Cynic have split after encountering “artistic and personal differences,” says drummer Sean Reinert.
The prog metal outfit were due to return to the UK next month as part of a tour in support of 2014 album Kindly Bent To Free Us.
But Reinert says his relationship with long-term colleague Paul Masvidal has come to an end.
The drummer reports on Facebook: “Cynic is no longer an active band. Due to artistic and personal differences, the second chapter in the ‘Book Of Cynic’ has come to an end.
“I will say the last shows we played in Japan have left me with a positive charge, even though they were the last live performances with Paul, Sean Malone and I on the same stage.”
But he adds: “My longstanding creative partnership with Paul, which started when we were very young kids, has simply endured so much friction that there is no way, from my perspective, that Cynic can be salvaged, repaired or kept afloat by any means.”
“There can be differing levels of conflicts or differences in opinions, musical directions, or perspectives. Sometimes these things are insurmountable, and no amount of time or effort can resolve them. This is the case with Cynic.”
Addings his apologies to those who hoped to see the band in Europe, he reflects: “These things happen, unfortunately, to bands.”
Kindly Bent To Free Us was Cynic’s second full-length album since reuniting in 2006 after a 12-year hiatus. Their 1993 debut, Focus, is regarded as a landmark release in the prog metal genre.
