Interview: Obscura drummer Hannes Grossmann talks about “Contamination Tour”

The members of German tech-metal band Obscura just finished the opening leg of their first major U.S. tour, by opening for death metal legends Cannibal Corpse.

Now, the progressive death metal band is moving into the headliner’s position, as the top act on the Relapse Contamination Tour.

“This is our first big tour at all,” Grossmann said earlier this week, while the band was on the road to the first Contamination show in Alabama. “The band has done several tours in Europe, but not with this line-up.”

Although this is the band’s first major U.S. tour, the members of Obscura - Grossmann, guitarist/vocalist Steffen Kummerer, bassist Jeroen Paul Thesseling and guitarist Christian Muenzner – are not neophytes in the European metal scene. On the contrary: Thesseling played bass in the highly regarded Pestilence and Muenzer and Grossmann performed together in the legendary Necrophagist before joining Obscura.

Now, the band is on tour, supporting “Cosmogenesis” the first release their first major label release. Already, the album has been praised for its ability to combine death metal with precision playing and melody.

In a review on Blabbermouth.net – the “CNN of metal” – music critic Scott Alisoglu said “Cosmogenesis” would “easily be one of the best technical death metal albums of 2009. Scratch that; it’ll be one of the best death metal albums of 2009.”

On Friday, Obscura will perform at the Brothers in Owensboro, along with opening bands Abysmal Dawn and Graves Of Valor.

Grossmann, who has studied s variety of drumming styles, including jazz and fusion, said he did not originally intend to concentrate on metal, but said he was drawn in by the genre’s lack of musical boundaries.

“I didn’t start with metal drumming. I learned everything that was interesting,” Grossmann said. “I got into metal because I liked the music, not the drumming: I liked the guitars more than the drumming.

“With death metal drumming, I want to cross it with those fusion-style tempos,” Grossmann said. “… (Metal) is very intense music. It’s probably the most intense style you can play. What we do is very challenging, and that’s what I like – playing stuff that challenges you, where you have to keep up with your skills and abilities.”

Death metal is one of the most diverse genres of heavy metal. Because death metal is still young in terms of musical development, there are still new frontiers to cross and variations to explore, Grossmann said.

“It’s a little extreme, this kind of music,” Grossmann said. “I like the idea of playing at the edge of extreme stuff. It’s interesting to make something new in extreme music … in classical music, it’s difficult to make something new because it’s such old music.”

The band’s stint opening for Cannibal Corpse was a good introduction to U.S. audiences, Grossmann said. Now, with the Relapse tour, the pressure is on to justify Obscura’s headlining status, he said.

“It’s different, because everyone is waiting for you,” Grossmann said. “Hopefully, it will be a killer live show. We’ll probably play (“Cosmogenesis”) from beginning to end.

“It’s not just standing around on stage,” Grossmann said. “… We want to entertain people, for people to think every cent they paid was worth it. We try to be innovative every evening and make something special if we can.”

For more information about Obscura, including full songs, visit the band’s MySpace page.

Also, here’s the video for “Anticosmic Overload,” from “Cosmogenesis.”

Review: Queensryche “American Soldier”

Today, I’ll walk across the minefield that is Queensÿche’s “American Soldier.”

It would have been very easy to not review this disc. You, my two loyal readers, weren’t out there thinking, “hey, when is that stupid blog gonna review the new Queensrÿche, anyway?” No one would have suffered or lost anything if I’d just let this disc slip away unnoticed.

But, alas, I can’t. I’ve been a Queensrÿche fan for longer than likely most readers of this site have been alive (I have a copy of “The Warning” on tape that is older than the bulk of you, I suspect) … but fandom does not mean the listener must nod and smile like a bobble-headed automaton at anything the band does.

With all that build-up and self-absolution, you might think I’m about to belch out a big “it sucks” to “American Soldier.” Well, no, not exactly. Instead, my opinion is decidedly mixed: While I admire the scope of concept and find the album not unpleasant, American Soldier” falls short in the crucial area of musical execution – which is another way of saying “American Soldier” might be a decent light rock album, it’s certainly not metal – the foundation upon which Queensrÿche built its empire.

Let’s spend a moment on the concept. Queensÿche has a solid track record with concept albums, and vocalist Geoff Tate felt the flame of inspiration when preparing to write “American Soldier.” Energized by the stories of his father, who served in both the Korean conflict and the war in Vietnam, Tate spent what must have been countless hours interviewing U.S. combat veterans from World War II to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The lyrics are often direct quotes from veterans and the stories are harrowing, sad and frightening at times. The band also uses sound bites from veterans – to particularly good effect in “Unafraid” and “If I Were King.”

Tate handles the concept tastefully and the exercise never feels exploitative or as if the band is capitalizing on the veterans’ personal stories. All that is well and good, I agree: But the lyrical concept alone doesn’t make the album. In the end, an album has to be judged by the music.

On that score, “American Soldier” falters. The album is not terrible, but it’s musically forgettable.

The band takes only a few chances with “American Soldier.” “Sliver,” with its barked drill sergeant chorus, comes close to being rap and “Unafraid” throws out traditional verses altogether for samples from interviews Tate conducted with two soldiers from different conflicts. The sampling makes “Unafraid” the most interesting track of the album, but it doesn’t compel repeat listens.

The rest of the album is difficult to describe – not because the songs are so adventurous that they’re unable to classify, but because they’re so similar they tend to run together.

“Hundred Mild Stare” is a decent but placid power ballad, with few fireworks. “A Dead Man’s Words” and “Middle Of Hell” feel almost like the same song, although the saxophone solo and Tate’s vocal work are impressive on the former track. “The Killer” has a decent chorus … but when the saxophone turns up near the end of the track,” it feels like a repeat … and when it pops up again (for the third track in a row) on “Middle Of Hell,” it just feels overused.

“If I Were King” and “Man Down!” are decent songs, particularly “If I Were King” … but then the band makes the curious choice of stacking two ballads (“Remember Me” and “Home Again”) on top of one another. “Remember Me” is the best of the two, although somewhat reminiscent of “Silent Lucidity” in the verses. “Home Again” is a duet with Tate and his 10 year-old daughter, Emily, singing from letters sent between a father deployed overseas and his child at home. The vocal similarities are uncanny – Emily Tate even has some of Geoff’s odd pronouciations – but the song is rough. I know: I understand the band is reaching for an emotional impact by having father and daughter sing a duet. It’s a daring choice, to be sure, but the song’s too long – especially following on the heels of “Remember Me”- and drags the album down.

The album closes with “The Voice,” which comes closest to the epic tone the band seems to be reaching for throughout “American Soldier.” It’s a solid enough ending – the big choruses make the track the best on “American Soldier,” but it’s not striking enough to warrant being added to my mp3 player.

In retrospect, I wonder if the band was musically intimidated by “American Soldier.” The album feels safe musically, much too safe: With the exception of “Unafraid,” no real risks are taken here and the album seems to be reaching for a non-metal fan base. Toning down the metal and keeping to the straight and narrow might help ”American Soldier” find a broad appeal, but I’m not sure it will win the band any new metal fans or help return the old fans to the fold.

Win Tickets to the Relapse Contamination Tour’s Owensboro show!

Wanna go to the May 1 show at The Brothers for free? Well, I have two free passes to give away. Here’s how it works.

Just send an e-mail to jmayse@messenger-inquirer.com. Be sure to put “ticket giveaway” in the subject line and include your name and phone number in the body on the message. Each e-mail will receive a number, based on the order in which they are received.

On Tuesday, I’ll randomly pick a winner – likely by pulling one number out of a goblet or Viking helmet. Then, I’ll pass the name on to Betsey, Relapse Record’s publicist extraordinaire, and she’ll add you (plus one other person, so you can bring a buddy or your squeeze) to the guest list. Presto! An evening of Obscura, Abysmal Dawn and Graves of Valor, free of charge.

That’s that, so start e-mailin’. Good luck.

Oh yeah, look below for interviews with Abysmal Dawn and Graves of Valor, fresh from the oven.

Interview: Abysmal Dawn bring technical death metal to Owensboro for Relapse Contamination Tour

Abysmal Dawn vocalist/guitarist Charles Elliott is a veteran metal musician, and has performed on stages with some of the big names of metal. But, as a songwriter, Elliott draws inspiration from multiple genres of music.

“I listen to a lot of styles of music and metal,” Elliott said earlier this week. “… I’m pretty much all over the place. Whatever I think is good music -whatever gives me a feeling or I think is relevant to me – is good music. Even though metal is what I enjoy the most, I don’t close myself off to any other style.”

Abysmal Dawn’s highly technical extreme sound is both surgically precise, yet infused with a wildness akin to free form jazz. Next week, the Los Angeles band will bring its black-death attack to Owensboro, as part of the Relapse Contamination Tour.

The band is touring in support of its second album, the politically charged “Programmed To Consume.” Although the band already has songs in the works for a new album, Elliott said Abysmal Dawn plans to stay on the road for as long as possible.

“Honestly, I love touring. I might be putting my foot in my mouth with all the touring (we have) coming up, but with all the tours we’ve done, we love playing our songs live,” Elliott said. “That’s what our music is all about – having people enjoy it in a live setting.

“We have done for two songs (for a new album),” he said. “We hope to be (in the studio) by November, but we may or may not be in the studio if we keep getting offered good tours.”

The band has had the good fortune to land coveted opening spots for bands such as Exodus, Emperor, Immortal and Suffocation. Although the band is steeped in death metal, Elliott said Abysmal Dawn works to evolve on every new album and song.

“The direction we’re going has changed. We never want to be a band that makes the same record every time,” Elliott said. “To use a dreaded term, we step up to it. With (“Programmed To Consume”), the songs we’ve written are very technical, but still catchy.

“With each record, we definitely try to progress,” Elliott said. “… We haven’t gotten to the point where there’s no room to grow … At this point, we’re still experimenting and adding different aspects to our music.”

As a young band, Elliott said the members of Abysmal Dawn have learned from touring with older, more experienced bands.

“You gain experience with touring on what to do and not to do,” Elliott said. For example, one essential on the road is wet wipes, for times when showers are scarce, he said.

“I remember the guys in Decapitated, they used to take showers in sinks,” Elliott said. But what Elliott took away from touring with veteran bands was the need to always bring the best performance to the stage.

“You see these guys do it every night without complaint and that’s what you have to do,” he said. “You know you have to perform at the same level with these other well-established bands.

“We always try to bring a real high energy show,” Elliott said. “The more the crowd is into it – the more energy they put our way – we put 10 times more into it.”

Abysmal Dawn will perform with Obscura and Graves Of Valor on Friday, May 1 at The Brothers in Owensboro. Tix are $8 in advance and $10 at the door. Tickets can be purchased on-line at www.theticketrumba.com.

To hear full songs, visit Abysmal Dawn’s MySpace page.

And, just for kicks, here’s the vid for the “Programmed To Consume”

Interview: Graves Of Valor looking to make an impression with audiences on Relapse Contamination Tour

The Relapse Contamination tour has served as the career launching pad for multiple bands that went on the audience acclaim. Mastodon and Nile were introduced to metal fans through the tour, and High On Fire and The Dillinger Escape Plan also spring-boarded off the tour into the metal spotlight.

Damon Welch, vocalist for South Carolina’s Graves Of Valor, knows this year’s Contamination tour – which stops in Owensboro May 1 -  is an opportunity for the band to infect cities both large and small with its extreme death metal sound.

“It’s definitely more important,” Welch said, during a phone interview a day or two before death metal band embarked for the first date of the tour. “It’s not nerve-wracking. I’m glad we have a chance to do this. We’re fortunate enough that Relapse put us on this (tour).

“A lot of the tours we’ve done have been more of a hardcore crowd … this is more of straight metal, so it’s going to put us in front of a lot of new people,” Welch said.

Gates of Valor was formed in 2006 by Dayton Cantley, Jeff Springs and Richard Turbeville, who had all played together in Through The Eyes Of The Dead. Welch and bassist David Hasselbring rounded out the line up, and the band released its first EP, “Famine,” in 2007.

“Famine” was vicious and extreme enough to catch the attention of Relapse Records. Next month, the band will release its full-length debut, “Salarian Gate.” Welch said the plan is to tour extensively this year in support of the album.

“Hopefully, we’re going to do a lot of touring between July and Christmas,” Welch said. ” … It’s kind of like a vacation for us. We always have a good time.

“Before and after the show, we’re always hanging out, watching the bands and talking to people,” Welch said.

For “Salarian Gate,” the band went to Mana Recording Studios in Florida – the state were death metal was born. Welch said the band was given the time it needed to craft the songs and hone the performances.

“The structure is a lot better on the new album, with definite choruses and a lot less breakdowns,” Welch said. “There’s more of a traditional metal feel to it.

“We were able to spend a lot more time in the studio and (on) the writing process,” he said. “Everything seemed to flow really good.”

The Contamination Tour will take the bands through both large cities and towns – like Owensboro – where metal package tours are rare. Welch said the band perfers playing smaller venues.

“We love tours where we go to small towns, when it’s all craziness and packed,” Welch said. “Just come party with us. It’s going to be a night of a bunch of good metal.”

To hear songs from the “Famine” EP and the forthcoming “Salarian Gate,” visit the band’s MySpace page.

The band, along with Obscura and Abysmal Dawn, will perform at 7 p.m. on Friday May 1 at The Brothers in Owensboro. Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the door. To purchase tickets on line, visit www.theticketrumba.com

“Relapse Contamination Tour” coming to Owensboro next week! Wanna win free tickets to the show?

Did ya know that three real, live nationally known metal bands are gonna be here in Owensboro next week? It’s true.

On Friday, May 1 The Brothers venue will present the “Relapse Contamination Tour,” featuring Obscura, Abysmal Dawn and Graves of Valor.

Tickets are just $8 in advance, and $10 at the door. You’re not going to find a better deal than that anywhere. For tickets, visit www.theticketrumba.com

Tomorrow, I’ll post interviews with Charles from Abysmal Dawn and Damon from Graves of Valor. An interview with Obscura is in the works and will be posted next week.

ALSO … Noise Pollution will be giving away two free tickets to the show. Check tomorrow’s interviews for details.

If you wanna see more tours like this in Owensboro, then go to this show. It’ll be massive.

Factory Damage to give away copies of new album Saturday in Owensboro

Owensboro’s Factory Damage will be giving away FREE (as in totally free, no charge, no “convenience fees,” no questions asked) copies of the band’s new album Saturday, April 25.

The band will be giving away copies of the album, “Pro-Piracy: In Word Of Mouth We Trust” beginning at 5 p.m. at the Hot Topic store in Towne Square Mall in Owensboro. Copies are limited, so be there early.

The track listing for the new album is: 1) The End Times. 2) Home of the Dead. 3) Nightmares. 4) Dying Too. 5) Don’t Belong.

The Hot Topic session will also be an opportunity for fans to meet the band’s new bassist, Val Batts.  Special FD T-shirts will be on sale, and the band will be giving away other swag. Meanwhile, local comic book artist Allen Freeman will also be selling copies of a new comic that features Factory Damage. The comic includes an indie music CD with the FD song “The End Times.”

The band will be playing the “Bash on the Wabash” at Wabash Valley College in Mt. Carmel, Ill. on May 9. Tix are $5. For more info, go to www.wabashvalley.cc.

Metal Mood Stabilizer Song of the Day #2: “Disciple’s Libration: Lost in the Nine Worlds” by Blut Aus Nord

Another great song to cure your workaday boredom and frustration, courtesy of France’s Blut Aus Nord. Enjoy

Interview: Queensryche vocalist Geoff Tate talks about the making of “American Soldier”

 

Queensryche (photo by Greg Watermann)

 

 

 

Queensrÿche vocalist Geoff Tate’s first “interview” for what became “American Soldier” was with his father, a military veteran who served in combat in Korea and Vietnam. From there, Tate went on to interview countless soldiers, from various generations and conflicts, about their experiences.

 ”It started just with people I met at airports, filling stations, supermarkets and backstage at shows,” Tate said, during a phone interview to promote the album. “People would give me the number of someone they knew who had an interesting story.

“I got kind of obsessed with it,” Tate said. “I started seeing soldiers everywhere.”

For “American Soldier,” Tate drew on those interviews (and letters) to tell the story of young Americans in combat. The stories are harrowing, heartbreaking and true: The songs, which often use the soldiers’ own words, address the fear of combat, the act of fighting and killing in battle, separation from family, devotion to duty and comrades, the death of friends and the guilt of having lived while others died. 

For Tate – who has been interviewed thousands of times since Queensrÿche released its first recording in 1893 – interviewing people about often painful experiences was not easy.

“This was the first time I’d ever been on the other side asking the questions,” Tate said. “At first, I didn’t know what to ask … Some people could actually speak very well about their experiences, while others were like pulling teeth.”

The interviews were an emotional experience and cathartic for many of the soldiers.

“Quite a few of them mentioned that – that  they hadn’t really talked about it before and they thanked me at the end,” Tate said. “Overall, that’s the function of this record – to get (military personnel) to talk about their experiences, because the rest of us don’t know.”

Tate and Queensrÿche are not strangers to challenging, difficult concepts. But Tate said giving the stories the appropriate musical performance was difficult.

“It was a (hard) lot of the time, because we wanted to treat the whole thing with the respect and dignity it deserved,” he said. “It was a first for us as a band to act as biographers … to take ourselves out of it.

“In some ways, it was enjoyable to do that – to not have an opinion and let their words tell the story,” Tate said.

Despite the ambition of the project, Tate said he never felt overwhelmed by the work.

“I can’t really remember feeling that was. It was more about trying to be honest about what I was hearing back and trying to interpret what they were saying in a musical sense … and trying to paint the picture without grandstanding,” he said. ”It’s so easy to get focused on your own ego … We tried to stay away from that on this record. We didn’t want to take the listener away from the emotion of the song.”

For a subject some might find controversial, the songs do not have a political slant. “American Soldier” is neither anti-war nor a diatribe in support of American foreign policy. Geopolitical questions are neither asked or answered: Instead, the album is almost first-hand reporting, with soldiers recounting their personal experiences.

“Sometimes, the political side of things tends to cloud the issue,” Tate said. “What I found was the soldiers aren’t political … It was easy to not get caught up in that, because if they’re not political, why should I be?”

Tate said the interviews revealed the level of personal sacrifice soldiers have made. “We have a tendency to take the military for granted,” he said. “We’re free to live our lives and pursue our dreams … We don’t think about someone watching out back.”

After the recordings were complete, Tate took the songs back to the soldiers and veterans he interviewed for their reaction.

 ”All of them appreciated the fact that they were involved with it and they thought we told the story very well and we captured the essence,” Tate said. “Most were moved by it and surprised … When you hear a song back and you’re hearing your own story being told, it’s very intense. They all mentioned how different that was.”

All of the soldiers and veterans were unassuming and humble about their experiences, he said.

“They’re doing their job. They’re doing what they signed up to do,” Tate said. For many, combat was a dramatic introduction to adulthood, Tate said.

“A lot of these soldier, they go from being very young people , 19 or 20-years old … sometimes their most emotional or traumatic experience was prom night – and the next thing, they’re in a fire fight in Somalia, losing their best friend,” he said.

“Not one of them ever said they regretted their experience. Sometimes, they had lost limbs or been damaged mentally or emotionally, (but) they’d managed to put those experiences in perspective.”

Tate said he hopes listeners come away from “American Soldier” with a better perspective of people in military service.

“Those of us who haven’t been to war … it kind of helps us understand a little better,” Tate said. “A lot of us are guilty of taking it for granted.”

Hopefully, “American Soldier” will also be a vehicle for soldiers and veterans to begin opening up about what they did and witnessed in combat, Tate said.

“ The soldiers told me a lot of them feel very alone in their experiences,” Tate said. “(The album) is a way for them to … see others have experienced the same thing and help them talk about it with their families and have some closure.

“I know when my dad came back from Vietnam, he was very different, incredibly so,” Tate said. ” … I think when you listen to this record and hear the songs, it helps you understand (soldiers) a little better. The more we talk about things as a society, the more we have the ability to understand each other, and that’s a good thing.”

Queensrÿche will begin a U.S. tour on April 16, performing “American Soldier” in its entirety and the entire “Empire” and “Rage For Order” albums on alternate nights. For full tracks from “American Soldier” and tour dates, visit Queensrÿche’s MySpace page here.

Here’s the video for “If I Were King” from “American Soldier.”

Interview: Cynic vocalist/guitarist Paul Masvidal talks about the band’s return after a 15 year hiatus

Cynic, with Paul Masvidal (right)

In 1993, Cynic, a member of Florida’s flourishing death metal scene, released “Focus,” an album that is largely considered one of the most influential progressive death metal albums of all time.  But just one year later, Cynic dissolved and the band members went on to other musical projects.

That should have been the end of the story – and indeed, vocalist/guitarist Paul Masvidal considered Cynic a finished chapter in his life. But in 2006, Masvidal and co-founder Sean Reinert reformed the band for a reunion tour – a move that rekindled Masvidal and Reinert’s enthusiasm for Cynic. The renewed passion led the almost entirely reformed Cynic – with all but one of the original members of the “Focus” line-up – back into the studio. The band released the critically acclaimed “Traced In Air” last year.

Cynic’s renewed life has been a welcome surprise for Masvidal.

“I didn’t expect to ever return to this place again,” Masvidal said in a April 10 phone interview. “It was the last thing on my mind.”

Masvidal said he and Reinert were seemingly led by fate to reform the band, after having shared dreams of playing the band’s music live again. At the same time, Masvidal received an e-mail from a fan in Russia, who had dreamed of seeing the band live.

“I forwarded it to Sean,” who also perform together in the band Aeon Spoke, Masvidal said. “At one of the rehearsals I shared a dream I had with him and he said, ‘I had the same dream last night. We were playing Cynic songs at a festival.’”

Adding to the energy, Masvidal said people - apparently out of the blue – began asking him about Cynic and the possibility of a reunion. The sudden surge in comments indicated the stars had aligned for Cynic’s return.

“If the universe has ever communicated directly … there were too many clear signs,” Masvidal said. “All of the sudden, it felt right.

“It was my reminder to keep letting go,” he said. “It’s a wonderful life lesson, and it has been working great.”

“Traced In Air” was lavished with praise by the likes of Blabbermouth, Metalsucks and All Music Guide. The album was again another progression for Cynic: Instead of simply copying the formula from “Focus,” the band incorporated different vocal styles and less blatantly metallic elements into the music.

 As Blabbermouth reviewer Scott Alisoglu wrote in his review of “Traced In Air:” “Some layer music for the sake of complexity. CYNIC does it with purpose and with an ear to allowing the listener to discover new treasures as the digging gets deeper. “… Traced in Air” is most worthy of being considered one of the year’s best albums. “

Masvidal, a classically trained guitarist who once considered a career in jazz before turning his full attention to songwriting, said his work in the years between “Focus” and “Traced In Air” opened up new avenues of musical exploration that he incorporated into Cynic’s new songs.

“I think what influenced the writing of the album was what we’d been doing for the last 10 years, writing music in television and film” and for Aeon Spoke, Masvidal said. “Just trying to write very effective and simple songs became my new challenge.

“(With ‘Focus’), we went into this complex, technical form of writing as young musicians,” Masvidal said. But working writing less intricate songs for Aeon Spoke, Portal and for the television and film industry, helped him hone his craft, he said.

“That was what influenced ‘Traced In Air’ – the deconstruction process,” he said. “… It’s a perfect marriage for me, because it feels like the realized Cynic. We’ve matured. The songs are coming from a more experienced place, yet they’re incorporating the (identity) that shaped the group.”

Although Masvidal and Reinert continued to work together in Portal and Aeon Spoke, the dissolution of Cynic was bitter. The reunion, the recording of “Traced In Air” and the continued appreciation for “Focus” in the metal community has been a healing experience, Masvidal said.

“When I reopened the door – and I had pad-locked it – when I reopened that door, I was shocked because I got to see impact of what (‘Focus’) has done,” Masvidal said. “It was in some ways really humbling because, for us, that record never did anything (in terms of) record sales, but it had this underground, cult thing.”

The band didn’t intentionally set out to break genre boundaries with “Focus,” Masvidal said.

“We weren’t conscious in the sense of, ‘we have to do this to prove a point,’ but we were conscious in having a diverse set of influences,” he said. “I always, if I had two ideas and one felt safer, I’d go with the one that felt less safe. “

Performing as Cynic again has been wonderful, Masvidal said.

“For us, I feel an old wound has been healed,” he said. The band toured Europe with Opeth and the United States with Meshuggah and The Faceless and is now setting out on a trek with DragonForce and Daath. When the touring cycle for “Traced In Air” is complete, the band will likely reconvene to write another album, Masvidal said.

“It’s hard to go beyond this moment, but I think (there will be a new album),” he said. “It’s definitely one of those things were it feels pretty natural. I don’t feel this record is a reunion record – it feels like a real release.

“I feel (a new album) is kind of there,” Masvidal said. “It’s at my finger tips: I just have to sit down and do it.”

Cynic will peroform with DragonForce and Daath on April 24 at Pop’s in Sauget, Ill and on April 26 and Bogart’s in Cincinnati. For ticket information, visit the Upcoming Regional Concerts page. 

To hear full songs from “Traced In Air” visit the band’s MySpace page here.