Cynic is an American progressive metal band from Miami, Florida. Formed in 1987, the group originally consisted of vocalist Esteban "Steve" Rincon, guitarists Paul Masvidal and Russell Mofsky, bassist Mark van Erp, and drummer Sean Reinert. As of May 2025, the group's current lineup features Masvidal on guitar and vocals, Brandon Giffin on bass (from 2011 to 2014, and since 2022), guitarist Mike Gilbert (since 2024) and drummer Michel Bélanger (since 2025).
Cynic was formed in November 1987 by guitarist Paul Masvidal and drummer Sean Reinert, [1] who had previously worked together in a band called Seaweed. [2] The original lineup also included vocalist Esteban "Steve" Rincon, second guitarist Russell Mofsky and bassist Mark van Erp. [3] Rincon and Mofsky left after just a few months, with Jack Kelly brought in on vocals for the band's first demo during early 1988. [3] Shortly after the demo's release, Kelly left and Masvidal took over vocal duties, with Jason Gobel brought in as second guitarist. [4] The new lineup recorded a second demo, Reflections of a Dying World, before van Erp was replaced by Tony Choy a few months later. [5]
In 1991, Cynic signed with Roadrunner Records and began writing for their full-length debut album. [6] Recording was delayed due to Masvidal and Reinert working with the band Death, then by Hurricane Andrew which destroyed Gobel's home and the band's rehearsal space. [7] By the time the band regrouped in early 1993, Sean Malone had replaced Choy, who had chosen to focus on working with Atheist. [8] Gobel also claimed that Choy "wanted to do things differently". [9] After the release of Focus in September 1993, Cynic played a run of shows in Europe with stand-in bassist Chris Kringel, as Malone was unavailable due to teaching commitments, although he did return for North American shows the next year. [10] Tony Teegarden also performed at the 1993 shows, contributing harsh vocals and keyboards, with Dana Cosley taking over for the 1994 shows. [11]
Cynic disbanded after the last show of the Focus tour in July 1994, with Masvidal, Gobel, Kringel and Reinert briefly continuing to work together under the name Portal. [10] This band's only release, a self-titled demo from 1995, was later reissued in 2012 under the Cynic name as a compilation entitled The Portal Tapes. [12]
In September 2006, it was announced that Cynic had reformed for a string of 2007 festival appearances, with mainstays Paul Masvidal and Sean Reinert joined by former touring members Chris Kringel and Tony Teegarden, plus new guitarist Santiago Dobles. [13] By the following March, Dobles had been dismissed from the band, which commented that "due to the commitment required for the reunion, it was mutually agreed that another guitar player would be better suited". [14] Former member Jason Gobel was invited to rejoin, but had to turn down the offer due to "family and work commitments". [15] Dobles was replaced in April by David "Mavis" Senescu. [16] In June, the band announced Teegarden's departure due to financial reasons, with his harsh vocals covered by backing tracks. [17]
In early 2008, Cynic announced a new record deal with Season of Mist, as well as the return of Sean Malone on bass and the addition of Tymon Kruidenier on guitar and harsh vocals. [18] Malone was only able to commit to recording, however, so Robin Zielhorst took over for subsequent touring after the release of Traced in Air . [19] This new lineup released the EP Re-Traced in 2010, before the band parted ways with Kruidenier and Zielhorst that December due to the "logistical challenges of maintaining a band that is half based in the Netherlands and the other half in the United States". [20] Masvidal and Reinert recorded Carbon-Based Anatomy in the summer of 2011 with Malone on bass. [21]
Kruidenier and Zielhorst were replaced in Cynic's touring lineup by Max Phelps and Brandon Giffin, respectively, who were announced in October 2011. [22] The studio lineup of Masvidal, Reinert and Malone started recording a third album in late 2012, [23] which was released as Kindly Bent to Free Us in February 2014. [24] Following the album's release, Malone returned to playing live with Cynic for the first time in 20 years, starting at Graspop Metal Meeting in June 2014. [25] The following September, Reinert claimed that Cynic had broken up again, citing "artistic and personal differences". [26] Masvidal quickly responded by assuring that the band would continue "one way or another". [27]
A week after Sean Reinert claimed that Cynic had broken up, Paul Masvidal and Sean Malone enlisted Matt Lynch to take over on drums starting with a festival performance in October 2015. [28] The band remained relatively inactive for the next two years, before Masvidal and Reinert "reached a settlement" in December 2017 which allowed the former to continue using the band's name without the latter. [29] The following month, the band released its first song without Reinert, "Humanoid". [30] Reinert died a couple of years later, in January 2020. [31] Less than a year later, in December 2020, Malone also died. [32] In September 2021, the band released a recording of "Integral" featuring the bassist. [33]
In November 2021, Cynic released its fourth album Ascension Codes, which featured Masdival and Lynch alongside session keyboardist Dave Mackay (in place of a bassist). [34] The band returned to performing live in January 2023, with Masvidal and Lynch joined by returning guitarist Max Phelps and bassist Brandon Giffin, plus new keyboardist Zeke Kaplan. [35] Mike Gilbert replaced Phelps in January 2024. [36] For a tour that March, Obscura frontman Steffen Kummerer also joined the band, providing harsh vocals. [37] Lynch also left Cynic after ten years in May 2025, with Michel Bélanger of Gorguts taking his place. [38]
| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Masvidal |
|
| all Cynic releases | |
| Brandon Giffin |
| bass | Audiotree from Nothing (2024) | |
| Mike Gilbert | 2024–present | guitar | none to date | |
| Michel Bélanger | 2025–present | drums |
| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sean Reinert |
|
| all Cynic releases from the 1988 demo to Kindly Bent to Free Us (2014) | |
| Mark van Erp | 1987–1989 | bass |
| |
| Esteban "Steve" Rincon | 1987–1988 | vocals | none | |
| Russell Mofsky | guitar | |||
| Jack Kelly | 1988 | vocals | 1988 demo | |
| Jason Gobel | 1988–1994 |
|
| |
| Tony Choy | 1989–1993 | bass |
| |
| Sean Malone |
|
| all Cynic releases from Focus (1993) to "Integral" (2021), except Re-Traced (2010) | |
| Chris Kringel |
| bass | none (features on The Portal Tapes, recorded by Portal in 1994/1995 and later re-released under the Cynic name in 2012) | |
| Tony Teegarden |
|
|
| |
| Santiago Dobles | 2006–2007 | guitar | none | |
| David "Mavis" Senescu | 2007–2008 |
| ||
| Tymon Kruidenier | 2008–2010 |
|
| |
| Robin Zielhorst | bass | Re-Traced (2010) | ||
| Max Phelps |
|
| Audiotree from Nothing (2024) | |
| Matt Lynch | 2015–2025 |
|
| |
| Zeke Kaplan | 2022–2024 | keyboards | none |
| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dana Cosley | 1994 |
| Cosley took over from Tony Teegarden on keyboards and vocals for the 1994 Focus North American tour. [11] | |
| Steffen Kummerer | 2024 | harsh vocals | Kummerer joined Cynic's touring lineup for a string of Focus 30th anniversary European shows in March 2024. [37] |
| Period | Members | Releases |
|---|---|---|
| November 1987 [1] –early 1988 [3] |
| none |
| Early [3] –mid 1988 [5] |
|
|
| Mid 1988 [5] –early 1989 [5] |
|
|
| Early 1989 [5] –early 1993 [8] |
|
|
| Early [8] –fall 1993 [11] |
|
|
| Fall/late 1993 [11] |
| none |
| Spring/summer 1994 [11] |
| |
| Band inactive fall 1994–summer 2006 | ||
| September 2006 [13] –March 2007 [14] |
| none |
| April [16] –June 2007 [17] |
| |
| June 2007 [17] –early 2008 [18] |
| |
| Early [18] –summer 2008 [19] |
|
|
| Summer 2008 [19] –December 2010 [20] |
|
|
| Summer 2011 [21] |
|
|
| October 2011 [22] –early 2014 [25] |
|
|
| Summer 2014 [25] –September 2015 [26] |
| none |
| September 2015 [28] –December 2020 [32] |
|
|
| December 2020 [32] –November 2022 [35] |
|
|
| November 2022 [35] –January 2024 [36] |
|
|
| January 2024 [36] –May 2025 [38] |
| none |
| March 2024 [37] (temporary touring lineup) |
| |
| May 2025 [38] –present |
| none to date |
