FOCUS

Truly groundbreaking, Cynic manages to fuse the best elements of death metal, progressive rock, and jazz fusion into an exceedingly unique and avant-garde style of their own creation. The musicianship of these guys is phenomenal; Sean Malone has truly inspired me to reach new heights with my bass playing, not to mention an equally talented guitar section composed of Jason Gobel and Paul Masvidal.

The thing I truly enjoy about this album is the heavy & technical metal riffs, as well as jazz-metal drum lines combined with spacey, prog-like breakdowns within the compositions, making them truly unique. A mix of synthesized vocals and guttural vocals also adds to the unusual and incredible sound that Cynic defines as its own. It is no doubt that Cynic has propelled the extreme metal genre to a new frontier in terms of musicianship and creativity. I myself am not a die-hard death metal fan, and I find groups such as Cannibal Corpse unlistenable. But when this is combined with incredible progressive elements, I find a little gem of an album such as Focus incredibly appealing. Even if you are not a fan of guttural vocals, there is room for you on the album as well. Hardcore prog heads such as myself will die for compositions such as Veil of Maya and Sentiment, but the rest of the album is just as amazing. A must have for any prog rock or prog metal fanatic.

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