Cynic - Traced in Air Review
by Mark Hensch
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If there is one band with a knack for properly naming their albums it is Cynic. Their classic 1993 record Focus, for example, earned its name by displaying a level of musicianship which could only occur at the highest level of concentration for all involved. Now, with their 2008 comeback Traced in Air, Cynic soar above mere technical death metal into realms of ethereal shredding no band has traversed before.
For those not in the know, Cynic took the death metal underground by storm in 1988 when they began releasing a series of increasingly progressive recordings. By the time Focus dropped on an unsuspecting public, Cynic's fusion of death metal, jazz, and progressive rock had recreated the essence of death metal entirely. For its part, Traced in Air sports lyrics reading like Buddhist science fiction and music transparent and deadly like a heavy gale of wind. Just like that first 1988 demo, Cynic are still blowing minds all these years later.
A song like "The Space for This" is a perfect example. Though it begins with crystalline, finger-picked notes, the song slowly weaves a tapestry of humming ambience both soothing and ominous. From here, the song blasts into the stratosphere with rhythmic, pounding percussion and jittery guitar riffs which hang like comets in the night sky.
"Evolutionary Sleeper," meanwhile, immediately zaps eardrums with its photon firestorm of guitar lines before collapsing like a black hole into a ghostly chorus. As the music stutters and stops like a malfunctioning robot, the band takes their sense of ecstasy ever higher.
After this, one cannot avoid the tribal festival of sound that is "Integral Birth." In comparing it with the rest of the album, "Birth" is both the heaviest and catchiest song by far. Beyond this, the song features excellent dynamics, oscillating between atmospheric guitar runs and precise percussion assaults.
"Adam's Murmur," meanwhile, shivers with the anxiety of an astronaut pre-launch sequence. From thunderous double-bass to guitar solos that sound like melodies from a cell phone, "Murmur" is odd and beautiful.
Last but not least, "King of Those Who Know" twinkles like a star with its straightforward clean intro. From here, the band drops time-signature changes like a meteor shower, showing no pattern of attack. As it draws towards its conclusion, "King" slowly fades into a crisp lounge section before blinking out entirely.
As mentioned earlier, Traced in Air is an excellent title for a body of music as formless and shiny as this. In true Cynic fashion, it confounds listeners by relaxing them with its airy tones while stimulating them with masterful instrumentality. The end result is just what drew people towards Cynic in the first place – a style of heavy metal which sounds like it came from the future while owing much to the past.
Cynic's Traced in Air
Nunc Fluens
The Space for This
Evolutionary Sleeper
Integral Birth
The Unknown Guest
Adam's Murmur
King of Those Who Know
Nunc Stans
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Cynic - Traced in Air Rating:9.0
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