FOCUS

I am generally very reluctant to hand out 5 star ratings for an album unless it is a piece of music that has really moved me or changed my view on music. "Focus" by Cynic is one such album. I bought this on the day of its release in 1994 and it has remained a cd I return to again and again for musical inspiration and pure enjoyment. "Focus" is a brilliantly crafted combination of metal, jazz fusion and world music which is wrapped up nicely with a spiritual lyrical perspective.

From the outset we are treated to excellently performed music with great dynamics both vocally and musically - the aggressive distortion laden riffs give way to serene, reverb drenched clean passages. There is some fantastic solo work to be found on each track and although both guitar players (Paul Masvidal, Jason Gobel) have excellent technique they seem to be able to craft meaningful melodic movements within each lead break. Its hard to fault the performance of any of the musicians here, with the rhythm section (Sean Reinart - drums and Shawn Malone - Bass, Chapman Stick) also turning in stellar performances.

Highlights for me include the amazing "Celestial Voyage", the meandering "I'm but a wave to...", the jazz drenched instrumental "Textures" and the majestic "How could I?" which features one of the best outro sections to a song I can remember. If any of this review peaks yours interest I suggest you locate a copy of this album ASAP. Amazing work.

P.S. Some criticism can be levelled at the production (often the distorted guitars can get muddy) but for me, it is only a minor distraction.