Feb 14th 2014 - Cynic are coming back stronger than ever. This album was highly anticipated since it's the first full length release from the band since Traced in Air, released in 2008. Six years later, Cynic are coming back in a slightly different direction, but entirely in a good way.
Well... where am I starting? I just have to say that Cynic did a damn fine job creating this album. Compared to their previous releases, this one feels like they leaned even more on the prog rock and jazz fusion aspects of their sound. You still get crazy double-bass drumming, but then at one point it feels like I'm listening to something similar to Steven Wilson, or even Opeth's Damnation. It has such an amazing psychedelic feel and it really helps you get the general vibe of the album. I'm pretty sure most Cynic fans have heard "The Lion's Roar", the first released track from the album. Honestly, I wasn't sure about it. I felt like it was missing something that older Cynic had. By listening to the album from the beginning to the end, I can confirm that I was wrong. It definitely has a different vibe compared to previous releases, but if you are in any means a Cynic (or prog in general), you will enjoy this album from beginning to end.
Aside from the jazz fusion/prog rock influence that's more noticeable, you still have the BTBAM-like slow hypnotic parts, but in an instant your head will be crushed by super quick double-bass drumming and insane- yet very well implemented shredding. All of the songs are pretty much average-length (ranging from ~4:00-6:00), and I would've been interested to see the band incorporate some lengthy tracks on this new release, specially considering the fact that they released relatively short albums in the past. Although it's not really a game-changer, it would've been a "nice to have" on the album. Otherwise, it's still longer than their previous releases (both being originally under 35:00), so there's that.
They still possess their crazy and mind-blowing musicianship. There are parts that I was absolutely amazed by the super-technical bass and guitar riffs, and at another point the music gets me zoned out because it just sounds so trippy and captivating. This is an album you want to relax while listening to because it is simply made to be enjoyed by actually listening to it (if you listen to it in the background while doing other stuff, you might actually find it boring). The album isn't really heavy in general (less than their previous releases), but it's nice to see the musicians try out some new techniques and ideas. It's definitely worth listening. Cynic fan or not, this is simply a really well written record and any music fan, in my opinion, should be able to point out something musically amazing from it.
Here's the tracklist from the album :
1 - True Hallucination Speak (6:03)
2 - The Lion's Roar (4:34)
3 - Kindly Bent to Free Us (6:27)
4 - Infinite Shapes (4:57)
5 - Moon Heart Sun Head (5:21)
6 - Gitanjali (3:58)
7 - Holy Fallout (6:35)
8 - Endlessly Bountiful (3:56)
9 - Bonus Track / Earth Is My Witness (4:32)
Genre(s) : Progressive Metal, Progressive Rock, Jazz Fusion
From : Miami, United States
Release date : February 14th 2014
Listening format : MP3 (320kbps)
Production value : 8.5
Mixing : 9.5
Lyrics: 9.0
Music: 9.5
Overall : 9.5/10
[Not an average]
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