Since yesterday, there hasn’t been a stop on the trainwreck this Cynic breakup situation is, with drummer Sean Reinert announcing the end of the band while frontman Paul Masvidal claiming the split was news to him. The whole situation just became a public circus where both parties engaged into a back-and-forth arena stating their side and perspective of the situation, but now, Sean Reinert decided to reach out to our friends at Metal Injection to elaborate in detail what exactly happened to push him on taking his decision:
Metal Injection: What was the final straw that made you decide you no longer want to be in Cynic?
Sean Reinert: Pretty much when the musical preparation and performances were not up to par. I am able to put personal issues aside from the music, but when music suffers; it’s time to call itMetal Injection: So you were unhappy with Paul’s performance at your recent shows? Is this something you two discussed?
Sean Reinert: That was just the icing. There has been quite a bit of tension for several years. I had gotten into a pattern of being passive on the business end and when things got bad I turned to alcohol. It was a bad cycle. Now that I’ve been out of that cloud for almost a year I’m seeing and feeling the damage. I’m to blame for letting that happen, but I don’t have to continue under those circumstances any longer now that I can see how toxic our relationship had become. And yes we had discussed his lack of practice even back to last summer’s US tour.Metal Injection: Is there a specific reason why you feel Paul didn’t want to practice?
Sean Reinert: I can’t really answer that. I think much more then that it was the accumulation of differences in musical directions and business practices. Just pragmatically, it wasn’t a healthy or profitable situation any longer. So rather then play bad shows and suffer through 15 days of tension I decided for me, it was time to end this chapter of CYNIC.Metal Injection: Are you saying you weren’t happy with the direction of the last album or am I reading into things?
Sean Reinert: No, I am generally happy with Kindly Bent To Free Us, but the through the process of recording it, became more and more evident how much “control”/influence and or lack there of, I would be allowed with respect to the music and aesthetic without conflict/tension. I enjoyed creating the last record as much as possible.Metal Injection: Last night, Paul claimed you locked him out of the band’s Facebook page and this morning you posted a screenshot showing that he was still granted “Editor” privileges. Meanwhile, you were listed as an “Administrator.” Was it always like this or did you lower his privileges? If so, why?
Sean Reinert: I did lower his privileges only to protect both of our free speech on that page. Pure and simple. As an editor, he still has the ability to post and remove posts, he just can’t remove me from the page. From now on, I am only posting on my personal Facebook page, just so people will stop thinking I’m some tyrant. I’m not on the offense.Metal Injection: Paul has expressed interest in continuing to play Cynic’s music with a new drummer. Would he still be able to perform under the Cynic banner or do both of you own the name?
Sean Reinert: He would have to perform under a different name or get a signed agreement with me in order to legally use it. At the moment there is no such agreement. I am not claiming it, therefore he cannot. CYNIC just plainly ceases to exist at this point, as an active band. Obviously, the catalog will remain.Metal Injection: Finally, what would it take for you to reconsider your position and collaborate with Paul again?
Sean Reinert: I can’t imagine a circumstance.
When Metal Injection tried to contact Paul Masvidal for his side of the story to keep things equal, Masvidal simply stated the following:
Sean’s action and words sadden me but ultimately this is a private matter.
Eventually, Masvidal will release a proper statement once things settle down as I’m sure he has a lot of things in his head right now.
