Cynic (band)

Cynic

Company type	Band
Industry	Music
Founded	1987 in Miami, Florida, United States
Founder	Paul Masvidal
Headquarters	California , United States
Products	Progressive metal music

Cynic is a progressive metal group from the United States, originally established in Miami, Florida, in 1987 and predominantly operating out of California since the late 1990s. The band was created by guitarist, later lead vocalist and principal songwriter, Paul Masvidal, and is known for integrating aspects of progressive rock, alternative music, and metal.

Their first full-length record, Focus, debuted in 1993. Following their breakup in 1994, Cynic reunited in 2006 and subsequently released Traced in Air in 2008 under the French label Season of Mist. This was succeeded by the EPs Re-Traced (2010) and Carbon-Based Anatomy (2011), culminating with their third studio album, Kindly Bent to Free Us, in 2014.

In December 2017, founding drummer Sean Reinert officially departed from the band; he passed away unexpectedly in January 2020 at age 48. Nearly a year later, longtime bassist Sean Malone died at age 50. Despite these significant losses, Cynic released their fourth studio album, Ascension Codes, in December 2021.

Early demos (1987–1991)

The inception of Cynic occurred in 1987 when guitarist and frontman Paul Masvidal teamed up with drummer Sean Reinert. Their initial demo, titled the 88 Demo, was recorded in 1988 featuring Jack Kelly on vocals and Mark van Erp on bass. Shortly afterward, Masvidal assumed vocal duties, and the band expanded by adding a second guitarist, Jason Gobel. The following year saw the release of the Reflections of a Dying World demo alongside the recruitment of bassist Tony Choy. In 1990, they produced the 90 Demo. By 1991, Cynic secured a contract with Roadrunner Records and delivered their final pre-album recording, Demo 1991.

Production of Focus (1991–1994)

After signing with Roadrunner Records, Cynic postponed recording their debut album Focus as Masvidal and Reinert contributed to Death's 1991 release Human and participated in its European tour. Financial difficulties during this tour resulted in their equipment being seized for half a year. Bassist Tony Choy departed to join Atheist, leading to Sean Malone stepping in as his replacement. Plans to record in August 1992 were interrupted when Hurricane Andrew devastated Gobel's residence and the band's practice space. Although this caused delays, it also inspired new compositions that appeared on Focus. Vocal contributions included death growls by Tony Teegarden while Masvidal provided all vocoder parts.

Focus was released globally on September 14, 1993. The band embarked on extensive tours throughout 1993 and 1994, including an appearance at the Dynamo Open Air Festival in May 1994.

Reflecting on Focus during a 2012 interview, Masvidal stated:

Initial breakup (1994−2006)

Differences both musically and personally led to halted progress on a follow-up album and eventually caused the band to disband as members explored other projects.

In 1994, Gobel, Masvidal, and Reinert joined forces with bassist Chris Kringel and vocalist/keyboardist Aruna Abrams to form Portal—a brief venture characterized by slower tempos and fewer distorted guitars than Cynic but maintaining intricate layered arrangements. They recorded ten pre-production demo tracks which remained unreleased until 2012 when they were issued as The Portal Tapes under Cynic’s name. Subsequently, Masvidal and Reinert collaborated on an indie project called Æon Spoke, releasing an album via SPV Records, with Kringel accompanying them on a UK tour in 2005. Members of Cynic also contributed to Gordian Knot’s sophomore release, Emergent.

Reunion (2006−2008)

In September 2006, Paul Masvidal declared that Cynic would reunite for shows scheduled in spring and summer of 2007. From June through August 2007, the band performed 15 concerts across Europe, primarily appearing at prominent metal and rock festivals. Their setlist featured selections from Focus, early Portal demos, a rendition of Mahavishnu Orchestra's "Meeting of the Spirits," and introduced a new composition titled "Evolutionary Sleeper."

The lineup for the reunion consisted of original members Masvidal (handling guitar and vocals) and Reinert (on drums). Due to personal and professional obligations, Gobel was unable to participate and was substituted by David "Mavis" Senescu. With bassist Malone also unavailable, Chris Kringel returned to fill the role. Death growl vocals were delivered through pre-recorded tracks of Teegarden, while keyboard parts were executed by Masvidal and Senescu utilizing guitar synthesizers.

Early in 2008, the group announced intentions to finalize their sophomore studio album. Malone rejoined the ensemble, and Dutch guitarist Tymon Kruidenier from Exivious was added to the lineup, contributing death growl vocals.

Traced in Air and Re-Traced (2008−2011)

The international release of Traced in Air occurred on November 17, 2008, under the Season of Mist label, with Robin Zielhorst joining as touring bassist.

Cynic appeared at the Wacken Open Air festival and commenced the Traced in Air tour during autumn 2008, supporting Opeth on their European dates. In early 2009, they toured North America alongside Meshuggah and The Faceless, followed by a support tour with DragonForce starting April 15, 2009.

During a 2010 tour backing Between the Buried and Me, Cynic introduced a live experimental piece entitled "Wheels Within Wheels." Shortly thereafter, they announced plans for a new EP. Paul Masvidal described this upcoming release as an experimental reinterpretation of four tracks from Traced in Air, incorporating elements from electronic/ambient music, jazz/fusion, drum n' bass, and shoegaze while preserving the original song structures and melodies.

This EP was later revealed to be named Re-Traced.

In May 2010, Cynic unveiled their first headlining tour across the US titled "Re-Traced / Re-Focused Live," which featured a complete live performance of their debut album Focus. Co-sponsored by Decibel Magazine as its inaugural "Hall of Fame" tour series, it launched on July 22 in Los Angeles with support acts Intronaut and Dysrhythmia, concluding on August 13 in Fort Lauderdale—marking their first hometown appearance in sixteen years.

By December 2010, both bassist Robin Zielhorst and guitarist Tymon Kruidenier had departed due to logistical challenges. Masvidal and Reinert announced that the next Cynic album was slated for release in late 2011 via Season of Mist, along with plans to issue a remixed reissue of their seminal album Focus.

Carbon-Based Anatomy and Kindly Bent to Free Us (2011−2014)

Cynic revealed they were working on a new album, describing initial song ideas as "small embryos" gradually developing into full compositions. On September 6, 2011, they announced an EP titled Carbon-Based Anatomy, which was released on November 11 in Europe and November 15 in the United States. The cover art was created by Robert Venosa—the same artist responsible for visuals on Focus, Traced in Air, and Re-Traced. Bass tracks were recorded by Sean Malone, who returned after previous contributions.

Paul Masvidal characterized the EP as both a philosophical exploration and musical journey spanning from the Amazon rainforest to outer space. On October 10, 2011, Cynic released the title track online and introduced Brandon Giffin (formerly of The Faceless) on bass along with Max Phelps handling guitar and backing vocals for live performances. A tour covering North America and Europe followed later that year.

Masvidal noted a stylistic transition away from metal influences toward a more distinctive Cynic sound that prioritizes evolution beyond conventional genre classifications. In March 2012, they issued The Portal Tapes, a compilation of demo recordings from 1995 intended as a follow-up to Focus, through Season of Mist.

On December 12, 2012, Masvidal, Reinert, and Malone entered the studio as a trio to record their fifth album. The record titled Kindly Bent to Free Us was announced in November 2013 and released on February 14, 2014.

In May 2014, Paul Masvidal and Sean Reinert publicly came out as gay men, receiving widespread support throughout the heavy metal community.

Breakup rumors, new releases, and losses (2015−2021)

On September 10, 2015, Sean Reinert declared that Cynic had disbanded due to creative and personal conflicts. However, later that same day, Masvidal refuted the claim, explaining that Reinert had not consulted the rest of the group and affirmed that Cynic would persist in some capacity. By September 18, 2015, Cynic announced they would continue without Reinert and brought in Matt Lynch, drummer for Trioscapes, to join them for their scheduled performance at the Euroblast Festival on October 3.

In 2017, Century Media issued Uroboric Forms – The Complete Demo Collection 1988–1991. That December, following a legal settlement with Masvidal, Reinert officially parted ways with Cynic.

Cynic released "Humanoid" on January 15, 2018—their first track in four years and the first without Reinert. In a July 4 feature, Loudersound recognized Cynic among the Ten Great American Prog Rock Bands.

Sean Reinert passed away on January 24, 2020. Rolling Stone published a tribute emphasizing his influential contributions to Death and Cynic. Bassist Sean Malone died on December 9, 2020; in September 2021, Masvidal disclosed Malone’s death was by suicide and unveiled a tribute rendition of "Integral" featuring Malone’s bass parts.

Ascension Codes and forthcoming projects (2021−present)

Cynic revealed the album Ascension Codes on September 15, 2021, alongside the release of the single "Mythical Serpents". The full album was launched on November 26, 2021, earning the distinction of third-best progressive metal album of that year by Metal Hammer. The track "Mythical Serpents" was also ranked ninth among the top metal songs of 2021 by Loudwire.

On August 1, 2022, Cynic finalized a remix of their classic 1993 album Focus, a project produced by Masvidal and Warren Riker; release information remains forthcoming.

On January 27, 2023, Cynic played their first live concert in eight years at Los Angeles' Knitting Factory under the alias "Uroboric Forms". The lineup featured Masvidal (vocals/guitar), Max Phelps (death growls/guitar), Brandon Giffin (bass), and Matt Lynch (drums). This event served as a preparatory show ahead of their participation in the 70000 Tons of Metal cruise.

In April 2023, Cynic announced they were developing new material for their fifth studio album.

To commemorate the 30th anniversary of Focus, the album was remixed and remastered under the title ReFocus, released on June 9, 2023.

Musical style

Described by Dom Lawson of Metal Hammer as "intensely progressive and ethereal," Cynic's sound initially incorporated punk rock, thrash metal, and hardcore punk elements. Throughout the 1990s, their music transformed into a sophisticated, experimental, and technical brand of progressive metal while maintaining death metal foundations. Their 1990 demo showcased an intricately technical death/thrash style; meanwhile, their 1991 Roadrunner demo bore resemblance to Death and jazz-death innovators Atheist with two tracks from Focus presented in a rawer, more aggressive form. Jazz and jazz-rock fusion influences are prominent on their debut album Focus, which combined harsh death growls with vocoder-processed robotic vocals. The side project Portal later released a demo that further advanced their progressive space rock aesthetic.

The band's 2008 release Traced in Air fused elements from Focus with Portal’s more progressive approach while dialing back on extreme metal intensity. New guttural vocalist Tymon Kruidenier played a reduced role compared to Tony Teegarden on Focus, and Paul Masvidal transitioned from vocoder-heavy robotic vocals to a smoother singing style enhanced subtly by vocoder effects.

Reflecting this artistic progression, The New York Times lauded Traced in Air, noting that Cynic aligns more closely with groundbreaking harmonic innovators in pop and jazz over the past four decades—such as Milton Nascimento, The Beach Boys, or Pat Metheny—rather than conventional metal acts.

Legacy

In 2009, Chris Dick of Decibel Magazine honored Cynic by inducting them into the Decibel Hall of Fame, emphasizing their groundbreaking blend of intense metal with elements from jazz fusion, progressive rock, and shoegaze. Dom Lawson from Metal Hammer remarked that Cynic preserved their iconic reputation through their innovative contributions to music.

Members

Current members

• Paul Masvidal — guitar, keyboards, guitar synthesizer (1987–present), vocals (1988–present)
• Brandon Giffin — bass (2011–2014, touring only; 2022–present)
• Mike Gilbert — guitar (2024–present)
• Michel Bélanger — drums (2025–present)

Former members

Discography

Studio albums

• Focus (1993)
• Traced in Air (2008)
• Kindly Bent to Free Us (2014)
• Ascension Codes (2021)

EPs

• Re-Traced (2010)
• Carbon-Based Anatomy (2011)

Singles

• "Humanoid" (2018)

Compilation albums

• Uroboric Forms – The Complete Demo Recordings (2017)