When longtime Cynic drummer Sean Reinert announced in 2015 that the band was no longer active, it came as a surprise to co-founder Paul Masvidal, leaving the future of the band hanging in the balance. An agreement between the two was reached in December, which allowed Masvidal to move forward with the group. Now, just one month later, Cynic has re-emerged with a new song, "Humanoid," and a new drummer.

As always, it's a hyper-progressive effort that falls more in line with the band's triumphant comeback album, Traced in Air, with traces of new elements in play. Newly instated drummer Matt Lynch convincingly replaces Reinert's forward-thinking stick work, allowing Cynic's natural evolution to continue. Masvidal has always had a penchant for working in highly memorable leads in his intricate playing and here, his arrangement toys with some more minimalist moments driven by spiraling synths to pad the sci-fi atmosphere.

"'Humanoid' is a portrait of contrasts, like those between struggle and stillness, or the immediate against the limitless," says the guitarist / vocalist. "Our Stargate is planet Earth — consciousness, the transmitter. We, sentient creatures of light, are alive now — on a sphere, floating in a galaxy fixed amidst the infinite. It's quite miraculous to be aware of this, and it invokes a sense of urgency and empowerment that is unlike anything else."

The new track also features bassist Sean Malone, who has been on each Cynic full length, and was recorded with engineer Adam "Nolly" Getgood, formerly of Periphery.

Additionally, Masvidal's new signature guitar, the "Masvidalien Cosmo," has just been released by Strandberg and can be seen in the picture below. "When I first started conversations with Ola [Strandberg] about the guitar, words such as 'effortless', 'ease', 'elegance', and 'versatility' came to mind," the Cynic mastermind began. "Not only was this captured with the instrument, but it was also taken further. The finished product managed to strike a rare alchemy, where everything from the way it sounds, feels, and appears fell seamlessly into place: the guitar both expresses and is itself an expression."

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