ASCENSION CODES

It's impossible to start this review of Cynic's fourth full-length album Ascension Codes without mentioning the sad twist of fate that in 2020 claimed the lives of both drummer Sean Reinert and bass-player Sean Malone in the space of less than 12 months. Although Reinert was no longer part of Cynic (he had left the band in 2015), his premature death due to heart failure hit hard the Cynic family, possibly contributing to Malone's bout of depression that lead to his suicide. Faced with such terrible events, surviving band members Paul Masvidal (guitar/vocals) and Matt Lynch (who joined Cynic as drummer since 2017) were left with the painful task to assemble a new line-up and complete the music for an album that had been in gestation since 2014's Kindly Bent to Free Us. Masvidal felt immediately that it was not possible to replace Malone and therefore asked pianist Dave Mackay to perform the bass lines of the album on bass synthesizer instead. The trio of musicians were further helped to put together the record by a small number of guest artists, including guitar wizard Plini (who guests on "The Winged Ones"), vocalist Max Phelps, and ambient artist DARK (guitar textures).

The end result is Ascension Codes, a 49-minute cosmic journey divided in 18 individual tracks that alternate between short ambient interludes and lengthier "proper" songs. Musically, the album sounds unmistakably 21st-century Cynic, merging together progressive rock, jazz/fusion, ambient music and a touch of alt/post rock. It follows closely in the footsteps of Cynic's previous LP Kindly Bent to Free Us, accentuating even further the jazz/fusion/ambient influences and toning down the metal vibes instead. The music is spacey, mellow and atmospheric, engulfing the listener in a hazy sea of mesmerizing drum patterns, groovy bass lines, and layered swathes of dreamy guitars and keyboards. The guitar riffs are nervous and angular, yet strangely smooth and immersive. Lynch's work behind the drumkit is simply astonishing, his performance a treasure-trove of clever, hyper-technical drum patterns that are nevertheless always played in the best interest of the song. Mackay's dexterous keyboard playing is also a great addition to Cynic's music, contributing smooth jazz vibes to the proceedings as well as excellent grooves on the bass synthesizer. Masvidal's dreamy, high-pitched clean vocals fit perfectly with the mellow atmosphere of the songs, channeling a sort of futuristic Jon Anderson (Yes), both sonically and lyrically.

The album packs some excellent tracks, like the emotionally-charged "Mythical Serpents" where Masvidal's delicate falsetto tugs the right heartstrings, almost pushing the song in Sigur Rós territory. "Aurora" is more urgent and direct, adding some subtly catchy alt-rock influences that make it one of the most memorable songs of the album. Meanwhile, "In a Multiverse where Atoms Sing" and album closer "Diamond Light Body" are pure prog heaven, reaching levels of hyperactivity and melodic sublimity that are reminiscent of Devin Townsend's best work.

However, elsewhere the album loses a little bit steam, especially towards the middle where the long, ambient piece "DNA Activation Template" is rather monotonous and breaks unnecessarily the flow of the album. The short interludes between the main songs are also not fantastic in terms of flow. These ambient pieces do not work very well as intros or outros to the songs they bookend, but rather give the record a sense of "stop-and-go" that is incongruous with the immersive ebb and flow of the main compositions. Another complaint I have with the album is that it's a tad too samey and homogeneous. It lives in its own very definite sonic space, made up of mellow and spacey atmospheres that are endearing, but also fail to leave a very strong first impression on the listener. Repeated listens are certainly necessarily here, but even then I sense a general struggle to ascend beyond the album's self-imposed dreamy confines with something that is truly momentous and unforgettable.

With a better flow and a couple more arresting songs in the vein of "Mythical Serpents", "Aurora" or "In a Multiverse where Atoms Sing", Ascension Codes could have easily crept up on my top 10 of 2021 albums. While it probably won't end up there, it is nevertheless a very pleasurable album to sit through and will no doubt please Cynic aficionados as well as fans of the mellower, Floyd-infused brands of progressive rock and metal.

[Originally written for The Metal Observer]

"Ascension Codes" is the 4th full-length studio album by US progressive rock/metal act Cynic. The album was released through Season of Mist in November 2021. It´s the successor to "Kindly Bent To Free Us" from 2014, although the "Uroboric Forms - The Complete Demo Recordings" compilation album was released in 2017, and Cynic also released the "Humanoid" single in 2018 (the first new music from the band since 2014), and the "Integral" single in 2021.

It´s safe to say that Cynic have been through some years of turmoil and tragedy since the release of "Kindly Bent To Free Us" (2014) as drummer/original member Sean Reinert left in 2015 and subsequently tragically died of a heart attack in January 2020. A few years after he left and some disputes over the continued use of the Cynic name later, Reinert was replaced by Matt Lynch in 2017, who plays on "Ascension Codes". Bassist Sean Malone stuck with lead vocalist/guitarist Paul Masvidal, but another tragedy struck as he chose to end his own life in December 2020. Masvidal opted not to recruit a new bassist, and "Ascension Codes" actually doesn´t feature bass at all. Instead Masvidal hired keyboard player Dave Mackay to record the bass parts using a bass synthesizer.

Although Masvidal was always the main composer in Cynic, losing 2/3 of the lineup who have recorded most of the band´s previous material is bound to be a big loss and to have an impact on future material. Anyone familiar with Cynic knows how skilled, unique, and important for the band´s sound both Reinert and Malone were, and "Ascension Codes" is therefore in many ways a new beginning for Cynic.

Stylistically there is no doubt that you´re listening to a Cynic album though. Although Max Phelps is creadited for performing additional vocals, the extreme metal vocals are very few and far between. When they occur they are layered with the clean vocals and buried in the mix, which means they sound more like rough whispers than anything else. Masvidal performs his usual effect laden and futuristic sounding clean vocals. The atmosphere of the music is tranquil, spiritual, and mellow, although the album does feature more heavy parts. The complex heavy riffs aren´t the primary focus of the music though, so it´s the fusion influenced rhythms, futuristic synths, and mellow atmospheres which the band have opted to make their focal point. "Ascension Codes" is generally a layered and very busy album, but the great dynamics in the music make it a slightly more accessible release than what it may appear upon initial listens (at least in terms of being a pleasant listen).

"Ascension Codes" features 18 tracks and a total playing time of 49:09 minutes. Only half of the tracks are regular length (3-5 minutes long) songs though and the remaining tracks are short intros, transitions, or outros. Very few would probably despute that Masvidal is a musical genius and that his approach to writing and performing music is very unique, but even after repeated listens "Ascension Codes" is an album which is hard to crack. For all it´s technical finesse, gorgeous melancholic melodies, and multible layers of intruments and vocals, the tracks seem to melt together into one long flowing listening experience, and a few more memorable hooks would have been welcome. The album has a tendency to become a little too ambient and atmospheric, and just a little more attitude or edge could have made the album a more interesting listen. The whole UFO, celestial beings, ethereal spritual lyrics/imagery isn´t a surprise and fits with the general impression of how Masvidal appears as a person, but again the whole thing ends up a little light weight new age tinged. It´s proabably exactly what Masvidal is aiming for, but a few darker moments wouldn´t have hurt.

Upon conclusion "Ascension Codes" is still a quality release by Cynic, but it´s audible that it´s now the work of only one man, and the lack of Malone´s fretless bass playing and Reinert´s creative virtuosic drumming (although Lynch is definitely a capable replacement) do have a slightly negative impact on the music. Masvidal is also credited for producing "Ascension Codes" and therefore there are simply no one left to make a constructive (and sometimes necessary) criticism of his songwriting ideas or song arrangements. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved, although "Ascension Codes" is the type of album which may (or may not) grow on repeated listens, and therefore my rating is prone to change.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives)

This is quite a strange album from Cynic. Bereft of former members Sean Reinert and Sean Malone, on drums and bass respectively (both having sadly have passed away), you know you are going to be in for a lesser listening experience. Malone's fretless bass and especially Reinert's drumming were as much a cornerstone to the band's sound as Paul Masvidal's guitar playing and songwriting. I'll even go so far as to say that the late Reinert was one of the best prog drummers who ever lived and was easily in the class of greats like Palmer and Peart. His ability to be highly technical while still being able to swing the groove can't be overlooked.

So what we have here is basically a Masvidal solo album with hired sidemen. Dave Mackay does the keys and rubbery sounding synth bass, while Matt Lynch does the drumming in a more conventional rock style than his predecessor, with all of the rock drumming clichés like rim shots and jazzy high hat rhythms.

But the main problem is with the music itself. More in the mainstream of prog, with heavy use of synths, the songs sound very uninspired in their now spacy atmospheric style. The second major problem is a group of songs bereft of catchy riffs and hooks that was so prominent on past albums. In fact, an infectious riff doesn't surface until the intro of the album's 13th track titled "Aurora". By then, it's a case of too little too late. The third problem is that Masdival's weak vocals are all but buried in the sound mix until the the album's last few vocal tracks. Masdival might not be a powerhouse vocalist, but his voice is pleasant and fits with his song's subject matter of attaining higher consciousness and a peaceful repose.

So, I can't recommend this album for Cynic fans, but perhaps those who like generic sounding atmospheric space rock might enjoy it, so 2.5 stars rounded up to 3 sounds about right.

CYNIC, a group apart in the extreme avant-garde prog drawer, releases its 4th album, an opus that many people no longer thought they would listen to, given the successive losses of members of the group.

CYNIC embarks on a musical manifesto where the titles are composed in concept form, 18 tracks interspersed with interludes, hovering outros and hanging up the titles with each other. This causes a latent ambient, jazzy, post-rock atmosphere which combines in an appropriate way with the CYNIC sound well turned on the djent metal, here more calm and melodic. In fact, the album loses its force of yesteryear, its musical punch by plunging into titles which go along the album to merge; the album loses its soul in my opinion and it is paradoxically the interlude titles that give it the musical framework to make it a good album. The sound is more refined, more ambient, more atmospheric and therefore less sticky; 'The Winged Ones', 'Mythical Serpents' and 'Architects of Consciousness' have that little bit more that changes the pace, '6th Dimensional Archetype' is typical djent as for 'DNA Activation Template' the intro made me think that 'we were still in the interlude and actually one of the most atmospheric, one of my favorites. 'Aurora' with its ethereal voices one of the most melodic.

Good album from a singular CYNIC much less avant-garde than it seems but which paradoxically suits me more in this new decade.

Cynic is one of my absolute favorite progressive metal bands. They've got a singular sound that weaves together death metal, jazz, and astral progressive rock. Though they have drifted away from explicit death metal after their 1993 debut, their evolution has been natural, and they're still recognizably the same band.

Ascension Codes is the band's fourth full-length album and the first since the untimely deaths of founding drummer Sean Reinert and longtime bassist Sean Malone. These two are sorely missed, but the musicians assembled by guitarist/vocalist Paul Masvidal pay fitting tribute to the unique styles and incredible skills of their predecessors. Notably, instead of utilizing a bass guitarist, the bass parts here are all played on a synthesizer, which lends a unique character to this album in the context of Cynic's discography.

This album is structured somewhat oddly. There are 18 total songs here, but fully half of them are sub-one minute interludes (and mostly sub-30 second). I was wary when I first saw this, but these tracks are so brief and fit into the flow so well, they're easy to miss. As such, I won't be discussing them, but know that they do not detract from the experience.

"The Winged Ones" is the first proper song on the album. It is an instrumental with a gentle, drifting intro. It featuring a descending synthesized bassline, and clean guitar and deft drumming dance around each other in this spacious soundscape. Gradually, the song builds to a high-energy place where guitar and synthesizer trade the lead. As is often the case with Cynic, jazz elements are prominent, but there are also dashes of post-metal in the expansiveness of this cut.

Following this is "Elements and Their Inhabitants", which is more immediately metallic. Chugging guitars and Masvidal's unique synthesized vocals signal that this is undoubtedly a Cynic track. The increased prominence of keyboards is very nice here, and the warm throb of the synth bass makes everything feel full and fleshed out in the quieter moments.

The lead single, "Mythical Serpents" follows. It opens with burbling synthesizers and light, jazzy percussion. The verses are driving and urgent, and the robotic vocals spouting sci-fi imagery all feed into the extraterrestrial vibe. The song continues on an upward trajectory until it erupts into a twisting, contorted guitar solo.

"6th Dimensional Archetype" has strong forward momentum and succeeds at giving a sense of interdimensional travel. It eventually arrives at a slower, mellower place, but it's an exciting trip there. Immediately following this (no interlude) is "DNA Activation Template". Looped electronics open it up slowly, along with especially-processed vocals. It's a spooky soundscape which reminds me of the midsection of "Sheep" by Pink Floyd.However, it goes on for too long and is the one weak spot on Ascension Codes. After nearly four minutes, though, it concludes with an exciting 60-second instrumental jam. The guitar is weird and jagged, the synth bass buzzes enchantingly, and the drumming is nothing short of masterful.

"Architects of Consciousness" is another slow-opening song. Electronic elements again play a large part here as synthesizers sizzle during the intro. When the guitar enters, it is speedy and nimble, and the first verse is beautifully pared-down. This song shifts between slow, simple verses and flashy, high-energy instrumental passages with great skill.

"Aurora" is a warm song that sounds like it would have fit in well on Kindly Bent to Free Us. This song starts off nearly as a ballad, but by its end, it has grown in intensity with dramatic vocals and swirling layers of guitar. 

The opening riff to "In a Multiverse Where Atoms Sing" is about the closest Cynic have gotten to their death metal roots in a long time. It even features some unclean vocals in the background in the second half. The song is ragged and energetic, and it's the perfect backdrop for some skillful instrumental interplay.

Ascension Codes closes on "Diamond Light Body". Pulsing synths and Eastern-tinged guitar lines feature in the intro to this track, and the intensity ebbs and flows very well. The extra-heavy processing on the vocals add a sense of claustrophobia, and the last two minutes features a huge, majestic riff that acts as a fitting climax to this record.

Cynic has never been a very prolific band, but they've always made the wait worth it. Seven years after Kindly Bent To Free Us, Ascension Codes is another strong addition to their oeuvre. It features all their hallmarks of complex instrumental passages, synthesized vocals, and diverse influences.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2021/11/29/album-review-cynic-ascension-codes/