6Cyclemind moves forward

6Cyclemind has come a long way since its inception in early 2000. With five successful full-length albums (Permission To Shine, Panorama, Home and Fiesta and Project: 6Cyclemind) and over a dozen memorable radio singles to the band’s name including such anthems as Biglaan, Sandalan, Magsasaya, Aaminin, Kasalanan, and the ultimate paean to countless late-night drinking sessions, Sige, these prove that the band has already cemented its place in OPM history until the unexpected happened. Lead singer Ney Dimaculangan suddenly left the group, citing burnout as the reason. The band members were caught in a dilemma. The question in their mind was: Should they quit or continue? Thankfully, they decided on the latter, forging onwards with drummer Tutti Caringal stepping front and center to sing. It worked.

The fans welcomed the change. And the gigs kept coming, and the fresh, new incarnation of 6Cyclemind is able to further endear itself to its followers. But recording a new album is a different matter altogether.

Wanting to reintroduce themselves as a brand-new band with a brand-new sound, 6Cyclemind did not want to rely on the old formulas and the usual routines. But the question is, how will the band go about it?

Enter Raimund Marasigan who, having lost the vocalist of his band Sandwich prior in a similar situation, shared the trepidation of the group. He went on to urge the band to soldier on to produce and play drums on the new record. And so it was that both band and producer joined forces, wasting no time working on the songs they had ready with Buddy Zabala and Jessie Grinter joining in to tackle the challenge.

According to the band members, it was like going back to their first day in college, not knowing anything and being completely out of their comfort zones. The resulting 11-track album, Good By Sunday, is a revelation. The most obvious change, of course, is the singing, but it is evident in the album’s overall sound that this is a different 6Cyclemind altogether.

As Bob himself describes it, “Good By Sunday sounds quite unlike the 6Cyclemind of old — it stepped up its game and sounded reinvigorated, more mature and confident.”

“We think Good By Sunday is a good title of an album aside from the fact that it is the only English track in the album. With regards to the other album, well, Good By Sunday is totally different. This is the new 6Cyclemind music. No one can duplicate the others. Every song here defines the new music of 6Cyclemind from track one to 11. It’s totally new,” he adds.