Cynic
Reflections Of A Dying World

Cynic, a name that speaks history. Their masterpiece and only album "Focus" is widely known among Metal music listeners, but delving into their unfortunately brief career, one can find several demos, certainly less known, through which one can observe the band's stylistic evolution, and given the stature of the group, every work of theirs deserves to be rediscovered and listened to. One of these demos is dated 1989 and is titled "Reflections Of A Dying World".

The recording consists of 4 tracks where the group's Death essence is still slightly repressed, and the sound, partly due to the singer's voice, is more oriented towards Thrash. However, the first Jazz-Fusion deviations are not missing, especially in the bass lines. The instrument is played to perfection by Mark Van Erp, his fills have a warm and full-bodied sound, and every note from his bass strings enters the listener's mind and heart, delivering an emotion. The guitars churn out sharp riffs and well-crafted technical solos within the tracks. Even in their early experiences, the group demonstrates incredibly high technical abilities and above all, a great mastery of their own talent that doesn't devolve into pointless technicality. Reinert on drums delivers an excellent performance, handling both fast and slow tempos with ease, never becoming monotonous. Unfortunately, the imperfect production doesn't highlight his work behind the skins, but anyone aware of his skills with the sticks knows his prowess.

From start to finish, we are presented with tracks of excellent quality, but I would like to highlight the final track "Agitating Affliction", in my opinion, the most successful episode of this demo, featuring rapid riffing, magnificent bass breaks, and sharp and fast solos throughout the track's duration, truly excellent.

Ultimately, nothing less than great work could be expected from Cynic. It only receives 4 stars because, in their discography, the highest score is reserved for their magnum opus, "Focus", one of the most beautiful and innovative albums Metal has ever had.