Cynic

This is a sad case of a band being just too damn good. It seemed as though this was the mercenary death metal band, forsaking their own music to lift other bands from mediocrity (Monstrosity, Death, Pestilence, etc...). This eventually caused one split too many, and the group disbanded. After hearing about the three song demo for what seemed like an eternity, Roadrunner finally released Uroboric Forms on the At Death's Door compilation as a tease. Subsequently, bassist Tony Choy left the band to stick with Atheist (why?) and Focus was finally released about a year and a half later, blowing away all previous conceptions of metal. This album manages to draw from jazz, death, latin and tribal musical backgrounds to form a truly remarkable album. Quite frankly, I haven't heard anything like this before. Vocals are split, and I mean split, between Masvidal and guest vocalist Tony Teegarden into hyponotic robotic and standard death, respectively. It's really hard to describe all of the elements of this album, it's incredibly complex, with excellent performances by all, especially Sean Reinert who again proves that he is the best drummer in metal, bar none. Enough said, if you have an open mind, Focus will blow you away.

10 out of 10