Paul Albert Masvidal (born January 20, 1971) is an American musician, best known as the guitarist, singer and a founding member of the progressive metal band Cynic. He has remained a continual member in Cynic for nearly three decades and has developed numerous other projects including Æon Spoke, Onward with Love, and Masvidal (a solo project). Masvidal was ranked in Loudwire's 66 Best Hard Rock + Metal Guitarists of All Time and 50 Best Metal Songwriters of All Time. Early life and education Paul Masvidal was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico to Cuban-American civic and business leader Raul Masvidal. Masvidal's early years were spent in the Miami area where he studied classical guitar with Carlos Molina, and in college, with jazz musician, Dave Weissbrot who inspired his love of jazz, Steinberger guitars, and introduced him to Buddhist philosophy. Masvidal developed an interest in mysticism and esoteric topics from a young age, becoming an initiate to Kriya Yoga in his late teens and eventually a practitioner of Buddhist meditation by his late 20s. Masvidal met drummer Sean Reinert in 1984 at Gulliver Academy In Miami, where the duo began making music the day they met, eventually forming the pre-Cynic groups, Crypha and Seaweed. Career Pre-Cynic, Crypha and Seaweed (1984–1986) While still at school, Masvidal had formed Crypha along with Sein Reinert. The duo later teamed up with their classmates Reid Hansen and Rod Segal to form Seaweed. The band eventually recorded a song called The Seaweed Creature, that was based upon a little doodle Reid would play on an acoustic guitar. In an interview with Hungarian heavy metal magazine Rattle Inc., Segal mentioned:"The band was never meant to be a long term thing. It was four friends messing around... Sean and Paul had bigger ideas by then and went off to music school."Masvidal and Reinert eventually disbanded Seaweed and went on to form Cynic. Cynic (1988–1995, first hiatus) Masvidal co-founded Cynic with drummer Sean Reinert in the late 80s, having released four demos from 1988 to 1991 that circulated in the underground tape trading community. Masvidal developed a reputation in the South Florida music scene for his musicianship and attention began to grow quickly around the band. In 1989, while still in high school, Masvidal toured Mexico as a replacement guitarist for the band Death, but declined an invitation to permanently join the band to remain committed to Cynic. This