Cynic
Focus

THE REVIEW

"Cynic: A member of a group of philosophers from ancient Greece who taught that virtue constitutes happiness and that self-control is the essential part of virtue."

This is how the text in the booklet of the debut studio album of a great band, hindered by a troubled history, Cynic, reads. "Focus" was released in 1993 by Roadrunner Records (I'm increasingly convinced it's my favorite label), after already four self-titled demos published by the group. The result is an exceptional album that truly cannot be categorized into any particular genre. There's a bit of everything; the music is a meeting point between bands like Opeth and Death (of which Cynic's drummer Sean Reinert and singer/guitarist Masvidal were part for the album "Human"), and others closer to traditional progressive, with the addition of synths and vocoder (possibly one of the first times the vocoder was used in metal, gifting the listener with unique emotions) and sporadic references to other genres. The distinctive element of Cynic is indeed the vocals of Paul Masvidal, featuring both vocoder and death voice. Completing the lineup is the second guitarist Jason Gobel (who also played in Monstrosity with the future iconic Cannibal Corpse singer George Fisher!) and bassist Sean Malone, who also plays the Chapman Stick and is remembered for the prestigious Gordian Knot project.

Of the 8 tracks composing the album (only 35 minutes of music, which, with the addition of 3 new versions of original tracks and 3 bonus tracks, become 75 in the 2004 version), I particularly recommend the opener "Veil of Maya", the central "Sentiment", and "Textures". Closing, perhaps too soon, the album is, with a progressive decrease in volume, a guitar solo followed by synth of the concluding "How Could I".

Cynic subsequently disbanded, remaining united only with other projects such as the already mentioned Gordian Knot of Malone, AEon Spoke (still active), and Portal, which quickly disappeared after a single demo; they reunited with a new second guitarist and bassist from 2006 to 2015, when Reinert left the group. In any case, they remain a great band, a trait d'union of technique and emotions without descending into either whining or nonsense.