CYNIC - Focus (RoadRunner)
This début is not-just-death, and the musicians, veterans of the Florida death world, interlace speedy unconventional riffs with mellow jazzy grooves, the direction of several death bands recently. Even those with an appetite for the eclectic and technical may find it a little overbearing at first with its' relentless virtuosity, and if you don't like death vocals you may never get past them to the music. Listen un-distracted; this is definitely a record that requires a lot of familiarizing. Try the second side first (starting with I'm But A Wave To... for you CD owners).
"Wave..." is representative of Cynic's multifaceted orchestral ensemble style. After the refurbished and more traditional deathy Uroboric Forms, which was on At Death's Door II, there's the relatively accessible Belew-Vai-Bruford style instrumental, Textures, with Shawn Malone's Jaco-ish bass solo.
Lyrically, the record isn't very death; rather more philosophipunk, or contemplatively instigative. Much of Paul Masvidal's vocals are growly, except the frequently used robot voice, which is melodic. There are three guest vocalists, including Sonia Otey on Veil Of Maya and elsewhere. However, the vocals generally take a back seat to the music.
Many music sections have that distinct high energy death sound, but there is the more complex harmonic structuring, nouveau jazz and persistent use of non-4/4 time signatures of which band's like WatchTower and Atheist are exemplary. Toxic, Metheny, Eno and even Yes come to mind too; it's not exactly mono-audiomorphic, though clearly arty.
Adding interest, Paul Masvidal and Jason Gobel use guitar synthesizers to good effect, though producer Scott Burns isn't quite as adept with those sounds as with the drums and guitars. In addition to his acoustic kit, Sean Reinert uses electronic drums, though they don't stick out too much and certainly don't destroy the album. Otherwise, while very busy, his drumming is monstrous, as are the bass and two guitar performances. Listen to 70's fusion records like Bruford's One Of A Kind for historical analysis, if you haven't already.
- Peter Moses |