Cynic

Can you give us any details on the musicians you will be bringing in for this new album? I'm sure we are all very curious, and would be very appreciative of any details you want to give us on certain musicians you are considering, or the auditioning process if any, etc, etc?

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I wish I could! ...it's too soon to say since we're just 'talking' to a handful of people at the moment without any confirmations. Word will be out soon enough. Just a hint...one of the bass players I'm in regular communication with is an LA local who works in the classical world although he has a progressive background with some mad chops. He now plays with various symphonies (as a double bassist) and also works as a local film / tv composer. He kinda reminds me of Malone in terms of knowledge and skill, but with his own set of sensibilities. We're gonna have an interesting arsenal of world class players on this next record... to say the least.

Here's the 'Portal Demo' which represented our post 'Focus' material that was never officially released. We recorded these demoes in late '95 early '96 as pre-productions for our next record, but broke up soon after and they disappeared with us. Through the internet, they became somewhat legendary among the Cynic community and so, when we officially headlined the US for Traced In Air, we decided to re-master them and offer an 'official' band approved version to the fans. The CD sleeve package folds out and contains lyrics. Enjoy!

limited quantities

Who is another guitarist on new EP?
Just me on guitars with Reinert and Malone. A trio record!

Is there any growl ?
No growls

Did you record with Warren Riker again?
No. We recorded drums at a studio called NRG in LA and I recorded the rest at my home studio. Malone cut bass at a studio in Florida. Mixed by John Hiler

And did you got to use the Axe II on the album?
Yes, it's all Fractal. The only keyboard on the record is the piano part on the track Bija! -
A few months back, you were talking about bringing in some guest musicians for the recording of the album, I was wondering if (and how) this panned out?

No guest musicians on this one other than Amy Correia. The record became a very intimate process for me and I just went with the flow.

Would it be possible for you to give a short description of every song on the new EP?
Here's a description written by a journalist after listening for the first time - It feels accurate to me.

On the opening track, "Amidst The Coals," waves of ambient sound and chordal movement create a sense of touching earth and space. From the ethereal mist, a shamanic wisewoman (as portrayed by Amy Correia), conjures a traditional Amazonian Icaro, or sacred song. A chilling piece, the opening track suggests the energy of Pat Metheney's 'Above The Treetops' from his classic 1992 record 'Secret Story'. On track two, "Carbon-Based Anatomy," a tribal bass and drum rhythm swirls up in a pool of ambient guitars and soaring vocals, evolving into a spare arrangement of the original melody. A sea of child-like voices join Masvidal to sing the chorus "Drop the knife/ Leave it all behind/ Just for a moment/ Calm the mind/ The longing never ends/ Not while you're human". On Track 3, "Bija," the listener is transported center stage into the realm of gypsies and mystic poets, where chants, tablas, and free- associated vocal sounds appear and disappear in a dense tapestry of sound. Track 4, "Box Up My Bones," is a dynamic journey that
reflects classic Cynic, with adventurous production shifts and cascading twists and turns. At the end of chorus two, Masvidal sings the words, "I have everything I need/ Box up my bones I'm free." A bass solo responds to this proclamation followed by a looping and angular reverse guitar solo. The pre-chorus bridge swells with a vocal section, climaxing at the final chorus. The unpredictable 'suis generis' approach to arrangement is alive in well. Track 5, "Elves Beam Out" is a futuristic rock anthem, evoking 70's prog-harmony and odd time signatures, an apocalyptic vision that pierces the veil. The album closes with track 6, "Hieroglyph." As though one's just walked through the portal into death's door, ambient spacey guitars manifest. Featured vocalist, Amy Correia, reappears as the cosmic mother, gently guiding one through the great unknown, perhaps the sound of a DMT journey or death itself.

Will the live line up be the same as the album line up? Or did you do all the guitar tracks on the album?
I did all the guitars. The live line up will be announced next week along with tour dates. We're excited about the new guys, been rehearsing and it's going great.

- Do you really consider this release as a new album?
It's always about quality vs quantity and Cynic prefers the former approach to song. For me CBA is a realized work with a complete vision. So although it's considered short (especially by prog rock standards), its incredibly dense and has just the right symmetry and flow without feeling short, but just right. I have another album written, and will probably start working on flushing that material out in early 2012.

- Did you register additional tracks during this session of recording for "Carbon-Based Anatomy" ?
For CBA, we just recorded what we intended to release.

- Is there a general concept and\or a link between every pieces?
Yes, it's another life and death themed record. The album opens with an icaro inspired from a shamanic tribe, so the roots of the album are earth based and represent the heart and healing and essentially birth itself, we then move into the human experience ranging from anger and pain to innocence and surrender and end with an ambient 'death' piece that explores the feeling of transitioning out of our bodies. I prefer not to be too literal about these descriptions since I think you'll each have your own personal journey with this album and I'd rather not 'define' the parameters too much.

- Why this return of Sean Malone? Is it definitive or just for repairing again?
Malone and I started talking again and he understood what we were going for, so it just felt natural to bring him in.

Did he participate in the writing of his new pieces?
Not the songs themselves, but he did write his own bass lines as he always does.

- You go to turn in Europe in November, what will be the line-up?
The news will be revealed next week. I've been asked to keep a cap on it till then because our label / managers wants to synchronize the news all at once (unless you guys can keep a secret?)

kikithehead a écrit:Juste reçu :

VS a écrit:Initialement sortie en autoproduction et épuisée depuis, la compilation regroupant les démos de PORTAL (ex-CYNIC side-project) va à nouveau voir le jour. Season of Mist sortira en effet cette compil de 10 morceaux sous le nom "The Portal Tapes" le 23 mars. 5000 CD digipack et 1000 vinyls seront ainsi pressés.

VS a écrit:

Season of Mist vient de révéler la cover et le tracklisting de "The Portal Tapes", la compil regroupant les morceaux du side-project de CYNIC, PORTAL.
Tracklist : Endless Endeavors - Karma's Plight - Circle - Costumed in Grace - Cosmos - Crawl Above - Mirror Child - Road to You - Belong - Not the Same
Sortie prévue le 23 mars, aux formats CD digipack (5000 copies) et vinyl (1000 copies).

VS a écrit:CYNIC devrait sortir un nouvel album, d'ici la fin de l'année 2013, par le biais de Season of Mist.

Le successeur de Traced in Air (2008) a commencé à être enregistré en décembre dernier, et voici quelques noms de morceaux qu'il pourrait contenir : “Endlessly Bountiful“, “Moon Heart Sun Head“, et “True Hallucination Speak“.

Death (Official) a écrit:I am so proud of my friend/brother/client Paul Masvidal, who just finished producing Jim Carrey's newest project - an album associated with his latest children's book 'How Roland Rolls'. Paul manages to squeeze in recording sessions, Cynic stuff, and even DTA...a workaholic (and perfectionist), like me. ERIC

Cynic a écrit:It is with a heavy heart that I post today's CYNIC news. CYNIC is no longer an active band. Due to artistic and personal differences, the second chapter in the ‘BOOK OF CYNIC’ has come to an end.

I will say the last shows we played in JAPAN have left me with a positive charge, even though they were the last live performances with Paul, Sean Malone & I on the same stage. My longstanding creative partnership with Paul, which started when we were very young kids in south Florida, has simply endured so much friction that there is no way, from my perspective, that CYNIC can be salvaged, repaired or kept afloat by any means.

I profusely apologize to the fans who were not only expecting us in China & Taiwan (that was not our fault), but to the fans who were planning to see us in Europe next month. These things happen, unfortunately, to bands. There can be differing levels of conflicts and/or differences in opinions, musical directions, or perspectives. Sometimes these things are insurmountable, and no amount of time or effort can resolve them. This is the case with CYNIC.

This page will stay up, and of course there are our respective personal pages and websites that will continue to let everyone know what we’re doing individually.

I wish all of you love & peace.

-Sean

1. Uroboric Forms 03:48
2. The Eagle Nature 03:28
3. Pleading For Preservation 05:03
4. Lifeless Irony 04:07
5. Thinking Being 04:52
6. Cruel Gentility 04:32
7. Denaturalizing Leaders 03:47
8. Extremes 02:30
9. A Life Astray 02:44
10. Agitating Affliction 03:39
11. Once Misguided 03:00
12. Weak Reasoning 03:38
13. Dwellers Of The Threshold 03:59
14. Uroboric Forms 03:46
15. The Eagle Nature 03:34

Tracks 1-3 taken from “Demo 1991”
Tracks 4-6 taken from “Demo 1990”
Tracks 7-10 taken from “Reflections Of A Dying World”
Tracks 11-13 taken from “Demo 1989”
Tracks 14-15 are previously unreleased, vocal audition with Brian DeNeffe (Viogression)