Cynic

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Cynic
Cynic.svg
Sean Reinert and Paul Masvidal in Paris, 2010
Sean Reinert and Paul Masvidal in Paris , 2010
General information
Genre (s) Thrash Metal , Technical Death Metal , Fusion , Progressive Metal , Artrock
founding 1987, 2007
resolution 1994
Website cyniconline.com
Founding members
Paul Masvidal
Sean Reinert († 2020) (1987–1994, 2006–2017)
Current occupation
Vocals , guitar
 Paul Masvidal (1987–1994, since 2006)
Drums, percussion
Matt Lynch (since 2017)
Fretless Bass, Chapman Stick
Sean Malone (1993–1994, 2008, since 2013)
former members
Tymon Kruidenier (2008-2010)
Robin Zielhorst (2008-2010)
Chris Kringel (1993-1994, 2006-2007)
Guttural vocals, keyboard
 Tony Teegarden (1993-1994, 2006-2007)
guitar
 David Senescu (2007)
Vocals, keyboard
 Aruna Abrams (1994-1996)
guitar
 Jason Gobel (1988-1994)
bass
 Tony Choy (1991-1993)
bass
 Mark van Erp (1987-1989)
singing
 Jack Kelly (1987-1988)

Cynic ( English for " Kyniker ") is an American progressive metal band from Florida , which has processed various musical transformations and developed various style crossings in the course of their career. In the canon of their music there are various influences from Thrash Metal , Technical Death Metal , Fusion , Progressive Metal and Artrock . Cynic's key work is the album Focus , released in 1993 , which was particularly noticeable due to the interplay between guttural singing and a singing voice alienated by vocoder effects.

history

Paul Masvidal at the Evolution Festival 2007 in Florence .
Sean Reinert at the Evolution Festival 2007.

The band was founded in November 1987 by Paul Masvidal (guitar) and Sean Reinert (* 1972 - † January 24, 2020) (drums). In the early years the musicians concentrated on a style of composition oriented towards Thrash and Death Metal , which, according to their own statements, was inspired by groups such as Metallica , Slayer , Kreator , Destruction and Dark Angel . A total of four demo recordings had been released by 1991.

The recording of their debut album Focus was originally planned as early as 1991 after the recordings for Death's album Human , in which Masvidal and Reinert played a key role, had been completed. First, the two musicians decided to support Chuck Schuldiner on Death's European tour in order to concentrate on the studio recordings of their own album in October 1992. In August, Hurricane Andrew destroyed guitarist Jason Gobel's house , where much of the band's equipment was located. So it was not possible to start recording until March 1993, although bassist Tony Choy switched to atheist . On September 14, 1993, Focus was finally released , which musically differed significantly from all previous releases. By enriching their music with elements of jazz fusion , they also gained a certain degree of popularity outside of the death metal scene. Cynic also work with two contrapuntal voices on the album, whereby guttural vocals are performed with a clearly sung voice that is distorted by a vocoder .

A European tour followed for promotional purposes, as support from Pestilence . Tony Teegarden supported her as a second singer and keyboard player. In early 1994, Cynic played some concerts in America for the first time in about two years. In the summer a complete American tour with Cannibal Corpse followed .

After Sean Malone left in 1994, Cynic broke up. The three remaining members first founded the short-lived project Portal , with which they broke away from technical death metal and the singer Aruna Abrams took over the main vocals. The recordings, which were only made as a demo, were only officially released in 2012 as The Portal Tapes under the name Cynic. Then the musicians initially went their separate ways, but appeared again and again, at least partially united, on albums by Aghora and Gordian Knot . Paul Masvidal and Sean Reinert formed another short-lived project called Æon Spoke , which approached progressive rock .

In 2007 a reunion took place, with Cynic playing some concerts at European festivals and a small European tour. In addition to the founding members Masvidal and Reinert, Chris Kringel (Cynic tour bassist and member of Portal) and David Senescu (guitar) played. In 2008 they played at Wacken Open Air, among others, and the second album Traced In Air was released in autumn 2008, which builds on the musical development of Focus . In December, Cynic could be seen live in Europe supporting Opeth .

The EP Re-Traced , released on May 27, 2010, contains four newly recorded songs from the album Traced In Air and a newly composed piece. The musical style of the EP moves further away from the pure Death Metal roots of the group.

The EP Carbon-Based Anatomy was released on November 11, 2011, which builds on the musical development of the Re-Traced EP. A European tour with Chimp Spanner followed in December , with Brandon Giffin , who became known as a founding member of The Faceless , on bass and Max Phelps on second guitar and backing vocals.

In 2014 the third studio album Kindly Bent to Free Us was released, which was only recorded in trio of Masvidal and Reinert with Sean Malone on bass. The album now completely dispensed with any guttural singing and vocal vocoder effects. In the same year Paul Masvidal and Sean Reinert both came out as homosexual. They received great support from Rob Halford , who outed himself in 1998.

In 2017 a sound-technically processed collection of all demo recordings from the years 1988 to 1991 was published under the title Uroboric Forms - The Complete Demo Recordings 1988-1991 . Sean Reinert officially announced his departure in December 2017 after reaching an agreement with Paul Masvidal over the rights to the name of Cynic. Reinert had already described the relationship between the two musicians as "poisoned" on Facebook two months earlier. His last concert with Cynic took place in Japan in September 2015. He is succeeded by Matt Lynch, with whom the single Humanoid was released on the Internet in 2018 .

Sean Reinert was found dead by his significant other in California on January 24, 2020 at the age of 48. The cause of death has not yet been clarified.

Discography

  • 1988: demo
  • 1989: Reflections of a Dying World (Demo)
  • 1990: demo
  • 1991: Demo 1991 Roadrunner Records
  • 1993: Focus
  • 2008: Traced in Air
  • 2010: Re-Traced (EP)
  • 2011: Carbon-Based Anatomy (EP)
  • 2012: The Portal Tapes
  • 2014: Kindly Bent to Free Us
  • 2017: Uroboric Forms - The Complete Demo Recordings 1988-1991
  • 2018: Humanoid (single)

Web links

Commons : Category: Cynic (band)  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Blabbermouth: Former DEATH And CYNIC Drummer SEAN REINERT Dead At 48. In: blabbermouth.net. BLABBERMOUTH.NET, January 25, 2020, accessed on January 26, 2020 .
  2. ↑ a b c http://www.cynicalsphere.com/history.html ( Memento from March 8, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) (English)
  3. ↑ http://www.metal.de/progressive-metal/review/cynic/14445-re-traced/
  4. ↑ http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/cynicex-death-members-paul-masvidal-sean-reinert-publicly-discuss-their-sexuality-for-first-time/
  5. ↑ http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/rob-halford-commends-fellow-gay-metalheads-cynic-for-publicly-speaking-out-about-their-sexuality/
  6. ↑ https://www.rockhard.de/artikel/cynic_-sean-reinert-verkuendet-offiziell-seinen-ausstieg_375856.html
  7. ↑ https://www.tz.de/stars/sean-reinert-musik-death-metal-heavy-metal-musiker-tod-death-pionier-ehemann-zr-13500327.html