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Cynic Appreciation Thread
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Negoba View Drop Down
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Posts: 2005 		  Quote Negoba Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Cynic Appreciation Thread
    Posted: November 05 2009 at 09:18
I've listened to alot of albums since joining PA over a year ago, and TRACED IN AIR was one of the early ones. I gave it 5 stars then and of all the albums, this one is holding my esteem more than perhaps any other. I come back to it often and consider it one of the most beautiful, complex, progressive, and musical pieces of work ever made in the metal genre.
 
For some in explicable reason, I only picked up FOCUS last night. It is a very different album but also phenomenal. I'm only a few listens in so I'm not ready to review. Minimum 4 star album though. Less melody and beauty but Sean Malone! Actually more technical, a different beast.
 
So I'm looking for other people's opinions on all things Cynic and suggestions about where to go next. I've sampled alot but the only thing I own is the Aghora album with Reinert.
 
Go.,.
Current Listening:

Devin Townsend: Addicted and Synchestra
Cynic: Focus
Dead Soul Tribe: Murder of Crows
Sieges Even: Navigating by the Stars
Ansur: Warring Factions
Gentle Giant: Power Glory
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Padraic View Drop Down
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Posts: 19424 		  Quote Padraic Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 05 2009 at 09:27
Do you have Sean Malone's Gordian Knot project (two albums, I believe)?

Focus is still one of my favorite metal albums of all time.  I bought it on a whim around 1996, I think, and was blown away by the musicianship. 
http://www.last.fm/User/NatSci
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Negoba View Drop Down
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Posts: 2005 		  Quote Negoba Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 05 2009 at 09:33
I think the Gordian Knot will be next...I've listened to them alot on last.fm but never bought them. But there's Exivious too....probably will end up with all of them eventually. xmas is coming.
Current Listening:

Devin Townsend: Addicted and Synchestra
Cynic: Focus
Dead Soul Tribe: Murder of Crows
Sieges Even: Navigating by the Stars
Ansur: Warring Factions
Gentle Giant: Power Glory
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J-Man View Drop Down
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Posts: 3649 		  Quote J-Man Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 05 2009 at 15:20
I only have Traced In Air, and after about 4 listens, there's nothing that really "grabbed" me enough to listen to it too many more times. I don't know, maybe I just need to give it some time...

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UMUR View Drop Down
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Posts: 1120 		  Quote UMUR Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 05 2009 at 15:27
Sadist - Tribe
Pestilence - Spheres
Cerebrum - Spectral Extravagance
 
 
Just to mention a few interesting ones. But nothing really sounds like Cynic now does it? The only other band I have ever found comparable to Cynic is Atheist  ( especially when talking about quality) and they are actually quite different when you begin to analyze them.
Forever TRUE - Forever BLUE!
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Negoba View Drop Down
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Posts: 2005 		  Quote Negoba Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 05 2009 at 15:40
Thanks UMUR, I've got some searching to go do.
 
J-Man...Focus is much more like Death and Atheist from what I've seen. Traced in Air is that elusive "Beautiful but very Heavy Metal" that I search for...only Devin Townsend really plays anything like it and it's still quite different. I assume you like Focus.
Current Listening:

Devin Townsend: Addicted and Synchestra
Cynic: Focus
Dead Soul Tribe: Murder of Crows
Sieges Even: Navigating by the Stars
Ansur: Warring Factions
Gentle Giant: Power Glory
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J-Man View Drop Down
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Posts: 3649 		  Quote J-Man Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 05 2009 at 16:18
Originally posted by Negoba

Thanks UMUR, I've got some searching to go do.
 
J-Man...Focus is much more like Death and Atheist from what I've seen. Traced in Air is that elusive "Beautiful but very Heavy Metal" that I search for...only Devin Townsend really plays anything like it and it's still quite different. I assume you like Focus.


I don't actually have Focus yet, but I do plan on getting it. I love Athiest though, so that might be more down my alley.

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zappaholic View Drop Down
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Posts: 958 		  Quote zappaholic Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 05 2009 at 19:36
Focus is quite good.  I've only listened to Traced In Air a couple times so I'm not quite as into it.
 
Some time ago - a couple years before Focus was released - a tape of early Cynic material came into my possession.  It had early versions of "The Eagle Nature" and "Uroboric Forms" with all DM-type vocals (presumably done by Masvidal before he tore his throat up), plus an otherwise unreleased song called "Pleading For Preservation".  I don't know if I still have it or not.
 
 
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Equality 7-2521 View Drop Down
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Posts: 3371 		  Quote Equality 7-2521 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 05 2009 at 23:00
The band Portal is an offshoot of Cynic. More of a symphonic thing with female vocals but worth checking out.
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Posts: 24915 		  Quote Petrovsk Mizinski Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 05 2009 at 23:15
Traced in Air is probably in my top 5 of 2008, easily.
Goddamn amazing album
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Posts: 201 		  Quote Synchestra Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 06 2009 at 04:26
Originally posted by J-Man

I only have Traced In Air, and after about 4 listens, there's nothing that really "grabbed" me enough to listen to it too many more times. I don't know, maybe I just need to give it some time...
 I gave it a couple listens after it came out and thought it was decent, then forgot about it. Came back to it about two weeks ago, and it blew me away. It's definately an album that takes time. But it's currently working it's way up to my top 20 metal albums. If you like Athiest then Focus is almost certainly going to be more your thing, the two really go hand in hand as far as jazz death (or whatever you feel like calling it Wink) goes.
I'm not insane, I'm not insane im just a little smarter than you - Devin Townsend
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Posts: 10916 		  Quote sleeper Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 06 2009 at 05:45
Originally posted by Petrovsk Mizinski

Traced in Air is probably in my top 5 of 2008, easily.
Goddamn amazing album
Agree with Harry here, astounding album.
Spending more than I should on Prog since 2005

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The Pessimist View Drop Down
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Posts: 2756 		  Quote The Pessimist Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 06 2009 at 11:32
I love Cynic. Gotta say I prefer Focus to Traced In Air, but both are pretty stoic albums in my collection. My opinion of the band is kind of public, and I'm gonna back it up with a short story: they toured with Cannibal Corpse during their first album tour (citation needed) and pretty much got booed off the stage (not really the kind of material you'd expect to hear at a CC gig). That's actually one of the ego-hitters that made them put off an album for so long according to Reinert, but lo a behold: Traced In Air comes along during the height of prog metal, and it turns out that at their first festival venue everyone was singing along to Veil of Maya.
 
Beautiful story, and entirely true.
 
So I guess that sums it up. They take a while to get into for metalheads, but after a period of time their music is almost anthemic.
 
They are also top notch musicians, especially Masdival for me. Astonishing guitarist, and one of the pioneers in jazz death-metal.
R.I.P. Chuck. You will be sorely missed by the entire metal world.
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sleeper View Drop Down
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Posts: 10916 		  Quote sleeper Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 07 2009 at 09:24
^Thank god we wont have to wait as long for album number 3 as we did TiA!
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O666 View Drop Down
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Posts: 84 		  Quote O666 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 07 2009 at 14:27
I wrote about sean's great band AGHORA. gordian knot and cynic also great. but i advise to listen AGHORA.
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Negoba View Drop Down
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Posts: 2005 		  Quote Negoba Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 10 2009 at 09:42

Traced in Air is among my top 10 metal albums ever. It combines the unbelievable ideas from Focus and a more mature melodic and songwriting to be just one of the highest pieces of art metal has produced.

I've listened to Focus at least 10 times now, probably review it today.

I have Aghora's newer album which is a great tech album. The female vocalist is pretty blah though. Less fire in her voice than the background vocalist on Focus. The little I've heard of the first album is a different singer who I like a little better. Some of the music is phenomenal.

I'm probably going to buy one of Gordian Knot's albums soon.

 
ed. When are we supposed to get another Cynic album???


Edited by Negoba - November 10 2009 at 13:46
Current Listening:

Devin Townsend: Addicted and Synchestra
Cynic: Focus
Dead Soul Tribe: Murder of Crows
Sieges Even: Navigating by the Stars
Ansur: Warring Factions
Gentle Giant: Power Glory
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