder-singing.
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Any growls?
Thankfully not.
They didn't fit in at all on Traced In Air, and they CERTAINLY wouldn't have fit in on this album.
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I gotta say the new album is fine, but overall I expected more. To me it's like a 6-7 out of 10, while it's not bad or anything, it's like a mist of decent-ness. The earlier stuff I've heard from them is much better.
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I'd say that, overall, this is better than Traced In Air which was half great and half mediocre. Kindly Bent To Serve Us is a much more consistent release, "The Lion's Roar" notwithstanding.
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I'd say that, overall, this is better than Traced In Air which was half great and half mediocre. Kindly Bent To Serve Us is a much more consistent release, "The Lion's Roar" notwithstanding.
Heavily disagreed. I think that Traced In Air was a magnificent album and was enjoyable from start to end. Kindly Bent To Serve Us is just...boring. Probably a strong 5 to a light 6 out of 10.
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I'm with the King In Crimson too.
Traced In Air is just... okay. Something's definitely not right when Nunc Fluens is my 3rd favorite song on the album.
Meanwhile, the only songs on the new album I don't really care for are The Lion's Roar and Endlessly Bountiful (which still works well as a closing track).
Carbon-Based Anatomy would be my favorite release by them if it had more than fifteen minutes of actual songs.
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I'd say that, overall, this is better than Traced In Air which was half great and half mediocre. Kindly Bent To Serve Us is a much more consistent release, "The Lion's Roar" notwithstanding.
Heavily disagreed. I think that Traced In Air was a magnificent album and was enjoyable from start to end. Kindly Bent To Serve Us is just...boring. Probably a strong 5 to a light 6 out of 10.
This, although I would give the new one a 7-7.5
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Well it arrived in town saturday, but now I'll have to wait till tuesday.
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I hate doing rankings...
1.) CBA
2.) KBTFU
3.) TIA
4.) Focus
...it's not like any of them are bad, though.
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My copy should be coming in Tuesday, very excited. You guys say it's better than TiA? TiA is one of my top ~50 albums of all-time, so.....
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TiA
CBA
Focus
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New album is pretty darn good. CBA still beats it though.
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Finally, my boxset of Kindly Bent to Free Us arrived. I love its simple small design. The complete score and lyrics are in a nice little book as is the sleeve that holds both poster and cd.
Also, Seasons of Mist sent a free The Gathering cd that came in a seperate paper cd sleeve with just the cd and album book.
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Just bought it. Little sad that I can't get that bonus track but alas.
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I really enjoy this album. It took a few listened to get there, though.
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I need to get this album.
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I'm enjoying the album immensly, Pauls meanings/inspirations are pretty neat too. Like The Lions Roar, being about an intimate relationship he had in his life and his spiritual view in navigating it, inspired by a lecture from Chogyam Trungpa.
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Bought the album yesterday, just standard digipack so no bonus track for me. Anyway, I think it's an excellent and worthy album, but it's definitely a grower. Maybe it's just me, but Paul Masvidal sounds like Steven Wilson at times especially on The Lion's Roar.
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Can't stop spinning this!
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Can't stop spinning this!
Second this. True Hallucination Speak is a great opening track.
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It's an amazing opening track. It's truly incredibly how music can grow on you. It defies logic how you can hear something and totally understand it 100%... and hate it, but then after being exposed to it 20 times, it becomes the most beautiful thing in the world. That makes no sense, it certainly doesn't happen with any of our other senses.
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I'm not really digging this album at all to be honest. On my first listen it was nice, but I find it pretty soft and boring, and disappointing since I loved Traced in Air. I'll keep spinning it and maybe it will click, or perhaps I'm just not in the mood for it at the moment.
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Don't fret, I'm right there with you. It's certainly not a bad album by any means, but nothing's really rocking me the same way TiA did. It will definitely get more spins, though. I'm hoping it's a grower too.
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It's an amazing opening track. It's truly incredibly how music can grow on you. It defies logic how you can hear something and totally understand it 100%... and hate it, but then after being exposed to it 20 times, it becomes the most beautiful thing in the world. That makes no sense, it certainly doesn't happen with any of our other senses.
That's music for ya.
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I thought this album got old really fast. It's not bad or anything, but not incredible either.
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I'm enjoying this album a lot. Of all the recent cds I purchased, I've listened to this one the most.
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It's absolutely a grower. At first I didn't think it was anything exceptional, but now I think I like it more than Focus.
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It's absolutely a grower. At first I didn't think it was anything exceptional, but now I think I like it more than Focus.
Wow....
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Yes, here's how I would rate their releases:
1. Traced in Air: 68234/10
2. Kindly Bent to Free Us: 10/10
3. Focus: 10/10
4. Re-Traced: 10/10
5. Carbon-Based Anatomy: 9/10, only because I can't give something with 3 songs a perfect rating.
6. The Portal Tapes: 7/10
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Yes, here's how I would rate their releases:
1. Traced in Air: 68234/10
2. Kindly Bent to Free Us: 10/10
3. Focus: 10/10
4. Re-Traced: 10/10
5. Carbon-Based Anatomy: 9/10, only because I can't give something with 3 songs a perfect rating.
6. The Portal Tapes: 7/10
One of the most sound ratings I have ever seen.
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Sean and Paul 'coming out'
https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/cynicex-death-members-paul-masvidal-sean-reinert-publicly-discuss-their-sexuality-for-first-time/
We all knew this, but I guess it's good that they are very truthful to themselves.
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That's cool. So, they're like a couple?
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That's cool. So, they're like a couple?
I think so.
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That's cool. So, they're like a couple?
I think so.
Kudos to them...
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That's cool. So, they're like a couple?
No, they are not.
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That's cool. So, they're like a couple?
No, they are not.
Really?
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The article I read mentioned specifically that they had never been attracted to each other.
edit: here it is https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-et-c1-gay-heavy-metal-20140508-story.html#page=1
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Interesting and a good article.
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The band still isn't being honest with themselves. There's no way a gay man could be in a band with Paul for 20 years without falling in love
i'm a straight man that fell in love so
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bump.
RIP 2.0
https://www.facebook.com/CynicOnline/posts/10153636716044936
It is with a heavy heart that I post today's CYNIC news. CYNIC is no longer an active band. Due to artistic and personal differences, the second chapter in the ‘BOOK OF CYNIC’ has come to an end.
I will say the last shows we played in JAPAN have left me with a positive charge, even though they were the last live performances with Paul, Sean Malone & I on the same stage. My longstanding creative partnership with Paul, which started when we were very young kids in south Florida, has simply endured so much friction that there is no way, from my perspective, that CYNIC can be salvaged, repaired or kept afloat by any means.
I profusely apologize to the fans who were not only expecting us in China & Taiwan (that was not our fault), but to the fans who were planning to see us in Europe next month. These things happen, unfortunately, to bands. There can be differing levels of conflicts and/or differences in opinions, musical directions, or perspectives. Sometimes these things are insurmountable, and no amount of time or effort can resolve them. This is the case with CYNIC.
This page will stay up, and of course there are our respective personal pages and websites that will continue to let everyone know what we’re doing individually.
I wish all of you love & peace.
-Sean
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Well, poop. I never really got into the last album, but I still liked having them around and looking forward to what they'd do next. Now that's gone.
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Well, that's a kick in the balls. Paul should resurrect his Portal project.
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Really sad news :(
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There's some drama starting to boil up
Paul Masvidal Official Facebook: ''Dear fans and friends, this is all news to me. I just landed from Japan and my inbox was exploding. Sean didn't confer with myself or Malone about Cynic's official breakup or the tour being cancelled. I'm honestly somewhat relieved it's finally over since it's been quite challenging over the years but I'm also trying to figure out how to possibly salvage this tour (with a new drummer) since the damage he's causing by pulling out at this last minute is inconceivable for me at the moment. Please share this message with friends or fans as Sean has taken me off our FB page so I can't access it at the moment. Love to you all. I apologize for the drama...but sometimes life gets messy.
P.S. Cynic will continue one way or another.''
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This really sucks. Sean and Paul made a lot of great music together.
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If what Paul is saying is true, Sean is a real dick.
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I caught a glimpse of them mudslinging each other on Facebook. Really unfortunate that it's turned into one of those social media public drama things. I always thought they'd be above that for some reason.
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Sean Reinert really channeling his inner Portnoy.
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That's heartbreaking, Cynic was a magnificent band. In love with everything they've ever done, including KBTFU. Praying Paul keeps making music.
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this interview sheds some light
https://www.metalsucks.net/2015/09/11/episode-114-75-former-cynic-drummer-sean-reinert/
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Sean's probably just butt hurt that Paul's never hurt Sean's butt.
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Sean's probably just butt hurt that Paul's never hurt Sean's butt.
As much of a boob as Sean sounds like in this situation, can we not resort to jokes like these.
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I really feel sorry for Sean Malone. He's in an awful situation. As Reinart said, Malone is friends with both of Paul and Sean R. So this breakup/we're still Cynic must be tough for SM.
In my view, seems like both Reinart and Paul are at fault here. One from not getting into the business side of things earlier and Paul for not being prepared for the gigs. Now, I haven't seen footage from their Japan tour, so I can't comment on Paul's playing quality. I don't know...it sounds that both of this issues can be solved in time for the European tour but Sean R, imo, seems like he's overreacting. Or at least not handling this situation, in a more internal fashion. The fact that he doesn't want to talk with Paul directly is very concerning.
Now if Paul is indeed writing 80% of the music, he should be paid more. If Sean R feels that he's getting screwed contractually and that Paul is "doing shady practices" (as Sean R said), then pay for an audit or something.
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Sean's probably just butt hurt that Paul's never hurt Sean's butt.
As much of a boob as Sean sounds like in this situation, can we not resort to jokes like these.
My initial reaction is to agree with you. But long term, the best way to normalize something is to take away the protected status and make it fair game for jokes just like everything else.
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New Cynic Track
https://cyniconline.bandcamp.com/track/humanoid
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New Cynic Track
https://cyniconline.bandcamp.com/track/humanoid
WOAH. :hefdaddy
This track's awesome! The new drummer sounds great too. :metal
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Thats a nice track. Love the vocals and the mix.
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Really liked the new song. Any news on a release date?
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Just listened to Carbon-Based Anatomy for this first time and damn! Not what I was expecting at all but it was great. On my second listen and I feel a Cynic kick coming on :heart
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Just heard a drum playthrough from the new drummer, never heard or knew him before. Some really relaxed and tasteful drumming and the song is cool. :tup
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uT5ur4AuMqg
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Just heard a drum playthrough from the new drummer, never heard or knew him before. Some really relaxed and tasteful drumming and the song is cool. :tup
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uT5ur4AuMqg
Nice :tup
I'm actually listening to Focus as I type :metal
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I'm thrilled to announce that I've been working with Paul Masvidal on official guitar transcriptions! This is a huge honor for me, Paul/Cynic have been one of my biggest influences for a long time. The book is being released in early 2019 via Sheet Happens Publishing. I also transcribed their newest song, Humanoid, which is up for free download.
Here's all the info: https://www.sheethappenspublishing.com/columns/21/cynic-humanoid-freebie-paul-masvidal-on-the-house
I plan on doing a youtube video going into more detail on the project, let me know if you guys have any questions!
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I'm thrilled to announce that I've been working with Paul Masvidal on official guitar transcriptions! This is a huge honor for me, Paul/Cynic have been one of my biggest influences for a long time. The book is being released in early 2019 via Sheet Happens Publishing. I also transcribed their newest song, Humanoid, which is up for free download.
Here's all the info: https://www.sheethappenspublishing.com/columns/21/cynic-humanoid-freebie-paul-masvidal-on-the-house
I plan on doing a youtube video going into more detail on the project, let me know if you guys have any questions!
That's awesome! :tup
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Orders for the Focus guitar book are LIVE:
Digital/print book: https://www.sheethappenspublishing.com/shop/888/cynic-focus-complete-guitar-transcription
Deluxe bundle (limited to 100 copies): https://www.sheethappenspublishing.com/shop/889/cynic-focus-deluxe-bundle
https://www.facebook.com/CynicPaulM...e3UIVVZ-uHeOsnGcTsfJYn-5yVgrcN-nSTw&__tn__=-R
Thank you all for your support! I'm ecstatic!
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bump.
Paul Masvidal's has new albums coming:
https://www.mythicalhumanvessel.com/
"The Spaces"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OU80Lxjiksg
"Mythical" available everywhere - 5/31/19
Mythical Human Vessel is a trilogy of records written and performed by the songwriter and guitarist Paul Masvidal. They are the first independent solo releases on his label, Masvidalien Records, of which the first collection, Mythical, will drop May 31, 2019.
link: listen.masvidalien.com/thespaces
Best known for leading the influential progressive rock group Cynic, Masvidal recorded embryonic demos of these tightly-crafted songs over a decade ago. Drawing on influences from musicians John Lennon, Brian Eno, Chet Baker, Russill Paul and Elliott Smith to visual artists, Mark Rothko, Ai Weiwei, Hilma af Klimt, and Cai Guo-Qiang, the songs embrace concise forms and catchy melodies in spite of their often painful subject matters of loss, depression, and heartache.
At the center of Masvidal’s experiment is the use of Isochronic tones, a 'brain-entrainment' technology. Isochronics are said to produce bio-chemical reactions in the body that increase serotonin, alleviate depression and stress, improve focus, and aid in restful sleep, similar to the effects of exposure to negative ions in nature.
Through its incorporation of Isochronic tones, Mythical Human Vessel is intended as “an inherently relaxing listening experience, and adding the tones multiplied the benefits,” Masvidal says. “More serotonin for all!"
Throughout all three volumes of Mythical Human Vessel, the sound of undulating and sweeping frequencies in slow and rapid succession act as a subliminal agent to affect the listener positively and help to create a deeper connection to the songs themselves.
Mythical Human Vessel was mixed and produced by Warren Riker. The Isochronic tones were designed by Dr. Stephane Pigeon, creator of the Brian Eno-celebrated website MyNoise.
Masvidal is currently working with experimental artists Greymar to develop Mythical Human Vessel into an immersive live experience using evocative imagery, storytelling and technology as part of an experiential journey into heart-opening and multi-dimensional landscapes.
For more info visit mythicalhumanvessel.com
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Super excited to announce the official guitar transcriptions for Traced in Air! This album was (and still is) life-changing, and I had a blast dissecting it and transcribing every layer and nuance. Available to order 10/29 at https://www.sheethappenspublishing.com/
https://www.instagram.com/p/B3-kE-iAXDB/
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Orders are live! First 200 copies are signed by Paul Masvidal:
https://www.sheethappenspublishing.com/shop/972/cynic-traced-in-air-complete-guitar-transcription
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Sigh... :'(
RIP Sean Reinert
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Damn...another huge drum influence of mine is gone. Human's drumming is unreal. Oddly enough, I just played along to Suicide Machine on drums for the first time in years on Thursday night. I hate speculating but "found unresponsive" at 48 years old seems like code-word for a drug-related issue.
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man.
48 years old. Only 48?
here's a recent feature on YouTube with him
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1CcR7GoNc0
I love Focus especially.
Rest in Peace.
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Damn, that sucks. One more reason for me to give a listen to the remix of Traced In Air which I just learned came out a few months ago.
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What the hell?! RIP Sean. Only 48. Just wow.
Apparently found unresponsive at home and no cause of death confirmed yet.
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Damn, that sucks. One more reason for me to give a listen to the remix of Traced In Air which I just learned came out a few months ago.
Gave it a listen. Now that is a Remix. Entirely new Bass track, which is neat to hear. Certain sounds are brought up front more that were barely audible. Overall it's worth buying again, which I'm going to do.
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I was never a fan of Traced In Air, but I'll give that a listen. Thanks for the heads-up!
Since the news of Sean's passing I've listened to:
Death - Human
Cynic - Focus
Aghora - Aghora
and I have Carbon-Based Anatomy and the two Gordian Knot albums on cue. He left us an impressive body of work.
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I didn't know there was a remix of Traced in Air. Definitely have to check it out as I love the album.
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Can't say he was an influence to me as a drummer because I discovered him much later in life. When I hear his drumming especially what he did during the 90s I can definitely understand why he was so influental, way ahead of his time. He played very diffrently than alot of drummers at that time with the mix of fusion and metal. Great stuff!
I'm sad I didn't discover Sean and Cynic earlier in life.
Reminds of how ahead of it's time early Meshuggah was, although diffrent styles of course.
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Damn, that sucks. One more reason for me to give a listen to the remix of Traced In Air which I just learned came out a few months ago.
Gave it a listen. Now that is a Remix. Entirely new Bass track, which is neat to hear. Certain sounds are brought up front more that were barely audible. Overall it's worth buying again, which I'm going to do.
Woah, sounds like they completed removed the growls. That's... interesting. They really didn't add all that much to the original, sure, but that seems a little excessive. I guess if they really bothered you for whatever reason this is the version for you.
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https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/cynic-bassist-sean-malone-dead-at-50/ (https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/cynic-bassist-sean-malone-dead-at-50/)
I don't even know what to say about this.
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WTF? Just shocking. 50! :'(
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This is gutting news. Sean was an insane bassist.
Hell, this year's been rough for Cynic fans.
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Damn. RIP to the other Sean as well. Such a harsh year, that's one of the classic rhythm sections entirely gone.
Listening to Gordian Knot's self-titled as we speak. To be followed by Focus of course.
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Okay. Now I’m done with 2020. I’m in shock. My heart is in pieces. Sean Malone was a bassist I always admired, and as I got older he slowly became my favorite of all time. The way he played bass changed the way I listened to music.
In our wedding, Courtney and I listened to Grace while taking communion for the first time as a married couple. And taking communion was the very first thing we actually did as a husband and wife. The beauty of that instrumental always reminds me of looking my beautiful wife in the eyes and our commitment to our faith. I’m absolutely crushed.
I hope you and Reinert are already jamming up in heaven. RIP Sean.
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like ELP ..jeez.
RIP.
I at least got to see Cynic live a couple of times.
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I mentioned in the other MP thread but those two Gordian Knot albums had some fantastic bass playing. RIP.
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I'm a bit shocked on this. Both GK albums are desert island albums for me. Every single note has its place and I just enjoy those albums a lot. I get lost with them. I always had the hope for a third GK album. But not sure Sean was interested in writing much. His calling was teaching although he was performing in his latter years (Cynic again and with John Wesley). RIP Sean.
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Just unbelievable.
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Really nice tribute by the channel drumtalk:
Sean Reinert Tribute (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKJdCM-ngGE&ab_channel=drumtalk)
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Sean Malone committed suicide.
https://bravewords.com/news/paul-masvidal-pays-tribute-to-late-cynic-bandmate-sean-malone-reveals-bassist-s-cause-of-death-previously-unheard-integral-performance-released
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Jesus. :-\
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Wow......
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That's awful to read.
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They just announced this on their Facebook page...
https://www.facebook.com/100045804570572/posts/427275718809244/ (https://www.facebook.com/100045804570572/posts/427275718809244/)
Ascension Codes, tomorrow. I don't know if that's a new single or if they are releasing an album? Who knows but hyped.
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https://youtu.be/LNFn_phSuE4 (https://youtu.be/LNFn_phSuE4)
New song/single out today - "Mythical Serpents"
New album, "Ascension Codes" due out late November.
New line-up, still sounds fantastic.
Pre-orders are going fast. I was registering to order the blue vinyl, but it sold out before I finished ordering. Got the clear/silver instead.
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I'm loving this...
It's so unfortunate that both Sean's are gone. But life continues, and this is a going to be an interesting era of Cynic.
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Glad that the band is moving forward. On itunes, there’s a preview for all the songs, really nice!
https://listen.cyniconline.com/ascensioncodes?fbclid=IwAR3LGIxG8rEgYDANsKMMbpYYv88YkgfMmlEeXJK32Qc9595rHsZdFBmLXzg
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Unsure about the production. Reminds me of Kindly bent to free us. I much prefer the sound of Humanoid.
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Had a run through of their catalogue the last few days (not that there's much :lol ). I just love Carbon-Based Anatomy so much!
I'd rank as follows:
Carbon-Based Anatomy
Traced in Air
Focus
Kindly Bent to Free Us
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The Re-Traced EP is awesome as well. I love the more chill versions of Traced in Air songs, but the last track, Wheels Within Wheels is one of my favorite Cynic songs. Sean Reinert's drumming on that one is so good. Also, check out Uroboric Forms if you want to hear some of their early demos, that are much more death metal influenced.
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New album is streaming LEAGALLY on Youtube
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Well that was very underwhelming. I did really like The Winged Ones, though.
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I thought the album was amazing.
Has a nice blend of Traced In Air and Carbon Based Anatomy.
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Well that was very underwhelming. I did really like The Winged Ones, though.
That was the standout track to me as well. I still can't wrap my head around this being a Cynic album without the Seans. It'd be easier to digest as a Masvidal solo album.
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Well that was very underwhelming. I did really like The Winged Ones, though.
That was the standout track to me as well. I still can't wrap my head around this being a Cynic album without the Seans. It'd be easier to digest as a Masvidal solo album.
It sucks that both Seans left this world, but they would be very proud of the new guys' contributions.
To me, this is very well a Cynic album. It's one that is best listened to as a whole.
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https://www.sonicperspectives.com/news/cynic-releases-instrumental-version-of-ascension-codes-album-via-bandcamp/
:metal