If Cynic hadn’t gone in silence after the release of the acclaimed album Focus, they would’ve probably ended sounding like Art Far Away. I know, I know, that’s no small deal elevating any other band than Cynic to the rank of Cynic, but hear me out.

Art Far Away makes something that doesn’t sound too far from what I’d call “technical progressive post-hardcore”. In a sense, it’s not like Cynic’s Focus as it’s not quite “death metal”, but the presence of the vocoder just immediately makes you think of the band. It also adds that atmospheric touch to the sound of the band, which is pretty refreshing in the hardcore scene.

In fact, everything they make is refreshing for hardcore listeners. The presence of tech-death and prog metal elements will make this album more accessible to the metal fans out there, that usually don’t care much about hardcore music at all.

Verisimilitude & The Second Estate is an outstanding record, at about 43 minutes in length, where the musicians are tight, the innovative elements make it even more enjoyable, and where the “post” parts add emotion to the music.

The album is available through iTunes.