- Oct 31, 2005
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http://www.seaoftranquility.org/reviews.php?op=showcontent&id=14573
Cynthesis: ReEvolution
Posted by Murat Batmaz
My Score: 4.5
ReEvolution is the follow-up to Cynthesis' amazing debut, DeEvolution. The first album was such an exciting listen for me, mainly because it marked the return of Erik Rosvold, Zero Hour's original vocalist. In the ten years or so he had been away from making music, his voice had matured. He sang with greater conviction, delivering his lyrics like no one else could. At one point I told one of my friends with whom I love discussing music that, if I were a singer, I would like to have this man's voice. Listening to him, be it the two Zero Hour albums, his work with Marble, or these two Cynthesis releases is an incredible experience. He possesses a rich baritone voice but rarely stays in a certain key, often changing between verses to build tension over complex guitar and bass parts, complemented by mind-bending drumming by Sean Flanegan, the only member in the group who has not played in Zero Hour before. People have compared Rosvold to Dio or Tate, but, honestly, he doesn't sound like either of them. It may be more so in tone and diversity rather than delivery, as Rosvold's singing is more like an actor, where he becomes the person he is portraying. He can belt out high-pitched falsettos without getting screechy, sing in a deeper, lower tone, or do the typical prog metal thing effortlessly. Only the likes of Mike Patton, Devin Townsend, or Dan Swano may be in the same league; again, not in terms of tone but versatility and character. On this disc, Rosvold uses more harmonies and higher-pitched singing without overdoing it, but essentially he complements his excellent performance he started with the first disc.The ending of "Release the Deity" perhaps captures his finest moment in his career. The Tipton brothers' riff work is complex and intense as always. Jasun Tipton's coiling, snaky rhythms mutate and evolve beneath Troy Tipton's spidery bass lines and Flanegan's calculated drum beats hammering them into the fabric of the song. The chemistry between the three members is so strong that their collaboration can culminate in nothing but organic and evocative songs. Shards of guitar clusters, always uneven and formless, are underscored by dense, atmospheric keyboard manipulations, setting the Cynthesis sound apart from Zero Hour. The music has a warmer sound overall, thanks to these keyboard effects which fill in the pockets, helping to establish the desired dark and unsettling mood of the album. Jasun Tipton also plays lots of acoustic guitar interludes, often coterminous with his work on DeEvolution, sometimes replicating the same melodies and riffs, which lends all the songs a sense of coherence and unity.
Unlike Zero Hour, which some progressive metal fans may find a bit too complex and technical, I find Cynthesis is a lot more accessible, especially for those coming from a more traditional prog metal background. Whereas Zero Hour gives the listener a more participatory role to delve into their craft and their music requires more engagement from the listener's memory and cognitive process, Cynthesis lets them sit back and enjoy every moment while still being blown away by the mastery of these musicians, their songwriting vision, and the totality of the sounds they manage to marry into a single, cohesive body of work.
Cynthesis: ReEvolution
Posted by Murat Batmaz
My Score: 4.5
ReEvolution is the follow-up to Cynthesis' amazing debut, DeEvolution. The first album was such an exciting listen for me, mainly because it marked the return of Erik Rosvold, Zero Hour's original vocalist. In the ten years or so he had been away from making music, his voice had matured. He sang with greater conviction, delivering his lyrics like no one else could. At one point I told one of my friends with whom I love discussing music that, if I were a singer, I would like to have this man's voice. Listening to him, be it the two Zero Hour albums, his work with Marble, or these two Cynthesis releases is an incredible experience. He possesses a rich baritone voice but rarely stays in a certain key, often changing between verses to build tension over complex guitar and bass parts, complemented by mind-bending drumming by Sean Flanegan, the only member in the group who has not played in Zero Hour before. People have compared Rosvold to Dio or Tate, but, honestly, he doesn't sound like either of them. It may be more so in tone and diversity rather than delivery, as Rosvold's singing is more like an actor, where he becomes the person he is portraying. He can belt out high-pitched falsettos without getting screechy, sing in a deeper, lower tone, or do the typical prog metal thing effortlessly. Only the likes of Mike Patton, Devin Townsend, or Dan Swano may be in the same league; again, not in terms of tone but versatility and character. On this disc, Rosvold uses more harmonies and higher-pitched singing without overdoing it, but essentially he complements his excellent performance he started with the first disc.The ending of "Release the Deity" perhaps captures his finest moment in his career. The Tipton brothers' riff work is complex and intense as always. Jasun Tipton's coiling, snaky rhythms mutate and evolve beneath Troy Tipton's spidery bass lines and Flanegan's calculated drum beats hammering them into the fabric of the song. The chemistry between the three members is so strong that their collaboration can culminate in nothing but organic and evocative songs. Shards of guitar clusters, always uneven and formless, are underscored by dense, atmospheric keyboard manipulations, setting the Cynthesis sound apart from Zero Hour. The music has a warmer sound overall, thanks to these keyboard effects which fill in the pockets, helping to establish the desired dark and unsettling mood of the album. Jasun Tipton also plays lots of acoustic guitar interludes, often coterminous with his work on DeEvolution, sometimes replicating the same melodies and riffs, which lends all the songs a sense of coherence and unity.
Unlike Zero Hour, which some progressive metal fans may find a bit too complex and technical, I find Cynthesis is a lot more accessible, especially for those coming from a more traditional prog metal background. Whereas Zero Hour gives the listener a more participatory role to delve into their craft and their music requires more engagement from the listener's memory and cognitive process, Cynthesis lets them sit back and enjoy every moment while still being blown away by the mastery of these musicians, their songwriting vision, and the totality of the sounds they manage to marry into a single, cohesive body of work.
