Gordian Knot

Gordian Knot was conceived as a project to demonstrate Sean Malone's abilities as both composer and performer. Malone's ground-breaking performance on Cynic's 1994 release Focus brought him worldwide acclaim for his bass work and his mastery of the 12-string Chapman Stick. On Gordian Knot, he pushes the instrument to its limits - whether he is playing percussive bass lines, flowing glissandos, or pure shredding leads that would wither most guitarists. Only musicians of the highest caliber could perform music of such complexity. Drawing from the genres of progressive rock and metal, Malone invited an all-star lineup to participate: Trey Gunn (Warr guitar), Sean Reinert (drums), Ron Jarzombek (guitar), Glenn Snelwar (guitar) and John Myung (Chapman Stick). Unlike other "all-star" projects, Gordian Knot is primarily the vision of one composer - Sean Malone. Because each member had the flexibility to contribute his own parts, the music has a fully-integrated, group sound, with the personality of each musician fully realized. Gordian Knot is a highly composed and organized collection of songs that blur the distinction between progressive rock and metal.