Their only album 'Focus' blew me away... They are such an original band and are so technical... IMO, the album is a masterpiece and its such a shame that they didnt release another...

Im surprised a topic hasnt been created about them yet, So... what does everyone else think?

Another one of my loved bands. Cynic almost rival the great Atheist in my list of favourite bands, and they come damn near close to them(although both bands are nowhere near comparison). Focus is such a brilliant release, filled with heas of emotion and a huge dose of technicality as well. I mean, both the guitarists never (or hardly) play the same thing; Sean Malone does his own complex thing syncopating perfectly with the brilliant polyrhythmist Sean Reinheart. Overall, it works to be a stunning combination - producing awesome songs like Veil Of Maya, Textures, and Celestial Voyage (these are the pick of the songs from Focus for me, even though there are absolutely no filler songs).
Fans of Cynic must surely check out Gordian Knot as well.

Thanks for the reccomendation.... ill look them up... Cynic are very original, so Its quite hard to coma across a similar band...

^^Well, Gordian Knot aren't a band similar to Cynic. GK consists of former Cynic members. They play a fusion of progressive metal and jazz. And if you liked the jazzy aspect of Cynic, then Gordian Knot should be right up your alley.

Great band.Very prog,very technical.Prog metal has lost one of its best artists.I just hope they had released the second album they were preparing.

oh Damn.
Cynic is among my all time favorite bands. Every single song of Focus is special, quite emotional if you ask me. Everything in this album is unbelievable. The demos are great also, they got some songs that aren't on the LP like Pleading for Preservation (this one should have been in Focus...among my top 5 Cynic best songs)

@Cryptic : Fans of Cynic must check out Wayd, which is more in the same vein, progressive death metal with some saxophone here and there, quite similar drums, riffs. Check Wayd.

Written by Guest on 18.05.2006 at 16:46

Great band.Very prog,very technical.Prog metal has lost one of its best artists.I just hope they had released the second album they were preparing.

They were preparing another album, wow, thats news to me.. Yeh, I hope they release it too...

Actually, the "album" they were recording was released, it's called Portal, features female vocals and lost all Death Metal influences.

Oh, right... Doesnt sound as promising then... Still, where can it be brought from...

Metal Archives link : http://www.metal-archives.com/band.php?id=10853

I didn't fully hear it but it isn't bad as it may seem.

I've only heard Focus which is amazing, but how are the songs on their demos?

The songs on Cynic's demo are UNBELIEVABLE, for all of you who wanted a more aggressive Cynic, get the demos... each one of them is worth it.
I've recently discovered (and fallen in love with) Gordian Knot, it features some memebers from Cynic, and it's a kind of metal influenced Jazz band, absolutly great, especially for the lovers of Focus' bass lines.

Hooray for one of this world's best metal band o_o.

Oh yes, Cynic...an amazing band...I'm surprised that a thread hasn't been made for them either...

Here's a video of them live performing Veil of Maya:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cqQ1dbnJV8&search=Cynic

Well glad to see this thread has been revived in the new MS v3... seems to be much the same endless praise as before. And I'll continue to disagree. The music is technical and intriguing, but so what? The vocals are terrible and are some of the worst I've heard slapped on a metal record. If they'd release a non-vocal version of this CD, I'd be down there to buy in a second. Other than that, I can't ignore the effects-laden vocals, and find them to be irritatingly repetitive as well.

Glad to see this thread. Also, glad to see younger metal-heads actually seeking out the older stuff. There was a lot of great stuff from the 80s-early 90s, that people have forgotten about. Keep it up.

Written by Guest on 24.06.2006 at 10:03

Glad to see this thread. Also, glad to see younger metal-heads actually seeking out the older stuff. There was a lot of great stuff from the 80s-early 90s, that people have forgotten about. Keep it up.

Hell, 90% of the great stuff is from that era, including Cynic.

Written by Jason W. on 24.06.2006 at 09:18

Well glad to see this thread has been revived in the new MS v3... seems to be much the same endless praise as before. And I'll continue to disagree. The music is technical and intriguing, but so what? The vocals are terrible and are some of the worst I've heard slapped on a metal record. If they'd release a non-vocal version of this CD, I'd be down there to buy in a second. Other than that, I can't ignore the effects-laden vocals, and find them to be irritatingly repetitive as well.

Your 'So what?' is quite disturbing since I can say the same to a huge number of bands. Well, some people just love this jazz/DM crossover, this overall technicality, and even the vocals, that's all about it. Implicitly saying that Cynic is overrated is kinda exagerated imo...

Written by ylside on 24.06.2006 at 20:21

Written by Jason W. on 24.06.2006 at 09:18

Well glad to see this thread has been revived in the new MS v3... seems to be much the same endless praise as before. And I'll continue to disagree. The music is technical and intriguing, but so what? The vocals are terrible and are some of the worst I've heard slapped on a metal record. If they'd release a non-vocal version of this CD, I'd be down there to buy in a second. Other than that, I can't ignore the effects-laden vocals, and find them to be irritatingly repetitive as well.

Your 'So what?' is quite disturbing since I can say the same to a huge number of bands. Well, some people just love this jazz/DM crossover, this overall technicality, and even the vocals, that's all about it. Implicitly saying that Cynic is overrated is kinda exagerated imo...

Hmmm well I didn't implicity say they were overrated... what I mean is that an album should be judged on all its aspects, and with this release I find the vocals terrible. There are many bands that have released music with "average" vocalists, but those vocalists neither benefit nor ruin the bands' sounds. With "Focus," however, the vocals in my opinion take away everything that the musicians gain by being very talented. I could make many metaphors to describe my feelings, but I think I am clear enough. There are plenty of bands that I wish the vocalist would just shut up, but Cynic has always been at or near the top of my list for bands that need to remove the vocals. I've tried to like this record since I heard it from a fan years ago, but it just won't work for me.

I understood that I used to hate Cynic's vocals at first, but I slowly got into them.
Check their demos, not weird vocals, you might like them.

I have the bonus track edition of 'Focus' and like so many others I really despise the vocals. However, I'm quite partial to the song 'The Circle's Gone'. I don't think the band excites me enough to bother finding their demos.

...i really like their only album, i would like to hear more about them...they r pretty unique...i like most of the songs but maybe my fay is "how could i?"...

Written by Daru Jericho on 25.06.2006 at 05:38

I have the bonus track edition of 'Focus' and like so many others I really despise the vocals. However, I'm quite partial to the song 'The Circle's Gone'. I don't think the band excites me enough to bother finding their demos.

Just get "Focus" and wait for some time. I had no special feelings for the band either when I got the album, I guess it's one of those bands you get into slowly. Well that was my case atleast. Pretty much the same goes for the vocals too.

I suppose I'll give them another try someday. You could be right; there have been quite a few bands that required a few listens for me to go from dislike to like.

Cynic is one of my favorite bands they are amazing. I haven't heard any of their demos but I own Focus and every song on it is amazing. I was recommended to listen to this by my friend who is a fiend for Prog and Jazz music and he's like you'll definently like this band and sent me "Veil of Maya" which is now my one of my favorite songs and my favorite one by Cynic. One thing I really like about Cynic though is their vocals they have such a unique way of doing them I don't understand how anyone could dislike them.

Great band indeed, although I haven't listened to their demos, only to "Focus" (which is a masterpiece IMO!!)
The way they mix Prog, Jazz and Death with so much talent is amazing: Cynic takes extreme metal in directions you never thought it could possibly be taken. Sure they've got the blasting electric guitar riffs and death metal growls that any fan of the style would surely expect, but listening closely will reveal so much more than just that. These guys have as much talent as any conventional prog band, and are more creative than the vast majority of them!!
For those bothered by their vocals, listen to their instrumental Textures, it shows the virtuosity of the players focusing on the structure of the song, and demonstrates their skill at its full extent!

Written by Endoftherainbow on 27.06.2006 at 23:05

Cynic is one of my favorite bands they are amazing. I haven't heard any of their demos but I own Focus and every song on it is amazing. I was recommended to listen to this by my friend who is a fiend for Prog and Jazz music and he's like you'll definently like this band and sent me "Veil of Maya" which is now my one of my favorite songs and my favorite one by Cynic. One thing I really like about Cynic though is their vocals they have such a unique way of doing them I don't understand how anyone could dislike them.

Well, to each their own, but I can think of a dozen reasons why the vocals are some of the worst I've heard. I mean, even with bands I love, I can always at least understand *why* someone would not like certain aspects of them..... If I ever hear the demo, I will offer my opinion on it, but I really have no interest in looking for it (nor purchasing).

Awesome band, I wish they were still making albums, they just left one masterpiece rather than a whole span of masterpieces.

Cynic is an amazing band. I also enjoyed the new Textures CD. If anyone hasn't head Coprofago and likes VERY progressive Jazz-oriented metal, I highly recommend this band. I believe they are from Chile'.

Shawn Malone is sick...what an amazing band...Focus is one of my favorite albums...everytime I hear it, something new pops out...jazz influence mixed with death metal, wow...too bad they broke up after this album

Which album or albums did Death do with Cynic, does anyone know?