It was the universe's idea. There was two parts to this process, first the reunion and then the decision to make an album. CYNIC appeared in our lives numerous times in the form of synchronicities over the course of a couple weeks. It finally reached a point of critical mass. I called Sean and said,'it's time'. He agreed and we went straight to work on getting the Focus material back together. After we returned from the last reunion tour, I went into my studio and explored new material. I soon discovered we had something to say again as CYNIC. The songs poured out of me and everything just flowed. That led to making the new album and of course now touring to promote it.

I knew Tymon for years from the inner CYNIC circles. Finally when I realized we needed a solid guitar player who could also growl, a friend of mine reminded of Tymon. I reached out to him and he expressed immediate interest. Soon he was sending auditions playing Focus songs and growling. I knew he was going to be just right for us.

Sean Reinert and I have always been the core of CYNIC. For live performances, things change depending on who's available and able to commit. We haven't really sought out permanent members, but more people who are appropriate for the time. The line-up feels solid now as a touring group, so maybe this one will work for now.

We had about seven offers and although no record company is perfect, SOM seemed right at the time. The president of the label is very enthusiastic about the band and completely trusts us as artists with absolute freedom creatively. He also was willing to make CYNIC a top priority at his company which meant more to us than dollar signs.

We're influenced by a wide-range of musicians. From early Progressive Rock groups like RUSH and KING CRIMSON, to Jazz musicians like Pat Metheney and Allan Holdsworth. Also certain forms of Alternative Rock (RADIOHEAD, SIGUR ROS), Ambient music artists like Brian Eno and classical composers (Debussy, Ravel). Also great artists inspire me like Venosa and Rothko. The list goes on...

At times we are and at other times we are not. CYNIC would like to be one of the great bands that are not classifiable by genre or style. We are forging our own sound and although that can be a more difficult road, ultimately it makes more sense to us as artists.

The tour is going great. We're enjoying the shows tremendously and are happy to be out there sharing CYNIC's music with OPETH's fans. It's definitely easier for us now because we are better thinkers than we used to be.

The delay was due to album packaging. We had the cover embossed and some other special things with the digi book that required some unexpected extra time in the manufacturing process.

Robert is an old, good friend who I've been touch with since my teens. I was thrilled to have his fantastic work grace the new CYNIC album. He shared some of his masterpieces with us in the new CD booklet, which contains a unique painting for each song. Venosa is truly one of the great painters of our time, and I think the world or art will eventually realize this.

The journal is an intensely layered collage of thoughts, dreams, ideas and pictures that were part of my creative process during the making of Traced In Air. On the surface it makes for a beautiful little art booklet with what appears to be abstract art images. For those interested in digging deeper they will find the truth or fragments of where the songs came from. It's quite an exposing piece of work, but I think that is what CYNIC is about. Nothing hidden, just raw truth in all its madness for everyone to see.

This would definitely not be a'reunion' album. I can't predict the future of CYNIC at this moment, but I do know that we feel great about how things are going now and can easily see another record developing.

I can't speak for the other bands and their reasons. I can say that our reunion came from universal spirit guidance and was purely cosmic. We are simply following direction from the universe and allowing things to unfold naturally, as they should. Our intentions are as pure as they can be and that's all that matters to us.

A journey into the center of the universe, where radiant beings of light are floating around, shape shifting into beautiful and dynamic objects, as the galaxies swirl around them.

That's Malone's project and he is essentially a session musician for CYNIC. Sean Reinert and I don't have anything to do with GORDIAN KNOT other than having played on some songs on his records. You'll have to ask Malone himself about the future of his project.

Our (or DEATH's at the time) equipment was confiscated after the last European tour for Human. A UK promoter held DEATH's gear because DEATH's manager at the time took off from the tour without making the final payment for the tour bus. The promoter then held our equipment as collateral until he got paid. We didn't have to do any touring for it. I ended up speaking with the promoter and asking him to at least return Sean's gear since we were not involved in any of this. It took about six months to get our gear back, which was another delay in making the CYNIC album.

Thanks for the interview Yiannis! Please check out Traced In Air, cyniconline.com and get on the mailing list for updates. Thanks for the support. Peace!