Cynic: THE MEGATHREAD

[DLG]

We've secretly replaced Cynic with Aeon Spoke. Let's see if anyone notices.

nailed it.

I dig it. Its different, but thats not bad. I mean, if they just kept putting out TiA, would they really be a "progressive" band, anymore? Stagnation is the opposite of progression

TiA was a fantastic example of how a band can evolve their sound over the years. It's much different from Focus but includes all of the characteristic of earlier Cynic, only updated.

Paul and Sean started doing Aeon Spoke when Cynic broke up in order to play music that wasn't like Cynic and try something new. Now they are exploring that AS sound under the Cynic name after they've gained a new audience to present it to, which I think is pretty hypocritical.

If you're just not feeling prog metal anymore, put Cynic to bed and play that alt pop you want to play with Aeon Spoke.

 

[brutalwizard]

I honestly LOVE the new song. Feels like a natural progression for cynic after retraced and CBanatomy.

 

[yingmin]

I wouldn't want the whole album to sound like that, but I like the Lion's Roar. Has kind of a 3/Coheed vibe to it. This thread is making me realize that I need to check out Aeon Spoke, because I loved Carbon Based Anatomy, and aside from King of Those Who Know, don't really care much for earlier Cynic.

 

[vilk]

I like this new song more than anything on Carbon Based Anatomy, which I can't even remember anything about despite having listened to it several times. I like the production on it too. Love the bass tone. I hope they don't doctor it up too much before the actual release. I hope that there are at least a few heavier songs on the album, but if not I guess I can deal with it.


Is this really what Aeon Spoke sounds like? I've never heard the band but if they sound like this new track then I definitely think I should check them out.

Edit: I just listened to 3 different Aeon Spoke songs and none of them sound like Lion's Roar :/

 

[DLG]

the biggest difference in Lion's Roar is Sean Malone and the presence of his fretless. He didn't play with AS.

but this song is much more like Aeon Spoke than Cynic. AS is essentially a alt pop rock band, Cynic is a prog/tech metal band.

this song is definitely more of an alt pop rock song, but with a virtuoso fretless bass player added to the equation.

 

[shredfiend]

Thinking Sean's 'sci-fi, futuristic and alien' thing', comments are a bit of a decoy.
I think this might be a more stripped down album.

Love the bass work. Malone could make a squire bass direct to the board sound great.
Do think we're hearing a merging of the 2 bands. Way more of an indie vibe here. But very musical.

Looking forward to hearing the rest.

 

[-42-]

I'd contend that defending this album as merely "stripped down" is missing the point. Re-traced was stripped down considerably but managed to hold up because the songs themselves were still grand and dramatic. Even CBA managed to retain the drama for the most part. In my personal opinion, Cynic songs aren't defined by complexity or aggression, they're defined by spectacle. Listening to a Cynic song you should feel like you're flying through the center of a kaleidoscope on a carpet woven out of light (or something equally bizarre and dramatic and spacey). This song feels like Paul Masvidal is just sitting next to you reading from a thesaurus. You could contend that this is "mature" metal or rock or what have you and I would agree with you and say that's exactly why I don't like it. It's too restrained. If Cynic is the alien spaceship that snatches you away to show you the secrets of the universe, then this song is just a grainy photograph of that ship. It's a reminder of something glorious that did happen, but is itself totally mundane.

 

[bhakan]

I loved CBA. It didn't have the crazy riffs, but it still had an awesome atmosphere. I'm not so sure about this. It just doesn't hold my interest too much.

I'll hold my judgment until the album comes out though. I enjoy the sound, just this song seems pretty straight forward, and it seems like pretty much standard practice to release the simplest song first. If this song is just the "single" of the album, and the rest is like this but more complex I'd be happy.

 

[spawnofthesith]

I really like the new track.

And are the people saying this sounds like Aeon Spoke listening to a different song than me? I don't even hear a resemblance

 

[wankerness]

I really like the new track.

And are the people saying this sounds like Aeon Spoke listening to a different song than me? I don't even hear a resemblance

I don't really either tbh, the only track I can think of that has even a slight resemblance to this is "Sand and Foam" but that's a lot slower and simpler. I think it's just that it's a lot more pop-rocky than Cynic so it seems like he wants to move in that direction for everything?

I just remembered "Aghora," that band was pretty sweet. Both albums, especially the second, had some great chuggy metal riffs and a weird middle-eastern vibe and definitely had some Cynic sound going on at times. I had always thought of that as another Cynic-related band, but looking at the band makeups I dunno if Sean Malone/Sean Reinert directly contributed to any of the songwriting.

 

[rokket2005]

Yeah, people saying this sounds like Aeon Spoke? Like for serialz?
I don't mind the song, I feel like it'll grow on me. I'd probably like it a lot more if it wasn't in a dumb ....ing lyric video.

^The Seans recorded on the first Aghora record, but it was my belief that the guitar player wrote the bulk of the music.

 

[wannabguitarist]

The vocal delivery reminds me a lot of Aeon Spoke and I wouldn't have been surprised if you told me this was an unreleased demo

That being said, I love it. I do wish we could get another TIA again though

 

[WarOfAttrition]

The new song is so catchy and the guitars sound great! Even though I love all of the other Cynic releases, I like the way this is going

 

[gunch]

Liked Malone's playing and some of the riffs but the lyrics and mix were ass. Pre-productions are always going to sound like junk though

And one of the main things to Cynic for me was the contrast between Paul's singing and Tony Teegarden or Tymon's growls, I'm missing that here.

 

[BlackStar7]

Yeah, people saying this sounds like Aeon Spoke? Like for serialz?

Precedent for the comparison (the AS demo they later turned into Carbon Based Anatomy):


Integral Birth was actually an Aeon Spoke song as well:


It's kind of a bummer that the phenomenal Tymon and Robin had to leave the band because Paul prefers to play Aeon Spoke covers. Using AS material is fine when they actually make the it sound like Cynic (Integral Birth is obviously awesome). Though it's starting to feel like they're just using the Cynic name to peddle the presumably less successful alt-pop of Aeon Spoke: now with added vocal effects and some jazzy bass.

 

[TheSpaceforthis]

Anyone heard the "Moon Heart Sun Head" sample? where can I find it?

 

[gunslingerjh]

Anyone heard the "Moon Heart Sun Head" sample? where can I find it?

I don't know anything about a sample? Definitely not on their official facebook page..

 

[DiegusMaximus32]

I could see where fans of older Cynic stuff could be less stoked about The Lion's Roar. But personally, I love it. It immediately caught my ear and made me go ,"WOAH, this is good!". Great melody and not overwhelming or dense like some of their older stuff can get at times. Looking forward to hearing the rest!

 

[Fiction]

So disappointing, I was so excited for this as well. Coming from someone who enjoys Aeon Spoke & CBA, this is just poorly composed, and those vocal melodies are poorly timed, reminds me of HAARP Machines non-flowing high-school textbook lyrics.

 

[ProphetOfHatred]

They need to do a another Focus with better production and better growls.