Cynic – ReFocus

Tracing back the origins of modern progressive metal unveils some key contributions: While Meshuggah certainly played a tremendous role, Cynic’s 1993 debut “Focus“ was tantamount to the later collective development of the style. In celebration of its 30th anniversary, mastermind Paul Masvidal revisited his own history book to give the cherished album a rejuvenation with the self-released “ReFocus.”

To understand the significance of “Focus”, a few things about Cynic and the release of the original album warrant a deep dive. The band is widely considered to be one of the key players in the heavier progressive metal landscape; major influences to other contemporaries can be attributed to them. Obvious cases include, of course, Veil of Maya and Textures (the bands) being named after “Focus” songs. However, I would even argue that the widespread appeal of headless guitars in technical, sophisticated metal have some basis in Masvidal’s image. The heavy use of vocoder effect on vocals has become a staple for metal bands looking to infuse a mystical vibe (looking at you, Obscura). The list of bands citing Cynic as a major influence is vast and spanning all corners of the heavy music development branches: Core and tech death bands already mentioned, and adding mathcore madmen The Dillinger Escape Plan, speaks for itself. While Jazz influences in metal are not exclusive to Cynic, I would argue that the latter is really the primary facilitator to bring them into the genre. The entire smart esthetic in heavy music, which contrasts the brute origins of death metal in the early 90’s, and has later evolved to bands such as Polyphia or Unprocessed barely even resembling metal anymore, can be traced back to this origin. Similarly, highly technical fretless bass in heavy music may not be entirely surprising anymore in the likes of Beyond Creation; without discrediting Steve Di Giorgio’s (Death, Testament, among many) major contributions, the bass playing by Cynic’s Sean Malone (R.I.P. 2020) surely brought this approach to popularity. The musical prowess by all contributors, completed by guitarist Jason Gobel and keyboarder Tony Teegarden, is tremendous. Going beyond music, Masvidal and prodigious drummer Sean Reinert (tragically also R.I.P. 2020) coming out on their homosexuality as iconic death metal musicians bears a relevance of its own.

Contemplating “Focus”, it must be considered how young the protagonists were at the time of its creation. Clearly not cut from the same as the likes of Cannibal Corpse’s Corpsegrinder (whose fans did not respond particularly well to Cynic on their joint 1994 tour), the band served as a gateway for a whole new breed of heavy music lovers. A personal video shared by Gobel gives wonderful impressions of the band at the time:

It is worthwhile to digress into the story of “Focus’s” creation. Originally slated for production much earlier, the band faced several delays: Masvidal and Reinert had to fulfil touring obligations as they were part of Death’s “Human” (noted, Death leader Chuck Schuldiner had moved to a hired gun approach for his band by then). The latter band’s financial struggles left their gear confiscated for some time. 1992’s Hurricane Andrew destroyed the band’s rehearsal space, further delaying the album. In the meantime, original Cynic bass player Tony Choy left for Atheist and was replaced by Malone; Teegarden joined ship to cover keys and to provide the guttural vocals for the record. It appears that a significant development in Cynic’s sound occurred in that time. While the earlier demos could still seem somewhat archetypically death metal (and would not seem out of place on another Death release), album versions of the same songs show a clear progression to the characteristically mysterious vibes. Case in point, it serves to delve into this 1991 demo version of ‘Uroboric Forms’:

When asked about the events, Masvidal’s take is fated:

“All the events that led to ‘Focus’ were perfect and part of the journey of the art itself for it to manifest. In other words, ‘Focus’ was the album that was meant to emerge as Cynic’s debut.”

‘Veil of Maya’ and possibly ‘How Could I’ are likely the best-known songs on “Focus,” exhibiting all characteristics described above. Similarly, ‘Textures’ clearly placed its stamp on the prog metal development; it could easily be mistaken for a later Scale The Summit release. However, in my humble opinion, the clandestine star of the album is ‘I’m But a Wave to…,’ for its lavish fusion of ambient profundity and bold heaviness.

To describe the novelty of “ReFocus” in the face of its origin, a suitable starting point is an outline of what it is not: “ReFocus” is not attempting to bring an early 90’s album to the present day; it does not sound like a Periphery / Nolly Getgood production. The drums are still not edited onto a timing grid. Contrary to the 2004 remixes as part of the “Focus extended edition”, “ReFocus” is not dynamically squashed to keep up with modern releases.

Instead, the key motivation was given by Masvidal personally upon asking:

“The intention was to bring new life to the record by creating another level of mix. We spent a month on this and considered every detail. This was something we didn’t get to do the first time around. I can’t imagine the record any other way.”

Therefore, before brushing off “ReFocus” in a misguided defence of the cherished original release, it should be seen as a more accurate version of its creator’s vision.

With this idea in mind, a more clear idea about the release reveals itself. “ReFocus” is very much still a 90’s album in nature. Original producer Scott Burns (Obituary, Sepultura, too many to mention) was so ubiquitous in the death metal sound of the time, even being scolded by Black Metal dissentients (the “No mosh, no core” disclaimers on Mayhem mastermind Euronymous’s label Deathlike Silence comes to mind, but I digress). Not entirely able to break from the conventions of the time, “ReFocus” was remixed by Warren Riker, with an apparent higher alignment to Masvidal stemming from his work on all later Cynic releases. Furthermore, the predominant Morrisound Studios flavour, shared with many major metal releases of the period, is far less present.

Attempting to decipher Masvidal’s intentions, he certainly opted for a more coherent and fused interaction of his and Gobel’s duelling guitar works. Drums are much more present in the mix, to the point of becoming borderline obnoxious. Particularly the toms, seeming to be sample replaced, are sticking out rather sorely. The ephemeral fretless bass work by Malone appears to be a collateral damage of the adjustments, taking a less present position on the spectrum. Like “Focus”, “ReFocus” is still lacking high-end sparkle, maintaining the original’s slightly lo-fi vibe. Most importantly, “ReFocus” really shines in the updates of the clean and ambient sections, which take on a much more rich and poignant form. The panning of instruments has been emphasized, making it clearer to distinguish the musical voices and giving a more authentic experience of a live playing band.

Attempting to give a rating to the album presents a challenge of perspective. For the time of its release, Focus is nothing short of genre-defining, a breakthrough work that opened a back-door out of death metal’s bruteness and forever infused it with the sublime combination of intricate jazziness with heavy and technical riffing. However, its perfection stands despite its production, not because of it. The latest remix is sufficiently subtle to remain true to the original intention, improving upon the original while introducing new oddball characteristics. Naturally, as progressive metal has since evolved, this 30-year anniversary update is naturally not able to break contemporary boundaries.

In conclusion, “ReFocus” is a must-hear for lovers of the original release, with an open mind for the creators’ original intentions. Similarly, fans of modern progressive metal who are interested in understanding the origins, and can appreciate the underlying storyline, should certainly give it a spin. A certain level of nostalgic appreciation of 90s sound should be granted, to properly appreciate this disruptively groundbreaking piece of art in its new form.

Track List:

1. Veil of Maya
2. Celestial Voyage
3. The Eagle Nature
4. Sentiment
5. I’m But a Wave to…
6. Uroboric Forms
7. Textures
8. How Could I