The Palladium was dark, but not black. Instead of traditional stage lighting, the rock band Cynic chose to play with an amazing backdrop across the entire stage. A projector pieced together random clips of patterns in a trippy background. The stage seemed blue and serene, as if underwater, and then changed to a colorful and chaotic mash-up.
In the midst of all of this, Cynic took the stage. The crowd roared. Although the crowd was small, everyone was there specifically for Cynic and therefore ecstatic to see them on stage. The front man, Paul, smiled, and in his calm voice, said “Hello.”
Cynic played a collection of new and old in their 105 minute set. In the beginning, they brought Amy Correia on the stage, a shy blonde woman who sings many vocals on their tracks. Her voice is very soft, yet powerful, very entrancing. It was such a treat to hear her sing, it really completed each song.
After singing “Amidst the Coals” off the new EP, Carbon-Based Anatomy, the crowd was loving Correia. She then sang the beautiful intro to one of my favorites, “King of Those Who Know,” off Traced in Air. I went wild, feeling as if I was in a spiritual trance, completely sucked into their sound.
Cynic continued with everything from “Veil of Maya,” off their first album Focus (all the way from 1993). They played favorites from Traced in Air, Re-Traced, and of course, from their new EP.
While it was only their third stop on the tour, Cynic seemed really comfortable. It was very apparent that they were doing what they love. They just want to share their music with the world.
At one point, Cynic took a break to chat with the audience. Screams of “I love you Cynic!” and “Human!” were heard, referring to the album from one of Cynic previous bands, Death. After laughing off the nostalgia, Cynic continued playing.
They immediately had the entire audience entranced again. Whether people were dancing, or head banging, or staring in awe, Cynic had complete control over the audience. In between the strange yet beautiful music and the trippy background, you felt like you were in a different world.
Throughout, front man Paul Masvidal used his beloved vocoder, giving his voice a robot sound. Blending with the mixture of death metal screams and guitar riffs, the vocals sounded unique – and perfect. With soft guitar melodies added, Cynic blended together to make some amazing combination of metal, jazz-fusion and everything in between. Until you truly hear Cynic, they are impossible to describe. Even those who typically stay away from metal are drawn to the eccentricity, and perfection, of Cynic.
Cynic’s music is truly uplifting, leaving you feeling spiritually calm, even though their true rock background makes it completely unexpected.
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