Band: Cynic

Cynic are the definitive technical death metal band. It is believed by many, myself included, that Death borrowed many elements of their sound from Cynic. While only releasing one official CD (and many demos which show them progressing from a DRI sounding thrash band to a technical death band), Cynic set the standard by which all technical death bands are measured. One of the more interesting things to note is that the vocals alternate between a death growl and a vocoder "robot" voice, making quite a unique style.

After more than a decade apart, Cynic reformed in 2006 to play some festivals.  Work then commenced on a new album, and after a little lineup shuffling, Traced in Air was released to overwhelmingly positive reviews in 2008.  The death metal elements in their sound have been subdued, although growling can still be heard on some tracks.  It seems that the time apart has not affected the group's ability to craft memorable, yet technically challenging music.