Cynic + Lesser Key + The Reign of Kindo

In the early ’90s, Cynic blew many an enlightened headbanger's mind with Focus, a record that combined death-metal ferocity with jazz-fusion suppleness. The group broke up soon after but returned in 2008, with an outstanding comeback LP, Traced in Air. Earlier this year, after a series of EPs, Cynic issued its third LP, Kindly Bent to Free Us, which solidified its transformation from an oddball extreme-metal act to an intricate, melody-forward prog unit.