[Nate]

Anyone gave this a listen yet? I definitely like parts. It also seems like a mesh of Cynic and Aeon Spoke.

 

[stealthtastic]

^ Yeah, it was OK but too much like AS for me. :shrug: Kind of disappointing

 

[MFB]

I really enjoyed it, probably because it's so different from the approach everyone is doing today of 'super technical and super fast' so to have a band who's already done a very technical album - that's not blazing fast - and say, "Let's strip it down to the core" was cool

 

[ILdÐÆMcº³]

I've never really listened to them before, but they sound a lot like Porcupine Tree in those songs to me. Too much so for me to like it.

 

[MFB]

I've never really listened to them before, but they sound a lot like Porcupine Tree in those songs to me. Too much so for me to like it.

I'd say listen to the originals first :

King of Those Who Know (King)
Evolutionary Sleeper (Evolutionary)
Integral Birth (Integral)
Space For This (Space)

Wheels Within Wheels is a new one possibly done specifically for this, so there's no previous version

 

[stealthtastic]

I really enjoyed it, probably because it's so different from the approach everyone is doing today of 'super technical and super fast' so to have a band who's already done a very technical album - that's not blazing fast - and say, "Let's strip it down to the core" was cool

While TIA was still really good and still quite technical without sounding retarded, I still found it was striped compared to focus, which is why I find this one too stripped.

 

[MFB]

While TIA was still really good and still quite technical without sounding retarded, I still found it was striped compared to focus, which is why I find this one too stripped.

I uh, haven't heard ...Focus yet :ugh:

 

[pardon miasma]

I uh, haven't heard ...Focus yet :ugh:

Well then you're not really entitled to give an opinion on much of anything, are you?

"Sure is nice breathing air, huh?" "Uh, have you heard Focus?" "... no?" "Air sucks!" :lol:

 

[Leona]

I uh, haven't heard ...Focus yet :ugh:

It'll blow your mind. Namely cause its death metal with alternating growl parts and vocoder-robot vocals. And lots of distortion. And sounds NOTHING like Traced in Air.

 

[Leona]

 

[Randy]

The concert of them playing Hovefestivalen is a must watch. I believe they play all the songs off of Focus, and they also play an original version of Evolutionary Sleeper that's pretty awesome.

I mention it because I loved Focus but the mix made it hard for me to enjoy, while I think quality of that concert did the songs descent justice.

 

[stealthtastic]

The concert of them playing Hovefestivalen is a must watch. I believe they play all the songs off of Focus, and they also play an original version of Evolutionary Sleeper that's pretty awesome.

I mention it because I loved Focus but the mix made it hard for me to enjoy, while I think quality of that concert did the songs descent justice.

Too true, I never really got into Cynic until I could get over the terribe, terrible recording job that was Focus :lol:

 

[MFB]

Too true, I never really got into Cynic until I could get over the terribe, terrible recording job that was Focus :lol:

You know there IS a remastered version right?

 

[stealthtastic]

You know there IS a remastered version right?

Have you heard the re-mastered version? They only re-mastered a few tracks anyways, and it all still sounds like shit. Just mildly different :lol:

They should just re-record the album from scratch.

 

[MFB]

Have you heard the re-mastered version? They only re-mastered a few tracks anyways, and it all still sounds like shit. Just mildly different :lol:

They should just re-record the album from scratch.

Since my disc drive is broken I've yet to buy the album, and when I tried DL'ing it stayed at 0% for like 4 days :lol: So no.

 

[Leona]

They should just re-record the album from scratch.

Nah, they'd probably leave off the death metal vocals, cause they'd harsh paul's mellow. :lol:

 

[Randy]

^
:rofl:

 

[Randy]

Also, don't let the fact that Paul and Tymon are fantastic players overshadow what an influence Jason Gobel was on the "sound of Cynic". He's did a lot of the heavy lifting on tracks like How Could I, which has to be my favorite solo of all time and one of my favorite songs as a whole.

In much the same fashion, Sean Malone is and was a fucking stud. Robin and Chris held onto a lot of the style and vibe, but Sean is the original (as Gordian Knot pretty much proved).

So, you have Traced In Air. I actually like the album as a whole better than Focus, but Veil of Maya and How Could I are still the two best songs that band ever wrote, IMO. Having Paul, Malone, and Reinert back in the studio when they did TiA gave it some of it's magic, along with the pent up decade of music that they had waiting as their answer to the first album.

Which brings me to Re-traced. It's like... it wants to be very original and true to form, but it's just not there. Feels like without Malone or Gobel there, Paul just kinda did whatever the hell he wanted to do with it. Enter Aeon Spoke v2.0. It's neat on it's own, I don't hate it... but... meh.

I love Tymon, Robin and the rest of them but Cynic is and was the original line-up, IMO... and this last album is evidence of that.

 

[Brendan G]

Although I am disappointed like many others with this album, I love "Wheels Within Wheels".

 

[stealthtastic]

Also, don't let the fact that Paul and Tymon are fantastic players overshadow what an influence Jason Gobel was on the "sound of Cynic". He's did a lot of the heavy lifting on tracks like How Could I, which has to be my favorite solo of all time and one of my favorite songs as a whole.

In much the same fashion, Sean Malone is and was a fucking stud. Robin and Chris held onto a lot of the style and vibe, but Sean is the original (as Gordian Knot pretty much proved).

So, you have Traced In Air. I actually like the album as a whole better than Focus, but Veil of Maya and How Could I are still the two best songs that band ever wrote, IMO. Having Paul, Malone, and Reinert back in the studio when they did TiA gave it some of it's magic, along with the pent up decade of music that they had waiting as their answer to the first album.

Which brings me to Re-traced. It's like... it wants to be very original and true to form, but it's just not there. Feels like without Malone or Gobel there, Paul just kinda did whatever the hell he wanted to do with it. Enter Aeon Spoke v2.0. It's neat on it's own, I don't hate it... but... meh.

I love Tymon, Robin and the rest of them but Cynic is and was the original line-up, IMO... and this last album is evidence of that.

Yes, Malones basswork is fucking genious :steve: