Ranking the Albums: Cynic

Join Pete Pardo as he ranks the albums of progressive metal/technical death metal legends Cynic. #cynictheband #cynic
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[@kevinm5957]

Their first album “Focus” was a game changer in progressive metal.

[@TheRealDannAlexander]

All good but I’ll always come back to Focus. It is a complete musical package. As a bassist I enjoyed Sean Malone’s use of Chapman Stick and Fretless Bass for the entire album. His solo on “Textures”…. Brilliant.

[@jasoncmuxlow]

Cynic's rebirth has been great to see. Back in '93 or whenever they all came out, I bought "Focus", Pestilence's "Spheres", and Atheist's "Elements". It was a weird year.

[@ronanfreeburn1388]

Love the vocoder effect on the voice + death growls on focus.

[@matthewesberger3691]

Cynic & Atheist the 2 bands I appreciated more as I got older. Focus is #1 for me. RIP Sean Reinert.

[@kevinm5957]

I like both bands also. Focus is my favorite album between the two, but I like the Atheist catalog better as a whole.

[@matthewesberger3691]

I agree.

[@johnx1769]

Thanks for ranking Cynic. They are one of my favorite bands, so I'm glad to see them getting some love on the channel. Here is my ranking: 1. Focus 2. Traced in Air 3. Ascension Codes 4. Kindly Bent to Free Us

[@SuperStrik9]

1. Focus 2. Traced In Air 3. Ascension Codes 4. Kindly Bent To Free Us

[@LandOfGold55]

Thanks for reviewing one of my favorite bands! I agree that all 4 albums are far and above most things out there. I really love them all, however, for me personally, I am drawn more to "Kindly Bent To Free Us" than all of the others. You didn't seem to mention the fact that they also brought into the mix, to a greater extent, some true mesmerizing psychedelia and even spiritual depth to some of the tracks on that album, in the lyrics especially. I love that extra touch that makes this album stand out more than the others. I also love that it is more melodic, but still spacey and heavy. I guess that is because I have never been a big fan of the death metal thing, and the death growls. Just my own taste. But I love the fusion and prog metal thing. I think that they really matured as a band on KBTFU. I was floored to learn about the two Seans passing both in the same year, but glad that Paul decided to continue onward with the most recent effort, "Ascension Codes" which I also really enjoyed. Their music is always adventurous and interesting. As long as it remains a fusion of experimental art and traditional heavy rock and fusion, I will continue to listen and look forward to each release.

[@paradoxofepicurus]

1. Focus 2. Traced in Air 3. Kindly Bent to Free 4. Carbon Based Anatomy 5. Ascension Codes

[@chiragchittar4179]

Massive fan of the band! Arguably my favorite rhythm section in all of metal and masvidal is a brilliant songwriter. Love all of the side projects like gordian knot and masvidal solo stuff as well. My ranking Focus (one of my favorite metal albums of all time easy) Kindly bent to free us (super underrated and brilliantly produced too) Ascension codes (a really good album in its own right) Traced in air (weirdly the only cynic record i am not a huge fan of)

[@johnmagdaleno4643]

Cynic: A member of a group of ancient Greek philosophers who taught that virtue constitutes happiness and that self-control is the essential part of virtue. (from the end of the cassette liner notes 1993 The All Blacks B.V.)

[@biorythmicshifter]

I can’t wait for the remix of Focus that will be coming soon according to Paul. Supposed to clean up the sound immensely so that will be one to keep an eye out for…the remix of Traced in Air from a couple years back with re-recorded bass tracks eliminated the growling on all the songs. It’s great too.

[@Sebastianbaraj5]

I know it was a little (B-side) album/side project. The Portal Tapes. For me, THATS my favorite album by cynic. They ABSOLUTELY COOKED on Portal Tapes and then held on to it for like 15 years which blows my mind.

[@Rextum]

Cynic is cool. However, I prefer my Prog Death Metal a bit heavier, therefore Atheist, Pestilence and 90s Death are great bands for me. In the 2000s I feel like Gorod, Necrophagist, Obscura and The Faceless have kept developing the sound. Great stuff🤘🏻😎 Happy to see an old dude (I am fairly old as well, mind you) appreciate the more modern and complicated stuff as well👍🏻

[@SuperStrik9]

If you like your Prog Death Metal heavier, I recommend checking out Cynic's early demos if you haven't already. '90 Demo and Demo 1991 are awesome and heavier than Cynic's future releases. Granted they're demos so the production isn't the best but the material, brutality and speed are there. Tony Choy plays bass on both and the lineup is a 4 piece with Masvidal, Gobel, Reinert and Choy. Paul does the vocals and they're straight up death metal vocals.

[@Ed-cc7do]

God, Pete’s ranking the albums of yet another band I’ve never even heard of. Need to hit Spotify and educate myself :)

[@doopum1]

The Traced remix cd took out the death vocals (or at least most of them) and all the bass was re-recorded. Focus was and is still so amazing. I saw them on the Focus and Traced tours. I missed the beginning of this video, did you mention the Portal cd? That is essentially a Cynic cd. I know they re-released it as a Cynic disc, but originally, it was just called Portal

[@jøy_what_riley_loves_the_most]

Don't confuse Re-Traced (a 2010 EP which contains 4 re-interpretations of the songs and Wheels within Wheels) with Traced in Air Remixed (a 2019 remix of Traced in Air)

[@Omnatten9]

I got shockingly impressed by Ascension Codes and it was my favourite album for a while... But then a year after that album got out, I onfe again listened to Kindly Bent To Free Us and came to my conclusion that this one is their best.

[@Omnatten9]

Great video! But you have sadly missed their "lost" second album, the Portal Tapes compilation album. After Focus they did actually release one album as Portal, and the album was great! Check it out

[@peterdegen1194]

Saw them live in Amsterdam in 1994 or 1995. Great band, what I still remember is that they used a Roland S10 sampler (4 seconds sampling time, tops!).

[@docdeens4030]

I gotta put Traced in Air number one...that hit me at a rough time in my life and was totally unlike anything else I was listening to at the time. That it came out of nowhere was even more magical

[@timmccaskey]

I haven't explored the whole catalog. Traced in Air was my entry point and I still am closest to that. I don't remember liking Focus as much. I wouldn't sleep on "re-traced" - there are some serious reinterpretations on that which really change the sounds.

[@Ryan-gp3gu]

Oh wow. I’m super excited for this video. Kickass band. Not a bad album!

[@lening9]

1) Focus 2) Traced in Air 3) Ascension Codes 4) Kindly Bent to Free Us

[@jimmyandersson59]

Focus is a great record. I have it. Cynic is a Great band.

[@itsmeurboy]

1) Kindly 2)Traced 3) Accession 4)Carbon 5) Focus

[@stephenkraft609]

I really like the 2011 EP, Carbon Based Anatomy, actually it was the first Cynic album I heard. I guess one track may be reworked, but I think it's a fine album which flows well and not that much different from the full lengths. Anyways I was surprised Pete recently mentioned Atheist on Prog Albums We Don't Like--always thought Cynic & Atheist were pretty similar.

[@sotdude7]

No, George mentioned them…I love Atheist.

[@jasoncmuxlow]

That EP is fantastic.

[@jeffkelty6636]

Pete, again thank you. Question: have you heard Isis? No longer extant, but several albums you may dig.

[@seaoftranquilityprog]

Yeah, I have one or 2 of theirs.

[@jordanmoran1983]

I was recommended their album 'focus' and the death album 'human' years ago and I've worshipped satan ever since, not sure why! Excellent albums none the less.

[@annaleebliss4618]

The first album is f*cking Sick.

[@peterm.fitzpatrick7735]

They send it to me under my "notification bell".

[@tomborgenkristiansen9581]

Coverdale-Page is a good album with a handful of great songs,but nothing new and the Robert Plants album this year is much better. 3,5 stars. My pick #18 is the Band-Jericho which was a big surprise for me. A awesome cover of Bruce Springsteen's Atlantic City and Bob Dylans Blind Willie McTell. 4 stars

[@RanterInShades]

I pretty much have the same ranking, but I feel a little more inclined to go with Traced in Air for my number 1.

[@ronaldeccles5147]

Brilliant band - very sad there are only 4 albums/ 3 with all the main guys there. For me Traced in Air is perhaps the best, though Focus may be my own favourite - really because I have a thing for progressive music that has an 'extreme metal' gear within it. A place not all the music is in but it can go to. btw I love the job their live guitarist/ harsh vocalist Max Phelps does doing the Chuck Schuldiner parts in 'Death DTA' - along with others who were in Death.

[@gwts1171]

I'm not a huge fan of prog metal, but "Focus" is great, along with Gorguts' "Obscura", which is much less prog-y, but equally weird.

[@braydenh.9210]

Hey Pete I recommend a small band out of Ocean City, Maryland, The Swell Fellas

[@mindful2864]

Cynic are legends in progressive death metal and all their albums are great. Here would be my ranking: 4. Kindly Bent to Free Us 3. Ascension Codes 2. Focus 1. Traced in Air

[@arnaudb.7669]

Great band.

[@lahloonatic]

I rank them exactly the same way.

[@danielflorio4739]

I thought Ascension Codes was pretty bad. But everything else they did was great.

[@fourseasons4105]

1. Traced in air (in my top 10 metal albums of all time) 2. Focus 3. Ascension codes 4. Kindly bent to free us 5. Carbon based anatomy