'88 DEMO

"'88 Demo" is, just as the name suggests, a 1988 cassette demo tape by US technical/progressive death metal act Cynic. While it wouldn´t be until 1993 that Cynic released their debut full-length studio album "Focus", they were rather busy in the intermediate years. Cynic recorded 4 demos and played as session musicians on quite a few albums by other artists (Death, Pestilence, Master, Monstrosity, Atheist) before getting a label contract with Roadrunner Records. The last demo was recorded for Roadrunner Records in 1991. This demo from 1988 is the first demo recording Cynic released.

The music is on the demo is in the vein of Bay Area mid- to late eighties thrash metal ala Forbidden, Vio-Lence and Testament. The technical/progressive death metal influences that are present on "Focus", are not a part of the band´s sound yet and wouldn´t be until the third demo, although the music at times can get quite technical. The thrash metal sound are mostly due to Jack Kelly´s raw voice and his singing style, but the guitar riffs also point in a thrash metal direction. The tracks aren´t particularly memorable and the songwriting is obviously a bit immature at this point.

Considering the young age of the musicians involved and the fact that this is the band´s first output, Cynic are already quite accomplished performers. Drummer Sean Reinert deserves a special mention for his creative and powerful drumming style. The demo features a decent quality sound production. It´s not perfect by any means but you´re able to hear what´s going on, and feel the power of the music. Upon conclusion "'88 Demo" is a decent first demo recording from Cynic, and although it hasn´t much in common with the subsequent releases from the band, it´s always interesting to hear the early origins of a band like Cynic. A 2 - 2.5 star (45%) rating is warranted.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives).