Cynic Guru

Cynic Guru is a progressive rock band fronted by classically trained violinist Roland Hartwell.

This featured Roland Hartwell (guitar, vocals), Stefan Örn (bass), and Steef Van Oosterhout (drums).

Chris Sampson left the band and was replaced by Mike Constantini (guitars, vocals) and Vince Varquez (bass).

Hartwell, a classically trained violin player, got offered a job touring with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra on the East Coast of the US sometime in the late 1990s.

Soon Roland Hartwell reformed Cynic Guru in Reykjavik, Iceland, adding members Ricky Korn (bass), Einar Jóhannsson (lead guitar and backing vocs), Óli Hólm (drums), and John Mono (backing vocals and keyboards).

The first single from Iceland, Drugs, made it to the number one spot on X-FM 97.7 in Reykjavík, beating out Queens of the Stone Age, Papa Roach, Green Day, Audioslave, The Transplants, Used/My Chemical Romance, and Nine Inch Nails.

Videos were made for Drugs and Catastrophe, which were directed by Icelandic artist Bardi Johannsson, of Bang Gang.