Here is a record so good that it makes me cry every time I listen to it. I know I'm supposed to be this hoary old metal dude, but inside all of us is something more sensitive and delicate, and for me Cynic gets right at that. Going into 2014, I knew that Kindly Bent to free Us would probably be the album of the year for me, there simply aren't any bands going that I like this much. Cynic have gone above and beyond what I thought possible from them. Sure I was at the listening party for the album back in October but now that I have it to listen on my headphones it has becoming something more, a statement that speaks to the soul.
This record immediately brings up the question, is Cynic still a metal band? There are no growls to be found and a lot of the guitar tone is much less brutal and distorted than found on previous releases. Yet it is still within Cynic's general style. One of the key things to understand about Kindly Bent to Free Us is that so much of it deals in raw and powerful emotion. Their is an incredible beauty to these songs, not just musically but also lyrically. Masvidal has gone out of his way to craft the sort of release that opens you up, from happier initial tracks to real tearjerkers like Gitanjali. This is a release that works on multiple levels and captures the heart from the opening seconds to the closing mantra.
In short, Cynic have created an all time classic with Kindly Bent to Free Us, it is distinctly different from previous releases (Although the progression seems logical) but I think that nevertheless it is my favorite Cynic record. The depth of the sound on this release speaks not only to the glory of the production, but also the incredible songwriting ability that is on display here. This is not the sort of record that you listen too once and put away. No, Cynic have gone beyond, created a record that will bring you into astral projection and carry your mind off to another world. Hold on to your hats folks, this may very well be the best album of 2014.
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