Cynic played their first show in eight years on Friday night in Los Angeles, California.
The band were billed under the name ‘Uroboric Forms’ for the secret show at the Knitting Factory in North Hollywood on 27 January.
The performance was a warm up for the band’s appearance on the 2023 70000 Tons Of Metal cruise, which sets sail from Miami from 30 January to 3 February.
Singer and guitarist Paul Masvidal was joined in the Cynic lineup by Max Phelps on guitar, Brandon Griffin on bass and Matt Lynch on drums.
It was the band’s first live show since the tragic loss of former drummer Sean Reinert and long-time bassist Sean Malone, both of whom died in 2020.
Cynic’s fourth album Ascension Codes was released in 2021 and described by the band as “both swan song and rebirth”. Prog magazine hailed the record as “a fitting testament to fallen friends and colleagues.”
Following Friday’s show, Masvidal said in a post on social media: “So this happened…First Cynic show after eight years.
“It was a secret warm-up show before embarking on the 70000 Tons cruise and our show at Prog Power USA. Of course, thanks to everyone of you who could witness Cynic live for the first time in eight years.”
Cynic are joined on the 70000 Tons of Metal Cruise by Dragonforce, Kreator, Uli Jon Roth, Nightwish, Rotting Christ and more.
Cynic’s setlist from the comeback gig was as follows:
01. Veil Of Maya
02. Celestial Voyage
03. The Eagle Nature
04. Sentiment
05. I’m But A Wave To…
06. Uroboric Forms
07. Textures
08. How Could I
09. Kindly Bent To Free Us
10. Adam’s Murmur
11. Aurora
12. Box Up My Bones
13. Evolutionary Sleeper
14. DU-*61.714285
15. In A Multiverse Where Atoms Sing