Because we were doubly excited about the re-emergence of Florida progressive death metallers Cynic, we’re offering up two reviews of their latest record, Traced In Air. And if that’s not enough to quench your Cynic jones, check out our video interview with guitarist Paul Masvidal.

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Cynic – Traced in Air
By Henry Yuan

Where do I begin with this review? How do I put in words what I think of Traced in Air (Season of Mist), Cynic’s follow-up to their genre-defying 1993 debut Focus? It’s hard, but I’m going to try anyway. After 15 years, Paul Masividal (lead guitar, synth and vocals) and Sean Reinert (drums) still write the most thoughtful, and unique, music out there. It’s insane how the so-called “progressive” metal bands these days try extremely hard to write “outside of the box” but ultimately get trapped into a new box. Cynic is the perfect example of a band that has not only broken outside of the box, but in the process has created their own still-expanding box. A little weird, I know, but stick with me…

Traced in Air opens up with the track “Nunc Fluens.” If you’re familiar with Focus, you’ll automatically say to yourself, “This is Cynic!” The atmosphere is there, Reinert’s tribal-esque drumming is there, and yes, Masividal’s android-like voice is present and accounted for. When I first listened to it, the build up got me sweating and as soon as the vocals kicked in, I just wanted to take the album out. It’s that powerful. It’s nearly too good.

“The Space for This” comes in right after and hits you hard with its super-mellow, almost euphoric, intro. About a minute and a half, you get hit once again, this time with Cynic’s brutal side. The young Dutch guitarist Tymon Kruidenier provides the death growls while Sean Malone, the bass wizard who was also on the debut, provides smooth, yet intricate, bass lines that nicely complement Reinert’s complex drumming.

Songs like “Evolutionary Sleeper” and “Integral Birth” are more straightforward, but in truth that term is far too limiting to describe Cynic’s music. These songs are full of melody and rich, layered guitar parts. The vocals use less of the robot voice and Masividal’s natural voice imbues the music with a truly hypnotic feeling.

“The Unknown Guest” and “Adam’s Murmur” are pure, classic Cynic. Super technical riffs, constant feel changes, and everything in between can be found in these songs. What I love about Cynic is that they include so many subtle highlights that really bring out the emotion in the music. The heavy and brutal parts are really heavy and the melodic and heavenly parts are really beautiful.

The outro track, rightfully titled “Nunc Stans,” really feels like the ending of something special. Whereas “Nunc Fluens” was quick and powerful, “Nunc Stans” has lots of room for us to breathe.

Overall, this album is definitely for the musicians—guitarists and drummers especially. But if you’re a non-musician who loves great music and want to be moved, this is for you as well. Obviously, there’s just so much going on in the music that describing the album can take pages. Each song has its own identity and has a life of its own, but for some reason everything flows flawlessly. Oh, wait. I know the reason. It’s Cynic.

Not only is the music incredible, the package is truly something else. Robert Venosa, who also did the art for Focus, provided the artwork. And just like Cynic’s music, his art has also progressed, while at the same time staying true to his unique style. After looking through the sleeve pages in awe, I was amazed by the beauty of the pieces. Interestingly enough, it seems like each painting represents the specific feel of the song and going through the lyrics, the Buddhist and Zen-like themes really come to life.

Like I said before, it’s so hard to write about Cynic’s music. I mean, all I can really say is that there is nothing like this out there. Period. Focus was groundbreaking for a reason. Traced in Air once again proves that original music can still be written.

I wasn’t around the scene when Focus was released (what can I say, I was only four years old!). But years later when I first heard the album, I couldn’t believe it. This past summer, I flew to Wacken Open Air in Germany specifically to see three or four of the 75 bands. Wanna know who was on top of that list? You guessed it, Cynic. When they hit the stage I was ecstatic.

So as a die-hard fan, when Traced in Air finally came out this year, I was super-excited for it. And it definitely did not disappoint in any way, shape or form. I was actually moved the same way as I did when I first listened to Focus. Best album of 2008? Hell, try one of the best albums of the decade. Get this.

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Cynic – Traced in Air
By Geoff Garlock

Tech nerds rejoice! After 15 years, the godfathers of progressive death metal, Cynic, are back with Traced in Air, their first record since 1993’s classic Focus. Fifteen years is a long time, allowing for a lot of changes in musical taste, growth and direction (both on the musician and the listener’s sides). Because of that, I was super wary of the new Cynic record. But amazingly enough, Traced in Air defied the odds: this is one fantastic record.

Coming off his playing on the seminal 1991 Death album, Human, guitarist Paul Masvidal and drummer Sean Reinert decided to up the ante by injecting prog rock/fusion into death metal. And so Cynic was born. Along with the other godfathers of tech death, Atheist and Pestilence, Cynic pioneered a whole new world of metal. In some ways you have to just wonder what the hell they were thinking at the time.

Back then, the music Cynic created, which included jazz-fusion interludes and crazy vocodor robot vocals, totally alienated them in the eyes (and ears) of death metal purists. Not to mention bassist Sean Malone whipping out the penultimate nerd instrument, the Chapman Stick. You listen to Focus and sometimes all you can picture is a bunch of dudes in Immolation shirts beating the crap out of a bunch of jazz hippies yelling about the veil of Maya.

Either way Focus was a mind-blower of a record. And partly because this was Cynic’s only proper album, but the mythology of Focus seemed to grow in my mind over the years. Traced in the Air totally lives up to that mythology. And it comes at such a great time, when there are so many “tech bands” that sound like a bunch of tuff-guy hardcore dudes who learned how to play a sweep arpeggios. But they got nothing on the masters.

But that’s not to say I didn’t have some initial worries. I was concerned that the Cynic river would stray too far from its original source. Or that it would be Cynic in name, but the new sound would bear little resemblence to what I loved in Focus. Admittedly the Death influence does not exist as much on Traced in Air, which definitely leans more towards the prog side. It still hints at metal here and there and you can still hear some Death backup vocals. But most of the time it is a straight-up modern prog record.

Now when I say prog, I don’t mean Rush or Pink Floyd or any prog band that any white-hat normal dude can rock out in between Third Eye Blind songs. This isn’t Coheed and Cambria. One of the reasons Cynic works so well is because their well of music knowledge always runs deep. The song “Textures” off of Focus always felt like it was a distinct nod to Happy the Man’s “Service With A Smile.”

Paul Masvidal’s guitar lines definitely owe a debt to Alan Holdsworth, John McLaughlin and Al Di Miola—if all those guys grew up on Celtic Frost and Coroner. His guitar playing is such a key part of the Cynic sound, which features a lot of picky muted parts that rotate in an odd fashion, combined with a lot of clean jazz chords. Mixed with Reinert’s phenomenal drumming, and you’ve got songs with incredible flow to them. Reinert is so tasteful, he’s almost like a metal version of monster jazz drummer Billy Cobham (Miles Davis, the Mahavishnu Orchestra). The drum lines are always moving, but never seem needlessly busy. The interplay between everyone in the band is dead on. It doesn’t feel stuttered at all, which becomes a danger when tech bands start piling on the riffs.

I do wish that bassist Sean Malone was a little higher in the mix. He sometimes seems buried, which is a shame because his bass lines were always a highlight of the Cynic sound. Malone is one of the few bassists that can play fretless without annoying the hell out of me. I also am disappointed that I can’t really pick out what parts he played on the Chapman Stick. Man I’ve come to love that stick.

For some people, Masvidal’s vocals have always been one of Cynic’s major sticking points. People always say they just can’t get beyond the strange vocodor robot singing parts on Focus. If you are among those that took issue, Traced in Air probably isn’t going to with you over. This record may even prompt an “is this even metal” dispute, because the death metal vocals have defiantly been put on the back burner. Almost all vocals are sung and are also affected with the Cynic android sound. Although in comparison to Focus it’s not as intrusive.

Now the question is, are the vocals borderline cheese at times? Yes. Do I love it? You better believe it. They are so catchy that they even border on radio rock vocals at times. But I really do think Masvidal’s vocals are great, work perfectly in these songs. I have been singing the chorus to “Evolutionary Sleeper” for weeks. Not to mention “Integral Birth,” which is running a close second for best vocals on the record.

Traced in Air is a great album. Is it death metal, is it prog? Man, it is whatever you want it to be. It certainly will not be for everyone, and it just might go the way of Focus: a semi-obscure, classic record appreciated by only a select few. Fine by me. Whatever it is, it might be one of the best records of the year.