Cynic and Atheist playing classic '90s albums on 30th anniversary tour

Florida progressive/technical death metal bands Cynic and Atheist have announced a co-headlining 30th anniversary tour, dubbed the ‘Focus and Presence Tour.’ Cynic will be playing their 1993 debut studio album Focus in full for its 30th anniversary, and Atheist will be playing material from their first three albums, 1990’s Piece of Time, 1991’s Unquestionable Presence, and 1993’s Elements. Cynic will also be paying tribute to late members Sean Reinert and Sean Malone.

Cynic’s lineup for the tour is Paul Masvidal on vocals and guitars, Max Phelps (Exist, Death to All) on additional guitars and vocals, Brandon Giffin (The Faceless, The Zenith Passage) on bass, Matt Lynch (Nova Collective, Intronaut) on drums & percussion, and Zeke Kaplan on keyboards. Atheist’s lineup is guitarist/vocalist Kelly Shaefer, bassist Yoav-Ruiz Feingold (Graviton), Dylan Marks (Fermentor/Beekeeper) on drums, Alex Hadaad (Arkaik/Dessiderium) on guitar and Jerry Witunsky (Ancient Death) on guitar. Kelly Shaefer says:

This tour has been something that Paul (Cynic) and I have been talking about in some capacity since we were in our early 20s. It’s surreal to share a 30-year milestone together, and this tour will showcase for us a chance to play songs from our first 3 records as a special trilogy anniversary set, including songs not performed live in decades. Two titans of technical progressive metal coming together for a unicorn of a tour….one you will not want to miss!

I’m also excited to announce that joining me on this tour and beyond will be an all-new lineup of ATHEIST! These four straight killers of musicians will be alongside me as ATHEIST heads out with CYNIC to celebrate 30 years of our first three albums Piece of Time, Unquestionable Presence, and turning 30 this year 1993’s Elements!

We’ll be playing tracks from those three albums exclusively in one of the longest sets we’ve ever done! The set will include several songs that have not been played live in three decades. I’ve just returned from rehearsals in San Diego with these beasts and joining returning bassist Yoav-Ruiz Feingold (Graviton) and myself to round out Atheist are Dylan Marks (Fermentor/Beekeeper) on drums, Alex Hadaad (Arkaik/Dessiderium) on guitar and Jerry Witunsky (Ancient Death) on guitar.

I couldn’t be more excited to perform this special set with such talented players. They have shown tremendous respect for the music and the attention to detail needed to pull off these songs live. Talk is cheap, right? So be sure to secure your tickets early to the ‘Focus and Presence North American Tour 2023’ to see for yourself and help us celebrate alongside our brothers in CYNIC who will be performing a special 30th Anniversary Set for their release “Focus” as well.

See you on the road!!

The tour includes a NYC show at Le Poisson Rouge on July 6. Tickets go on sale Friday, April 28 at 12 PM local. All dates are listed below.

CYNIC / ATHEIST: 2023 TOUR
6/10: Austin, TX @ Come and Take it Live
6/11: Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater
6/12: Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad
6/13: Mesa, AZ @ Nile Theater
6/14: San Diego, CA @ Brick by Brick
6/16: Las Vegas, NV @ Backstage Bar
6/17: Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom
6/19: Portland, OR @ Bossanova Ballroom
6/20: Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theater
6/21: Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
6/23: Salt Lake City, UT @ Soundwell
6/24: Denver, CO @ Oriental Theater
6/25: Lawrence, KS @ The Bottleneck
6/26: Milwaukee WI @ X-Ray Arcade
6/27: Chicago, IL @ Reggies
6/29: Ft. Wayne, IN @ Piere’s
6/30: Detroit, MI @ The Sanctuary
7/01: Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace
7/02: Quebec City, QC @ La Source de la Martinière
7/03: Montreal, QC @ Fairmount Theater
7/05: Boston, MA @ Middle-East Downstairs
7/06: New York, NY @ Le Poisson Rouge
7/07: Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Soundstage
7/08: Richmond, VA @ Canal Club
7/09: Greensboro, NC @ Hangar 1819
9/06: Atlanta, GA @ ProgPower USA *

*festival date, Cynic only