Cynic

Headline, Reviews, Reviews - Live November 9, 2010

The Devin Townsend Project / TesseracT @ the Mod Club, Toronto ON, November 3, 2010

“Everything about this show was carefully planned out, meticulously orchestrated. The sound was excellent and the lighting choices novel and interesting. Every aspect was carefully chosen to enhance the experience. Devin had a stark white light pointing upwards toward his face, catching every crease and shadow, emphasizing every ridiculous expression he contorted his unique features into. I’ve never before seen a man who could appear so scrumptiously handsome one moment then so cartoonishly grotesque the next.”

Natalie Zed reviews the recent Toronto appearance from The Devin Townsend Project, supported by UK’s TesseracT.

Articles, Features, Headline October 29, 2010

Steve Flynn of Atheist: The Hellbound Interview

“It was horrible. We were not well-received at all. People would throw dog food at us. People called us pussy metal.”

On the eve of the release of their excellent comeback album Jupiter, Justin M. Norton speaks with ATHEIST drummer and co-founder Steve Flynn about their early years, the re-emergence of the band and their exciting new album.

Articles, Features, Headline August 18, 2010

In Conversation With: Cynic’s Paul Masvidal

“I’m interested in various philosophical perspectives in relation to the inner workings of the mind and how that relates to being a human on planet earth. So there’s this balance between earth and cosmos and merging micro with macro. Something as simple as observing a flower one can see the entire universe contained within it. I’m also influenced by love and the variety of human emotions, sadness and despair, joy and happiness. Life is so incredibly rich and intense, it’s all there, happening all the time, I just have to open my eyes or more importantly heart to it. Life constantly informs us, if we could just pay attention.”

Navjot Kaur Sobti in conversation with Cynic guitarist/vocalist Paul Masvidal for Hellbound.ca

Headline, Reviews, Reviews - Live August 9, 2010

Cynic/ Intronaut/ Dysrhythmia @ The Opera House, Toronto ON, August 2, 2010

“Metal cannot often be defined as subtle. Every now and again, however, these is a show that serves as a sort of palate-cleanser, offering metalheads an opportunity to indulge in some of the more delicate flavours that this broad, strange genre of music has to offer. Cynic, Intronaut and Dysrhythmia performed just such a show, giving the audience at the Opera House an aural meal to be sipped and sampled as well as devoured.”

Natalie Zed reviews the August 2nd Toronto performance by CYNIC, INTRONAUT and DYSRHYTHMIA. Concert photography by Adam Wills

Featured, Reviews, Reviews - Audio July 27, 2010

Cynic – Re-Traced

This EP plays a lot with the dynamics of sound. The interplay between loud and quiet, digital and analog creates rich waves of tension and release. I was struck by the depth of each of the tracks, not just in terms of the layers of sound but also the thought and care that went into crafting these alternate interpretations.

Featured, Reviews, Reviews - Audio April 14, 2010

Umbah – Trilobeth

Trilobeth doesn’t offer much of in terms of a focused style, but its seeming adaptability and multiplicity are its strengths. It’s a release that is a musical tribute to our technological and frenzied reality.

Headline, Reviews, Reviews - Live October 26, 2009

Noctis Metal Fest 2009: The Concerts

Part two of Hellbound.ca’s coverage of the Noctis Metal Conference and Festival that happened earlier this year in Calgary, Alberta, in this segment Rob Hughes reviews the musical performances of the festival with a recap of the two nights worth of gigs. The first night featured sets by Ares Kingdom, Slough Feg and Novembers Doom, while the Saturdaynight included Aura Noir, Destroyer 666, Suffocation and Cynic amongst others.

Articles, Headline October 9, 2009

Meeting of the Metal Minded: The Noctis III Metal Festival and Conference

In terms of metal fests, you’ve got your Milwaukees, your Maryland Deathfests, your Wackens, your Holes in the Sky, Dudefests, Hellfests, and so on—all of them well out of range of western Canadians. Thankfully, a new metallic mecca has sprung up in Alberta, at Calgary’s Noctis Festival. The third gathering (full title: Noctis III: Tritagonist) featured two days’ worth of gigs and a full-blown conference peppered with esteemed guests and international acts brought in exclusively for the event. The concert lineup, which included Slough Feg, Novembers Doom, Aura Noir, Destroyer 666, Suffocation and Cynic, was more than impressive enough to get me onto a WestJet flight from Vancouver to witness the carnage in Cowtown.

Rob Hughes gives a fascinating overview of last weekend’s Noctis III Metal Music Conference in Calgary, Alberta.