Cynic - Focus

Doctor J

Originally released 1993 - Reissued 2004

Paul Masvidal - Vocals and Guitar
Jason Gobel - Guitar
Sean Malone - Bass
Sean Reinert - Drums

Tony Teegarten - Vocals

Having already created considerable interest through session work on seminal albums by the like of Death, Atheist, Pestilence and Monstrosity, Cynic's debut was one of the more eagerly anticipated in the history of Metal. However nobody could have predicted just what Focus would actually sound like and there are none who could claim the album resembled anything that had gone before.

The first thing you are aware of, after pressing play, is that this is nothing you have ever heard the likes of. The first listen of Focus can be intimidating, to say the least, it is seldom you are bombarded with creativity from the first second to the last. Such is the skill of the musicians involved that there is always something interesting going on. Every bar of music is afforded more attention than a lot of bands give entire songs. This album is a testament to what can be achieved by musicians focussed on a common goal with the dedication and talent to carry through and deliver something unique, something pure.

Those famiiliar with Cynic's origins as a fairly run-of-the-mill thrash/death band and followed their swift evolution through technical but not quite memorable death Metal demos and their time as session-musicians extraordinaire will still be in awe of the sound of this album. Opener Veil Of Maya swiftly introduces the effected vocals which feature throughout the album and add a melodic sensibility not usually found in albums rooted in Metal. Vocalist Paul Masvidal had been advised by doctors to protect his voice so the death-style vocals on this album are ably handled by Tony Teegarten. Also new to the band at that time was Sean Malone and his stunning fretless bass work, replacing Tony Choy who had recently joined Atheist permanently. Celestial Voyage and The Eagle Nature further highlight the band's ability to fuse seemingly complicated time-changes and dynamics into cohesive musical passages. Personally, the highlight (if it's possible to select just one) of this incredible work is the drumming of Sean Reinert, as evidenced on Sentimental where he moves from energetic Metal drumming to jazz-tinted odd time grooves without any lulls. He truly plays drums, rather than just keeping time. The drums are as much a feautre of the songs as any other instrument. I learned recently that there are no drum overdubs on this album at all, which I find incredible given the complexity of the drumming and it is hard to believe that one person could play such wonderful and interesting patterns at all, let alone at one time without resorting to studio trickery. I'm But A Wave To... and Uroboric Forms herald the two songs most grounded in Metal, though that isn't saying they're anything typical. Again, the stunning arrangements and sheer force of will to take the music as far as possible while maintaining a sense of structure and form ensure the listener is kept enthralled at all times. Uroboric Forms bears little resemblance to the version which featured on the At Death's Door II compilation realeased a couple of years prior and is a definite indicator of the development of the band in such a short period. The beautiful instrumental Textures follows, written in the studio while recording the album, and is a myriad of intricate clean guitar, layered to astonishing effect. The music takes many twists and turns including a delightful bass solo, then explodes for possbily the album's most ferocious moments and then fades away into the last song of the original release, the mighty How Could I. Through synth and fretless bass this song builds dramatically and then burts into life, into music which pretty much showcases the vast depth and breadth of emotions and moods which make up the music of Cynic. Surely the most impressive recording of drums ever keeps this song moving towards it's finale, a masterclass in guitar playing courtesy of Gobel. As the music fades it's apparent that Cynic have achived more in 36 minutes than most bands do in an career. Indeed, the urge is to press play again just to make sure you hadn't imagined what you had heard, to make sure that it was real.

There is no doubt that upon first listen, this complex album can be too much to take in. Focus requires and rewards repeated listens. The sheer range of the music, from dizzying fusion to intense Metal and everywhere inbetween, is something that needs to be digested by the listener, it demands your full attention and, more often than not, gets it.

After many years as "The most requested Roadrunner Records re-issue" Focus was finally remastered and re-released last year with the addition of three Cynic re-mixes and three Portal demos (Portal consisted of Masvidal, Gobel, Reinert, bassist Chris Kringel and vocalist Aruna Abrams, formed shortly after the demise of Cynic) and a truly fantastic hidden bonus track (trust me, it will make you smile) The extra tracks are a nice touch but are mere side-salad to the main course of the best meal of your life which is the eight Focus tracks in remastered form.

This album is essential to anyone with even a passing interest in Metal, Jazz or experimental music in general. This is the sort of ambitious and brave work that should be taught in schools. This is the sound of four exceptionally skilled people combining their talents to create something unique and wonderful, something genuinely beyond any style or genre, something timeless.

5/5

Mr. CooL ICE

Okay, after briefly reading a bio or two about cynic in the past, i didnt realise they released anything more than a demo; I thought they were quoted as being 'the biggest underground band never to release a full length album'. I must be going mad.

Good review too.