Paul Alberto Masvidal (born January 20, 1971) is the guitarist, singer and a founding member of the recently reunited progressive metal band Cynic and currently also leads the band Æon Spoke. In 1989, when Masvidal was in high school, he toured Mexico as a replacement guitarist for the band Death but declined an invitation to permanently join the band in order to remain committed to Cynic. This had many journalists curious at the time, since Death were emerging as an influential and popular underground act