The Year 1993 Albums Calendar and Rankings

1993 a year I honestly don't think of to be that amazing, as it was maybe the heart of the grunge period, etc.

I actually remember the Summer of 1993 working at Sam Goody at the Mall of America and seeing many of the albums on this list among others. That Rush album, was a really big deal for me as I was obsessed with Rush at the time and it was their 1st new album since I really became a fan.

But just looking at it, 1993 was actually a pretty good year. Top Heavy still, like many years, but also relatively deep. I would guess 1994 and 1995 I see as better years, but the years that followed in the 90's? I'm not so sure (1998 may be 1 of the dry-est years ever from memory).

Jellyfish, Galactic Cowboys, Cynic, Angra, Enchant, The Tea Party, Savatage and I Mother Earth all put out some of the best albums from the 1990's.

1. Jellyfish - Spilt Milk
2. Galactic Cowboys - Space in Your Face
3. Cynic - Focus
4. Angra - Angels Cry
5. Enchant - A Blueprint of the World
6. Savatage - Edge of Thorns
7. The Tea Party - Splendor Solis
8. I Mother Earth - Dig
9. Rush - Counterparts
10. Saigon Kick - Water
11. Jeff Buckley - Live at Sin-é
12. Jim Matheos - First Impressions
13. Dream Theater - Live at the Marquee
14. Porcupine Tree - Up the Downstair
15, Tears for Fears - Elemental
16. Anekdoten - Vemod
17. Pat Metheny - The Road to You: Recorded Live in Europe
18. Robert Plant - Fate of Nations
19. Without Warning - Making Time
20, Voivod - The Outer Limits
21. U2 - Zooropa
22. Primus - Pork Soda
23. Duran Duran - Duran Duran (The Wedding Album)
24. Alan Parsons - Try Anything Once
25. Damn the Machine - Damn the Machine
26. Pearl Jam - Vs
27. Sheryl Crow - Tuesday Night Music Club
28. No-Man - Loveblows and Lovecries - A Confession
29. Orphaned Land - The Beloved's Cry



Jellyfish - Spilt Milk
rel February 9, 1993


Duran Duran - Duran Duran (The Wedding Album)
rel February 11, 1993


The Cranberries - Everybody Else is Doing it, So Why Can't We?
rel March 1, 1993


Lenny Kravitz - Are You Gonna Go My Way
rel March 9, 1993


Coverdale•Page - Coverdale•Page
rel March 15, 1993



Depeche Mode - Songs of Faith and Devotion
rel March 22, 1993


Savatage - Edge of Thorns
rel April 2, 1993


Tool - Undetow
rel April 6, 1993


His Name is Alive - Mouth by Mouth
rel April 13, 1993


Primus - Pork Soda
rel April 20, 1993


Porno for Pyros - Porno for Pyros
rel April 27, 1993


Jim Matheos - First Impressions
rel May 25, 1993


Robert Plant - Fate of Nations
rel May 25, 1993



No-Man - Loveblows and Lovecries - A Confession
rel May 1993


Porcupine Tree - Up the Downstair
rel June 7, 1993


Tears for Fears - Elemental
rel June 7, 1993


Damn the Machine - Damn the Machine
rel June 8, 1993


Galactic Cowboys - Space in Your Face
rel June 8, 1993


The Tea Party - Splendor Solis
rel June 11, 1993


U2 - Zooropa
rel July 5, 1993


Ozric Tentacles - Jurassic Shift
rel July 13, 1993


Pat Metheny - The Road to You: Recorded Live in Europe
rel July 20, 1993


Steve Vai - Sex and Religion
rel July 27, 1993


Sheryl Crow - Tuesday Night Music Club
rel August 3, 1993


Voivod - The Outer Limits
rel August 3, 1993


I Mother Earth - Dig
rel August 10, 1993


Dark Tranquillity - Skydancer
rel August 30, 1993


Enchant - A Blueprint of the World
rel August 1993


Dream Theater - Live at the Marquee
rel September 4, 1993


Cynic - Focus
rel September 14, 1993


Saigon Kick - Water
rel September 28, 1993


Anekdoten - Vemod
rel September 1993


October Project - October Project
rel October 12, 1993


Pearl Jam - Vs
rel October 19, 1993


Rush - Counterparts
rel October 19, 1993


Alan Parsons - Try Anything Once
rel October 26, 1993


Angra - Angels Cry
rel November 3, 1993



Jeff Buckley - Live at Sin-é
rel November 23, 1993


Without Warning - Making Time
rel November 24, 1993


Crypt of Kerberos - World of Myths
rel 1993


Orphaned Land - The Beloved's Cry
rel 1993

Gracepoint - Echoes (2015-2016)

Holy crap! I had absolutely no CLUE these guys were putting out a new record! Although I forget, but it likely was at the Vektor show in February either in conversation with fellow minnesota prog metal fan and musician Sam Rhode, or That Drummer Guy, who may have mentioned they were back together. Or they never actually broke up? I forget, and don't quite know.

But obviously they are now together, and it's really been since about 2001 or 2002 I actually thought about them, sans for when talking about progressive rock in Minnesota and that progressive rock in Minnesota entry I did last year, and the entry about My Concert Attendance History.

But as I posted in there, I did enjoy their debut album Science of Discontent back in 2000 and 2001, etc quite a bit. I saw them live a few times, namely at what was known as "The Lab" (or The 4th Street Station? Ryans?) I recall then, and then eventually became "Station 4."

I also specifically remember interviewing them on KFAI around 2000 or 2001. Probably on Angie's show "In Your Ear." I seem to recall them talking about the band Cynic (and their album Focus) and the Steinberg guitars they used. Along with their use syncopation.

But, so this is their new album "Echoes" coming out Next Friday April 8th in fact. And there's 3 tracks already up to stream there on the bandcamp page. And I am really liking what I'm hearing. Do they sound different, after 16 years? Maybe a little, but I suppose their sound is similar but just more refined with cleaner, more polished production.

I guess I can't say for sure, but I wonder if this may be one of those albums that comes out of nowhere, and is a breath of fresh air, I get attached to this year. At a minimum it is great just to hear some new music from them again and to learn of their presence. Being from Minnesota or not. I suppose being a Minnesota band I once was into, and to see/hear them come back adds a little extra to this. But if the album is good, the Minnesota part will only be 1 element to enjoy about Echoes.



1. Animal 04:25
2. Spider 05:21
3. Secrets
4. Full Circle 06:49
5. Somber
6. Crucible
7. Bittersweet
8. July 4
9. Echoes
10. Moon

from bandcamp:
Since the release of their first album, “Science of Discontent”, Minneapolis based Gracepoint has continued to develop their distinctive approach to progressive metal. The goal from the inception of the band has been to create music that will be appreciated by both musicians and the average metal head. 
While “Science of Discontent” had a raw, underground sound, their newest release “Echoes” (April 2016) is the result of a collaboration with legendary producer/engineer Neil Kernon (Dokken, Queensryche, Nevermore). 

Drawing on a wide array of influences from classic heavy rock and metal, thrash and death metal, and a variety of progressive bands from the 70’s through today, Gracepoint has forged a heavy and rhythmically complex sound that remains focused and accessible. 

Bass player Sam Van Moer and drummer Lance Reed form a musical foundation rich in both syncopation and groove. Guitarists Lon Kunze and Stefan Radzilowski deal in aggressive and complex riffs while placing a clear emphasis on strong rhythmic and melodic phrasing. 

Together, the band tempers a myriad of time signature changes with groove, melodic sense, and concise song structures thereby forming the backdrop for the clear and powerful vocals of singer Matt Tennessen who brings another level of emotional depth and color to the music
credits
releases April 8, 2016

Cynic - Rest in Peace? (again)

9/11/15 6:01AM

Sean Reinert in response

From Cynic's Facebook


Instead of playing into the "tit for tat" game of trying to defend any accusations of unscrupulous behavior on my part, with regards to the split of Cynic (Paul and I: Two people, Not three) would be childish. But he's caught in a lie below saying he can't post and I took over the page which is obviously not true. I'll leave it at that. I can't physically stop Paul from playing CYNIC's music with other musicians, but it won't be CYNIC, merely Paul playing CYNIC songs with hired guns, which as stated he's wanted for a while. This isn't the way I wanted things to work out. 
-Sean 

D-R-A-M-A.

9/10/15 10:07PM

Well apparently the earlier announcement was a 1-way thing as
Paul Masvidal posted on FB

Dear fans and friends, this is all news to me. I just landed from Japan and my inbox was exploding. Sean didn't confer with myself or Malone about Cynic's official breakup or the tour being cancelled. I'm honestly somewhat relieved it's finally over since it's been quite challenging over the years but I'm also trying to figure out how to possibly salvage this tour (with a new drummer) since the damage he's causing by pulling out at this last minute is inconceivable for me at the moment. Please share this message with friends or fans as Sean has taken me off our FB page so I can't access it at the moment. Love to you all. I apologize for the drama...but sometimes life gets messy.

P.S. Cynic will continue one way or another.

I guess Cynic continuing as they are is different enough from the Focus-sound, I'm sure it will matter, but these situations are better resolved privately, typically. Hopefully Paul and Sean will be calm the flames soon.


9/10/15 2:38PM
I guess I can't be totally surprised and not incredibly down about this as their record from 2014 Kindly Bent to Free Us was not incredibly memorable, even compared to their previous EP Carbon Based Anatomy.

I personally love FOCUS, and the stuff they did since their comeback was not quite at the FOCUS level.

Still, it's sad to see them go. I can at least be happy I got to see them live (twice? I think, although not with Sean Malone unfortunately).

Weird/downer about them now breaking up and with uneXpect as well recently. I hope this pattern ends soon.



Facebook Link

It is with a heavy heart that I post today's CYNIC news. 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 & I on the same stage. My longstanding creative partnership with Paul, which started when we were very young kids in south Florida, 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.

I profusely apologize to the fans who were not only expecting us in China & Taiwan (that was not our fault), but to the fans who were planning to see us in Europe next month. These things happen, unfortunately, to bands. There can be differing levels of conflicts and/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.

This page will stay up, and of course there are our respective personal pages and websites that will continue to let everyone know what we’re doing individually.
I wish all of you love & peace.

-Sean

Cynic - Kindly Bent to Free Us (2014)

2/7/14 11:22AM
whole album is available to stream on p4k. Using google should bring you the link (nauseating thought of course that site would be where it's available, but whatevah).



1/28/14 4:30PM

New song/video for "True Hallucination Speak"
liking it. This album is sounding more and more like my thing. Very trippy (hence the title).


1/14/14 12:15PM

title track: no I haven't heard it yet (at work of course)


  12/10/13 4;22PM

PREORDER

track list now added, and a new track "The Lion's Roar" (with the typical Youtube compression included, but so be it).which after hearing once, I like, but hardly love initially. The digitized vocals seem gone forever. Many comments compare this track to something by the band Aeon Spoke which I've seen the name, but wasn't fully aware of is/was Sean Reinert and Paul Masdival's proggy college rock band from the mid 2000's, prior to the Traced In Air period.

In reading about and sampling some of Aeon's Spoke's music, I may want to check them out. And perhaps the comparisons in this new Cynic album to them will help me accept and enjoy this record more than I may have somehow, lol.

http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/cynic-kindly-bent-to-free-us-track-listing-revealed



01. True Hallucination Speak
02. The Lion’s Roar
03. Kindly Bent To Free Us
04. Infinite Shapes
05. Moon Heart Sun Head
06. Gitanjali
07. Holy Fallout
08. Endlessly Bountiful
09. Earth Is My Witness (deluxe CD book exclusive bonus track)


11/10/13 4:22PM
February 14th, 2014

I love Focus. Their last release, the Carbon Based Anatomy EP was interesting even if it had no Metal on it, and was them doing Post Rock. Traced In Air and The Portal Tapes sadly did more or less NOTHING for me (and given the fact they were written/recorded just after Focus, is maybe why they were so disappointing).

Why I am kind of not expecting this record to floor me or sound like Focus unfortunately. But perhaps it'll surprise me. I know a ton of people who will be going apeshit over it anyway, so if they find this posting, I'm happy to pass it along. More of the info as far as Tracklist, etc I would expect to happen soon.



From Facebook

The wait is soon over. Here's your look at the cover of Cynic's new album, "Kindly Bent to Free Us." Available worldwide on Valentine's Day, 2-14-14.


on a related note, I had no idea Focus was released on Vinyl earlier this year, and for $20 from THE LASERS EDGE, I just purchased a copy. 

Cynic - The Portal Tapes (2012)

I stumbled on this on rateyourmusic earlier. If I am not mistaken, this ain't the new full-length record they are working on, but "old demos."

Now, given my appreciation for Focus, these might hold some intrigue. I recall some of this work was included on 1 or more of the Focus remasters, one of I personally purchased. But perhaps the versions on this  will differ in both arrangement and mix.

Why this was placed under their normal discography, rather than "Compilations" on rym, is confusing. But so be it. I'm curious about these, but don't want to go overboard about this. This is not their all-new material release that is expected to come in 2012. But I suppose this should tide myself and the bigger Cynic fans over a bit until then.

story



As previously announced, Cynic will finally share the legendary "Portal" demos on a worldwide scale. "The Portal Tapes" will be released on March 23rd (March 27th in North America) through Season of Mist. The track listing is as follows:



1. Endless Endeavors
2. Karma's Plight
3. Circle
4. Costumed in Grace
5. Cosmos
6. Crawl Above
7. Mirror Child
8. Road to You
9. Belong
10. Not the Same

The artwork was designed by the late Robert Venosa, the artist behind the cover artworks of all Cynic releases. "The Portal Tapes" will be released in strictly limited editions of 5000 digipak CDs and 1000 vinyl LPs.

Cynic - Carbon-Based Anatomy [EP] (2011)

10/12/11 1:20AM

Stream/dl the title track.

Good, including the layering of the vocals. However, they are not exactly like the Focus style of digitized vocal effects. But I am optimistic about this more so after hearing that.


9/6/11 3:16PM


Season of the Mist link

Release date: Fri, Nov 11 2011, US Tue, Nov 15 2011



1. Amidst The Coals
2. Carbon-Based Anatomy
3. Bija!
4. Box Up My Bones
5. Elves Beam Out
6. Hieroglyph

Forefathers of Progressive Metal CYNIC have recorded a new EP entitled "Carbon-Based Anatomy", to be released on November 11th in Europe (November 15th in North America). Contrary to last year's "Re-Traced", this new EP exclusively consists of brand new material.

The artwork was designed by the great Robert Venosa, the artist behind the cover artworks of "Focus", "Traced in Air" and "Re-Traced". We regret to announce that Robert passed away last month. RIP.

Paul Masvidal describes this new EP as "both a philosophical as well as a musical journey, one that begins in the Amazon jungle on the lips of a shamanic wisewoman (as portrayed by Amy Correia) and ends in outerspace".

Last but not least, the fans will be excited to know that all bass parts on "Carbon-Based Anatomy" were recorded by Mr. Sean Malone.


For those who aren't aware, I happen to really enjoy Cynic's debut album from 1993, Focus which featured the bass guitar work of Sean Malone. It's possibly the best technical metal album ever. However, 2008's return record Traced in Air, I found boring. I just looked it up, and Malone was on it, but I'm not sure how much creative input he had. He did not tour with Cynic, which was the only downside of seeing them live last year.

I suppose given his contributions to TiA, I'm still not expecting a huge comeback here, but I suppose with that note about the artist passing away sadly, their might be some inspiration on these songs, that may improve the music overall. Suppose we'll see soon enough. I do wonder, if Cynic can release an EP late in the year, how many of these other up-in-the-air (no pun intended) albums from bands could still come (and info still come). Hopefully more than I'm expecting.