R.I.P. Sean Reinert, drummer for Cynic and Death dies at 48

Spencer Kaufman
·3 min read

The post R.I.P. Sean Reinert, drummer for Cynic and Death dies at 48 appeared first on Consequence of Sound.

Shocking news to report, as acclaimed metal drummer Sean Reinert has died at the age of 48. The musician was a longtime member of Cynic and onetime drummer of the legendary Death.

Reinert was found unresponsive at his California home on Friday night (January 24th), according to Blabbermouth, with no cause of death reported.

The drummer founded the pioneering technical death metal band Cynic with Paul Masvidal as teenagers in 1987. The band released the highly influential debut album Focus in 1993 before breaking up in 1994. They would reunite in 2006 and go on to release the albums Traced in Air (2008) and Kindly Bent to Free Us (2014), embracing a progressive metal sound in their second chapter.

At the same time Cynic were active in the early ’90s, both Reinert and Masvidal briefly joined the legendary death metal band Death, led by Chuck Schuldiner. They played on the classic 1991 album Human, also a landmark LP in the world of technical death metal.

Reinert parted ways with Cynic in 2015, and officially announced his split from the band in 2017. The Facebook pages for both Cynic and Death acknowledged Reinert’s passing, as seen below.

Richard Christy, another one-time drummer of Death, and radio personality known for his work on The Howard Stern Show, tweeted, “OMG I just heard of the passing of one of my favorite drummers and a MASSIVE influence on my drumming, Sean Reinert. Sean’s performance on the Death ‘Human’ album is possibly the greatest metal drumming performance EVER. RIP Sean!”

Record label Season of Mist, which released the last two Cynic albums, tweeted, “We’re shocked and saddened to learn of the passing of former Cynic drummer Sean Reinert. Sean was a mega-talent, a true giant in whose shadow many walk, and his prodigious skills, warmth, and wit will be sorely missed. Rest easy, Sean.”

This is a developing story …

R.I.P. Sean Reinert, drummer for Cynic and Death dies at 48
Spencer Kaufman

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