A word of warning to picky vinyl collectors...all of the copies of the limited edition 10" version of Re-traced that we received have very small seam splits on the printed inner sleeve. The outer jackets are perfect, but if you are particular about the inner sleeve, please take note.

Can�t say I�m entirely surprised by the direction that Cynic took with this new Ep. In the decade and a half since the release of their classic debut Focus, the band's unique, mind-bending hybrid of death metal/jazz fusion/prog would be spoken of reverential tones, the group heralded as pioneers of avant-garde death metal who inarguably influenced legions of prog-minded metallers. Of course, when Cynic resurrected itself a few years ago and began work on a follow-up album, anticipation was through the roof, but hardly anyone expected the spacey, futuristic prog that the band had evolved into for 2008's Traced in Air. On that album, the band unveiled a sleek, lush sound that was far more prog than metal, with the occasional guttural vocals and blasts of furious drumming being the last vestiges of death metal still clinging to their sound. It was an amazing record, though, and ended up being widely embraced by more adventurous metal fans. If this new collection of re-imagined songs is any indication, Cynic�s trajectory is taking them even further from their prog-death roots.

Re-traced features three re-worked songs from Traced In Air that have been transformed into new, lush prog/electronica versions, moody prog-pop shadows of the original songs that are still recognizable, the central melodies still intact, but now sounding like a cross between Thom Yorke�s solo stuff and the dreamy prog of Time Of Orchids. Opener "Space" is immediately recognizable, although all of the heaviness has been stripped away, replaced with dizzying prog guitar and skittering electronica with bits of dubstep appearing throughout, a delicate, dreamy ghost of the alum version. The song "Evolutionary Sleeper" is rewritten here as "Evolution" and becomes a much mellower, gloomier version of the original, and "King" ( a re-working of "King Of Those Who Know") is a euphoric fusion of jazzy texture and soaring prog guitar. The last of the transformed songs is "Integral", which takes "Integral Birth" and strips it down into skeletal prog-folk with just acoustic guitar, haunting vocals, and the ambient chiming of wine glasses. The last song on the Ep is an unreleased track called "Wheels Within Wheels" that was recorded around the same time as the Traced In Air

Limited to 500 copies, and includes a download card for a digital copy of the Ep.