Growth within a band is something truly beautiful. Where a band can begin as one thing and slowly morph into something that may still have the hallmarks of the original band yet sound different. Birthing themselves from the death metal uprising in the early nineties Paul Masvidal and Sean Reinert were not only creating death metal history with Human but had been cutting their teeth with respective band Cynic.
Cynic – Kindly Bent To Free Us
Cynic as a band resurfaced this year with the fantastic Kindly Bent To Free Us, now before we delve into the album and why it’s attained an album of the year you have to remember that the time span between the band’s cult effort Focus and Traced In Air is gargantuan.
Throughout time people’s taste change and mature, so with this in mind KBTFU is a fantastically crafted album. Progressive right until the end the eight track album is a much more stripped back approach, with all of the remenants of death metal being banished. Much of the record entering a more major register a prominent change is the level of the bass guitar with Sean Malone’s fretless bass much higher in the mix, the band have crafted an album that truly embraces their progressive sound.
With the clean guitar being Masivdal’s guiding light the album is simultaneously and exciting ride whilst also being a relaxing ethereal journey. Both instrumentation and song writing are at the band’s disposal, originally I couldn’t get my head round the band’s production such was the departure from the initial genre.
Through many different listens however the sound grew completely, becoming a fantastic decoration to the bands organic sound. The albums mantra throughout is one of peace and tranquillity with the contrast of clean vocals and distorted out there guitar lines create a jazz oriented feel whilst always retaining a flow in the song, with the quintessential elements of Cynic present but simply have been toned down.
One defining ingredient the album rides with is melody particularly “Moon Heart Sun Head” whilst the songs are structurally similar through the different tonalities the band create some truly serene soundscapes. The album itself is relaxed but never boring ending on the positive “Endlessly Bountiful” the chants bring the album to melodious close. Although much of the album is totally different to anything Cynic has ever released or sounded like the band simultaneously incorporate pieces that are total throwback to the band’s legendary past.
Kindly Bent To Free Us is a progressive expedition into uncharted territory which any fan of forward thinking music should have on their end of year list. A fantastic bednight story to the close of 2014.
