UMUR "'88 Demo" is, just as the name suggests, an 1988 cassette demo tape by US technical/progressive death metal act Cynic. While it wouldn´t be until 1993 that Cynic released their debut full-length studio album "Focus", they were rather busy in the intermediate years. Cynic recorded 4 demos and played as session musicians on many metal albums by other artists (Death, Pestilence, Master, Monstrosity, Atheist) before getting a record contract with Roadrunner Records. The last demo was recorded for Roadrunner Records in 1991. This demo from 1988 is the first demo Cynic released.

The music is on the demo is in the vein of Bay Area mid- to late eighties thrash metal ala Forbidden, Vio-Lence and Testament. The technical/progressive death metal influences that are present on "Focus", are not a part of the band´s sound yet and wouldn´t be until the third demo. The thrash metal sound are mostly due to Jack Kelly´s raw voice and his singing style, but the guitar riffs also point in a thrash metal direction. The tracks aren´t that memorable and the songwriting is obviously a bit imature at this point.

The musicians are not that accomplished yet, which is probably due to their young age. Sean Reinert sticks out a bit though as his drumming is pretty competent even this early on.

The sound production is pretty noisy and lo-fi. It´s very typical for eighties metal cassette demos, so it´s really no surprise. Especially the bass has an odd sound, that are really distracting when trying to figure out what Cynic want to do with their music. The guitar sounds very weak too.

I´d say this demo is only for the really hardcore fans and even some of those fans probably won´t be able to appreciate the demo. Personally I like the bay Area thrash metal style and enjoy this demo moderately and I´ll rate it with a 2 star (40%) rating.

Sinkadotentree This EP was released three years after their second full length album "Traced In Air". A definite change in their sound here as they tone things down big time. In fact they seem to be following the lead of bands like MAUDLIN OF THE WELL and KAYO DOT. Still we get lots of dynamics here and the title track rocks pretty hard. They are down to the core three of Reinert, Masvidal and Malone. A female singer helps out by the name of Amy Correia who is a Folk singer and a good friend of the band. She's someone who totally gets what the band is trying to accomplish according to Masvidal. Speaking of Masvidal he relates in an interview that he felt like a conduit everytime he showed up at the studio when they were recording this. He volunteers at a hospice and certainly has experienced many emotions in caring for these people and being there for them as they pass from life to death. This is quite a dark and atmospheric record and Paul says he aimed for an "under-world, haunting dark sense" with the versus but a "child-like,lullaby-esque chorus". So yeah this does sound different for sure from previous records by the band. I must admit the enjoyment factor has never been really high when it comes to CYNIC recordings but man these guys are so talented and inspired and it's always interesting to spend some time in their world.

Sinkadotentree Well it took some 15 years but CYNIC returned with a new album in 2008. Tough to decide which one i prefer. Originally i liked this one a little more but after spending some time with these two records of late i might give "Focus" the edge. Both are essential regardless of your preference. We get the same lineup except for the second guitarist, but Masvidal, Malone and Reinert are back. Interesting that my cd has a sticker on it(maybe they all do) stating that this was a "Critic's Choice 2008" in the New York Times. I'm impressed. The opening track "Nunc Fluens" is probably my favourite. So dynamic with those drums being very upfront and they are outstanding. Listen to the soundscape that the guitar is creating as well. Very cool stuff. "The Space For This" is also an incredible track with both clean and growly vocals. Some excellent guitar later. I should mention that there are no processed vocals like on the debut but clean and growly vocals only. There is a guest female singer on one track. I'm not sure if she's the same one who guests on their "Carbon-Based Anatomy" EP but it mixes things up a bit regardless. A must for Metal fans.

Sinkadotentree I remember reading an article about this band and they talked about releasing this album in 1993 and how weird it was not having any like-minded bands to hang out with let alone play with. This was a unique recording, they were trailblazers and as such felt very alone. They disbanded a year later only to see in the many years that followed countless bands who were inspired by this record. This Florida based band offered up a very technical and complex album with growly and processed vocals. Reinert on drums and Malone on bass are a combo i'll never pass up. Kind of like fries and gravy for me. These guys are flat out amazing plus we get two guitarists to round out the sound. Without question this is a must for fans of technical music

UMUR "Traced in Air" is the 2nd full-length studio album by US progressive metal act Cynic. The album was released through Season of Mist in November 2008. Cynic were quite a prominent name on the progressive part of the early nineties US death metal scene and they released one of the seminal albums on that scene in "Focus (1993)". They had released no less than four demos from 1988 - 1991 though and various members of the band had also worked as session musicians on albums by artists such as Atheist, Pestilence, Master and Death before the release of "Focus (1993)". They toured shortly to support the release of their debut album, but then disbanded to concentrate on other projects. So "Traced in Air" is a genuine comeback album 15 years down the line. The lineup has seen one change as guitarist Jason Gobel has been replaced by Dutch guitarist Tymon Kruidenier, who also delivers the sparse growling vocals on the album.

"Traced in Air" is a compact album featuring 8 tracks distributed over a 34:16 minutes long playing time. Not completely unlike the format of "Focus (1993)". The music style and overall sound has changed quite a bit since the debut though. The high pitched growling vocals are more subdued this time around (and predominantly appear low in the mix) and mostly appear as backing to the clean vocals and as a consequence the death metal tag that the band were given in the early nineties isn´t that valid anymore. While the technical level of playing is certainly high (and still features jazz and fusion traits) and the tracks challenging in structure and dynamics, there is a tranquil/spiritual atmosphere about "Traced in Air", that is even more pronounced than it was on "Focus (1993)".

The album features one brilliant track after another. Tracks like "The Space for This", "Evolutionary Sleeper" and "King of Those Who Know" are breathtaking to say the least. The only track I find is slightly sub par to the rest is "The Unknown Guest", but we´re still talking a high quality progressive metal track, so it´s a minor issue, that more than anything else probably comes down to personal taste.

The music is multi-layered and quite difficult to grasp upon initial listen, but fortunately the sound production is detailed and well sounding, which helps to easier understanding the music upon repeated listens. So "Traced in Air" is an album that wins on all perimeters and if you view the album in an overall perspective it´s not only a unique sounding release in Cynic´s discography but also a unique sounding album in music in general. A rare a achivement that fully deserves a 5 star (100%) rating.