"The Portal Tapes" is an official release, under the CYNIC banner, of songs that Paul Masvidal and Sean Reinert worked on as a side project with then-current CYNIC guitarist Jason Gobel, bassist Cris Kringel and keyboardist/vocalist Aruna Abrams in 1995, under the name PORTAL. Elements of Portal’s sound are immediately familiar to any Cynic fan. Reinert’s signature drumming style, the jazzy chord phrasing and fretless bass are all present. The biggest difference between the two bands is the near-abandonment of Cynic’s death metal stylings (aggressive riffs, harsh vocals, double bass, etc.) in favor of more atmospheric layerings and an emphasis Read more on Last.fm.
