Prog-metal heroes Cynic and tech-death vets Atheist have announced the “Focus and Presence” 2023 North American co-headlining tour.
The outing will see Cynic performing their seminal 1993 album Focus in its entirety as a tribute to late band members Sean Reinert and Sean Malone. Atheist will also be dipping into their classic ’90s material, playing a “trilogy anniversary set” culled from their first three albums: Piece of Time, Unquestionable Presence, and Elements.
Dates kick off June 10th in Austin and run through June 9th in Greensboro, North Carolina. Tickets go on sale Friday (April 28th) at noon ET and can be picked up via local venue sites or Ticketmaster (for select shows). Once tickets are on sale, fans can also check StubHub, where your purchase is 100% guaranteed through StubHub’s Fan Protect program.
“Come join us for a night of Cynic/Atheist magic!” remarked Cynic founder Paul Masvidal in a press release. “We’ll be celebrating our lifelong journey together with a night of progressive music and timeless memories. Don’t miss it!”
Added Atheist’s Kelly Schaefer: “This has been something that Paul 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 three 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!”
Cynic are coming off the 2021 release of their fourth studio album Ascension Codes. With Masvidal as the only consistent member, the band’s current lineup features Max Phelps (Exist, Death to All) on additional guitars/vocals, bassist Brandon Giffin (The Faceless, The Zenith Passage), drummer Matt Lynch (Nova Collective, Intronaut), and Zeke Kaplan on keys.
Meanwhile, Atheist re-formed in the mid 2000s and released their fourth album Jupiter in 2010. It marked the group’s first LP in 17 years, and the pioneering death metal act has remained active in a live capacity ever since.
See the full list of dates below, and pick up tickets here.
Cynic and Atheists’s 2023 North American Tour Dates:
06/10 – Austin, TX @ Come and Take it Live
06/11 – Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater
06/12 – Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad
06/13 – Mesa, AZ @ Nile Theater
06/14 – San Diego, CA @ Brick by Brick
06/16 – Las Vegas, NV @ Backstage Bar
06/17 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom
06/19 – Portland, OR @ Bossanova Ballroom
06/20 – Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theater
06/21 – Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
06/23 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Soundwell
06/24 – Denver, CO @ Oriental Theater
06/25 – Lawrence, KS @ The Bottleneck
06/26 – Milwaukee WI @ X-Ray Arcade
06/27 – Chicago, IL @ Reggies
06/29 – Ft. Wayne, IN @ Piere’s
06/30 – Detroit, MI @ The Sanctuary
07/01 – Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace
07/02 – Quebec City, QC @ La Source de la Martinière
07/03 – Montreal, QC @ Fairmount Theater
07/05 – Boston, MA @ Middle-East Downstairs
07/06 – New York, NY @ Le Poisson Rouge
07/07 – Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Soundstage
07/08 – Richmond, VA @ Canal Club
07/09 – Greensboro, NC @ Hangar 1819
