CYNIC
Kindly Bent To Free Us
Season Of Mist (2014)
Rating: 9.5/10
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I really don’t understand the criticism of a band like Cynic. It seems that while some so-called fans enjoyed the deathlier strains of their debut opus Focus (1993), they were rather sickened by the progressive nature of the works thereafter. The baffling thing about such loathing is the fact that as a band, Cynic have never had any boundaries, and remained musically free and bereft of the weight of being categorised.
Jazz, funk, traditional metal, death metal, psychedelia and progressive rock are just a few of the influences you’ll find throughout their impressive compositions. Yes, it could be argued that as they’ve progressed the outfit, originally from Miami but now based in Los Angeles, has shed some of its heaviness, but who are we to dismiss such talented musicians when they continuously leave us standing agog in wonder at their musical prowess and imagination.
Kindly Bent To Free Us is the third full-length opus from the talented trio. It’s a world away from 2008’s Traced In Air and has very little in common with the 2011 EP Carbon-Based Anatomy, and I’m all the joyous for it.
With a combo like Cynic the enjoyment comes from being lost in the vast, unusual soundscapes they create, and also that fizzing anticipation just wondering what kind of kaleidoscopic structures they are going to come up with this time round. What these guys have done throughout their career is take the jazzed up and often ridiculed qualities of technical death metal, and branch out into a netherworld that lacks restriction. While the likes of Atheist and Pestilence still maintained their deathly, sneering quality – despite their continued dabbling with complex dynamics – Cynic are now in a field of their own, boasting what could only be described as sweeping, soulful vocals that trickle subtly over those delicate bass lines and gorgeous cosmic grooves.
Kindly Bent To Free Us is predictably brilliant, but that’s about it as far as the foreseeable goes, because this eight-track platter of faint shimmers, eloquent murmurs and staggering complexity is everything and more when it comes to broad-minded rock music. We know – and have done for many years – that the team of Paul Masvidal (vocals, guitar), Sean Reinert (drums, keyboards) and Sean Malone (bass) is going to produce bewildering music that sporadically gives us an insight into its spiritual heart. While it may not be everyone’s cup of tea, so to speak, those who appreciate this sort of mesmerising and often mystical enlightenment will no doubt find themselves lost in this technical void.
The album begins with the incredible ‘True Hallucination Speak’, the sort of articulate array of complexity that one can only marvel at. Despite its devious nature, it somehow forms an accessible web which enables the listener, at times, to fully appreciate its content. Sure, Cynic are often of such intelligent disposition that they become almost alien to us. When Masvidal yawns of “Flat six-pointed stars” and “Hexagon like baby blocks”, we don’t really care as to what he’s on about; we’re already floating in a cyber-space of orgasmic rhythms and some severely catchy harmonies, which have more in common with Mr. Bungle and the Beach Boys than anything remotely metal. And believe me, when Masvidal exhales “You better get a friend to help you”, well… it’s pure magic to the ears.
‘The Lion’s Roar’ saunters into the frame with jarring bass, spasmodic drums and Masvidal’s sleepy whisper. “Bury the bells, Between two mountains, The big trees on the other side, With illuminated leaves shout” he oozes, taking us into a melodic harmony which is The Beatles with progressive quality. It’s hard to imagine such sugary accord, which is delivered in almost Enuff Z’Nuff fashion amidst a tirade of flowing bass and tumbling drums. It’s a record that’s nigh on impossible to describe but when it sinks into the ears, the skin and the soul, it’s hard to rid oneself of the poppy melody herein.
The title track offers us the same meandering bass, cavorting drums, more complex lyrics and free-flowing melodies as well. I can hear the cynics (excuse the pun!) groaning, but by this point such scepticism is washed away in the tides of the mellow ‘Infinite Shapes’ with its lounge vibe and palatial Voivod-styled astral spikes.
This is jazz funk for the soul, drifting aimlessly like a cool breeze until that jarring chorus. ‘Moon Heart Sun Head’ is The Beatles meets Voivod – if that’s even imaginable! Vocally it’s John Lennon-esque in its nasal daze as the guitars swirl and the bass beckons, leading to a stirring spoken word exit. The galactic Voivod comparison comes into the fray once again with ‘Gitanjali’, where Masvidal sneers like Snake (Voivod’s frontman) via their pallid-polka dot Angel Rat opus (1991). Musically there’s that ever flowing bass and the progressive whine of the solo before the ascension, where Masvidal sneers, “Goodbye to all of you, It’s useless to refuse the muse, let’s carry on for future generations gone”.
The penultimate track on this breathtaking platter is ‘Holy Fallout’, a truly epic soundscape of bewildering proportions. Running for over six minutes, it simmers at its whispered introduction with mere deft drums and bubbling guitar. Masvidal is more reflective, reclusive almost as he whines, “I can’t offer an explanation”. Then again though, neither can I.
As the fragments of ‘Endlessly Bountiful’ twinkle into view I feel renewed, refreshed and quite privileged that to some extent I “get” the Cynic message, and the stunning music which is wrapped around those words with candyfloss-like warmth. I don’t know if Cynic were ever really metal in the first place and I don’t care, because as a separate entity they have created a spiritual opus that can only be described as genius. For those detractors among you who hoped they’d regress to deathlier strains? Well, you have no place on this ethereal plateau they’ve created.
Kindly Bent To Free Us is, if it can at all be put simply, a breathtaking composition that caresses the outer limits of the mind, time and space, and we should applaud such a musical master class.
Neil Arnold
