CYNIC's PAUL MASVIDAL Talks About Songwriting Process For 'Traced In Air'

Abort Magazine's UK correspondent John Norby recently conducted an interview with Paul Masvidal of the reunited progressive metallers CYNIC. An excerpt from the chat follows below.

Abort: What inspired you to write [the new CYNIC album] "Traced In Air"?

Paul Masvidal: An absolute surrender to the creative process inspired the new album. I found my antenna suddenly attuned to CYNIC's radio station. The frequency was loud and clear, I just had to show up and the work wrote itself. I suspect the fire of recent shows and the live validation that comes with it, helped expand that opening too.

Abort: How did CYNIC's lyrical content change from the demos through to "Focus"?

Paul Masvidal: With the demos my lyrics were more reactive to the externals in my environment. Like most teenagers life was really difficult for me and I used words to process most of my anger and fear. To some degree much hasn't changed, except that I'm not at the mercy of these emotions like before. I recall songs like "Pleading For Preservation", which was an observation of how curious it is that we become children again at old age and basically not very productive members of society. Kind of a "Why don't we get to die at our peaks?" song. Over time I learned that the business of a productive external life, especially career related, doesn't really qualify one's existence. I've learned to really appreciate the slowness and wisdom that can sometimes come with an elderly person who has embraced the aging process. Only life experience can encourage that kind of perception change. So that was the big leap from the demos to "Focus".

Read more at AbortMag.com.

Video footage of CYNIC's press conference at this year's Wacken Open Air festival, which was held July 31 - August 2, 2008 in Wacken, Germany, can be viewed below (clip shot and uploaded by the Clairvoyant webzine).

Season of Mist is currently taking pre-orders for a special CYNIC package featuring the reunited progressive metallers' new album, "Traced In Air", in acrylic DVD case, t-shirt, USB stick, guitar pick and 10 exclusive stickers.

"Traced In Air" will be released on October 28 via Season of Mist Records (one day earlier internationally). The CD contains eight songs, and the band worked once again with renowned artist Robert Venosa (who created the unmistakeable cover and visuals for "Focus") on the art for the new album, which can be viewed below.

"Traced In Air" track listing:

01. Nunc Fluens
02. The Space For This
03. Evolutionary Sleeper
04. Integral Birth
05. The Unknown Guest
06. Adam's Murmur
07. King of those Who Know
08. Nunc Stans

Returning from the "Focus" era for the new eight-song, 35-minute effort are are founding members Masvidal and Reinert along with Sean Malone (bass),and joining the band in the studio is newcomer Tymon Kruidenier (guitars/growls). The band recorded the effort at a California studio with producer Warren Riker (DOWN, SANTANA).

CYNIC will be direct support slot on the OPETH European trek in November/December. The band has also been announced as the headliner for this year's ProgPower Europe festival, and will be playing a special extended set at the show. A U.S. tour will follow in early 2009.

For more information, visit www.myspace.com/cyniconline.