Malignus Youth was a hardcore punk

Hardcore punk

Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...

 band from Sierra Vista, Arizona that was active from 1987–1994 and again from 1999-2001.

Known as punk rock pioneers for their unique sound featuring exceptional complexity in musical arrangements, vocal harmonies, melodic structure, classical music influences, as well as their runaway breakneck speed, Malignus Youth released one LP

LP album

The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...

, two 7" EP

Extended play

An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...

s, and a retrospective CD compilation of unreleased tracks. Their vinyl output was also collected onto one CD.

Lineup

Band members included:

• James Martin (guitars/vocals)
• Octavio Olaje (vocals)
• Tom Shelden (bass/vocals)
• Mike Armenta (drums/vocals)

Musical style

As was typical of traditional hardcore punk, early Malignus Youth songs featured fast tempos, 4/4 time, slow introductions followed by fast verse-chorus-verse, and lyrics with social relevance.

However, as they developed their musical style, song tempos became even faster. Shouted vocals (as per the punk tradition) developed into singing of unified harmonized melody. The traditional verse-chorus-verse structure was altered into even patterns, each with its own structure. Bass lines became more melodic and experimental. Guitar lines served to counterpoint the melodic basslines creating a musical point-counterpoint, which was perhaps at this point unheard of in punk rock.

One feature that characterized later Malignus Youth was a rush of lyrics from Martin as Olaje sang in the background, which would be seamlessly "switched" so that Olaje sang in the foreground as Martin sang in the background. By taking turns on the lead lyrics, the impression would be created that a single singer was belting out ultra-fast lyrics without interruption.

Additional musical innovations and style are noted below.

First Self-Titled EP Release (1988)

In January 1988, using a late 1970s model four-track reel to reel, eight songs were recorded live in Martin's parents' bedroom-turned-studio. These eight tracks were released on a clear vinyl extended-play (EP) album, self-entitled "MALIGNUS YOUTH" on their new label YOUTH INC RECORDS.

The Southern Arizona Hardcore Scene (1988-1990)

In the late 1980s, the active Punk Rock scene in Cochise County surged new bands such as Dover Trench, Opinion Zero, Headspace

Headspace

In firearms, headspace is the distance measured from the part of the chamber that stops forward motion of the cartridge to the face of the bolt. Used as a verb, headspace refers to the interference created between this part of the chamber and the feature of the cartridge that achieves the correct...

, Blood Spasm, Civil Order, Feast Upon Cactus Thorns, Cosmic Jackhammer, and many more. Later in 1989, Malignus Youth was booked on the same bill as Bad Religion

Bad Religion

Bad Religion is a punk rock band that formed in Los Angeles in 1979. Their current line-up consists of Greg Graffin , Brett Gurewitz , Jay Bentley , Greg Hetson , Brian Baker and Brooks Wackerman . Gurewitz is also the founder of the label Epitaph Records, which has released almost all of the...

 earning praise from the band.

"Crisis" 7-Inch EP (1990)

IN 1990, a second EP was recorded live. This second EP, titled "Crisis", was released as a limited edition red and white vinyl, containing a 2 poster lyric sheet which has since become rare. The music contained themes of conflict, personal loss, fear of growing up, hopelessness and suicide.

Stylistic Notes

Malignus Youth's musical tastes were maturing. "Crisis" marked a diversion from punk rock conventions by adopting compositional techniques more traditionally associated with classical music.

Unique use of cadences in the guitar created vamps, or "riffs", each with a tension-release tension-release pattern. This created a dramatic element that merged into musical ideas, themes and phrases. Songs drifted away from 4/4 time to 3/4 and back, sometimes one after the other, even occurring simultaneously. Two-part harmonies, "call and response" singing patterns, as well as use of counterpoint

Counterpoint

In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more voices that are independent in contour and rhythm and are harmonically interdependent . It has been most commonly identified in classical music, developing strongly during the Renaissance and in much of the common practice period,...

-- a concept of 18th century Baroque music—blended seamlessly with more traditional punk vocal styles.

"More To It" LP (1991)

These unique elements of Malignus Youth's music were put on full display in the 1991 full length LP "More To It", recorded in Martin's bedroom studio and released on blue vinyl.

"More To It" took the shape of a punk rock concept album

Concept album

In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...

, the resolution of the "crisis" explored in the previous EP. The songs on "More To It" were a "song cycle", united by keys and themes, and partially inspired by the writings of philosopher Emmanuel Kant. The album developed the themes from "Crisis" into a psychological tapestry of what Kant called "humanity as the ends as well as the means", or, in other words, the mind's contribution to its own knowledge and the resulting epiphany that there truly is "more to it".

Visually, "More To It" suggested these themes with its cover art

Cover art

Cover art is the illustration or photograph on the outside of a published product such as a book , magazine, comic book, video game , DVD, CD, videotape, or music album. The art has a primarily commercial function, i.e...

, the 1568 painting by Pieter Brughel the Elder, "The Misanthrope

The Misanthrope

The Misanthrope is the first EP from metal band Darkest Hour. It was released in 1996 on the defunct label Death Truck Records. It is much more hardcore orientated metalcore unlike their later releases.- Track listing :# "Vise" - 5:30...

", currently at the Museo di Capodimonte

Museo di Capodimonte

The National Museum of Capodimonte is located in the Palace of Capodimonte, a grand Bourbon palazzo in Naples, Italy. The museum is the prime repository of Neapolitan painting and decorative art, with several important works from other Italian schools of painting, and some important Ancient Roman...

 in Naples.

Stylistic Notes

Arguably, "More To It" represented Malignus Youth musical style at its most sophisticated. The album featured artistic elements that challenged artistic expression in the punk rock genre. Style choices included ascending and descending keys, two and three part harmonies in counterpoint, singing styles in guitar and bass playing against standard power chords, sophisticated tempo changes, complex polyrhythic drum parts, innovative use of musical cadences for dramatic effect, experimental tangents in different musical styles, and even slight canonic variation.

This range of borrowed styles demonstrated a familiarity with advanced musical theory mostly uncharacteristic of punk rock music of the time.

On Tour (1992)

In June 1992, Malignus Youth played a show with ALL

ALL

All or ALL may refer to:- Business :* ALL FM, a radio station in Manchester, England* ALL, an acronym for América Latina Logística* ALL, the ISO 4217 currency code for the Albanian lek- Computability :...

 in Phoenix

Phoenix, Arizona

Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...

. Descendents

Descendents

The Descendents are an American punk rock band from Hermosa Beach, California. As of 2011, they have released six studio albums, three live albums, three compilation albums and three EPs. The Descendents broke up and reformed several times over the years, sometimes with different musicians...

/ALL

ALL

All or ALL may refer to:- Business :* ALL FM, a radio station in Manchester, England* ALL, an acronym for América Latina Logística* ALL, the ISO 4217 currency code for the Albanian lek- Computability :...

's praise of the band subsequently encouraged a growing respect for Malignus Youth within the punk rock world, with other established artists eventually attesting to their quality.

Over the next three years, with the help of an independent investor, Malignus Youth toured the western United States, playing at the legendary Tacoland in San Antonio, at Northern California's punk rock mecca 924 Gilman Street

924 Gilman Street

924 Gilman Street is an all-ages, not for profit, collectively organized music club usually referred to by its fans simply as "The Gilman." It is located in the West Berkeley area of Berkeley, California about a mile and a half west of the North Berkeley BART station and a quarter-mile west of San...

 with Green Day

Green Day

Green Day is an American punk rock band formed in 1987. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool...

, in Salt Lake City with The Mighty Mighty Bosstones

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones are an American ska punk band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1983. Since the band's inception, lead vocalist Dicky Barrett, bassist Joe Gittleman, tenor saxophonist Tim "Johnny Vegas" Burton and dancer Ben Carr have remained constant members...

 and in Fort Collins, Colorado

Colorado

Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...

 with The Offspring

The Offspring

The Offspring is an American punk rock band from Huntington Beach, California, formed in 1984. Known as Manic Subsidal until 1986, the band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Dexter Holland, lead guitarist Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman, bassist Greg K. and drummer Pete Parada...

.

"Missa Brevis" and "Ephemeral"

Between tours, Malignus Youth recorded and released on CD its most conceptually ambitious work to date. Inspired by the classical music tradition of composing music for liturgical texts, as had been done, for example, by Beethoven (Missa Solemnis

Missa Solemnis

Missa Solemnis is Latin for solemn mass, and is a name which has been applied to a number of musical settings of the mass, especially particularly serious or large-scale ones.The following are notable examples:...

) and Mozart (his "Requiem

Requiem

A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead or Mass of the dead , is a Mass celebrated for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, using a particular form of the Roman Missal...

"), Malignus Youth produced its own setting of the Roman Catholic Mass

Mass

Mass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...

, designated MISSA BREVIS

Missa Brevis

Missa brevis literally means "short mass" and can refer to different types of musical setting of the Mass. Modernly, Missa brevis is generally understood as a setting of parts of the ordinary mass...

. This CD was released with additional unreleased tracks, collectively called "Ephemeral".

Stylistic Notes

The heavily experimental and haunting "Missa Brevis" (literally "Brief Mass") was released almost entirely in the original Greek and Latin texts with additional English lyrics. The composition, including its traditional introduction (or "Introit") was divided into five sections:

• Prelude
• Kyrie
• Gloria
• Credo
• Sanctus
• Agnus Dei

"Missa Brevis" perhaps represented their best work, a swan song that illustrated the depth and scope of the band's musical abilities. "Missa Brevis" demonstrated that punk rock, perhaps, could now be seen as having evolved from its simple minimalist style into a genre of unrestricted artistic expression that challenged and won the right to stand among "sophisticated" genres such as classical music

Classical music

Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...

 and jazz

Jazz

Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

.

Breakup and Compilation "Vinyl CD" (1994-1998)

Following their 1994 tour, the members of Malignus Youth separated to pursue different academic and musical goals and unofficially disbanded.

In the next few years, as the original vinyl pressings became rarer and rarer, demand for Malignus Youth on CD prompted a 1998 re-release of the MALIGNUS YOUTH EP, the "Crisis" EP and the full length LP, "More To It" on a single CD entitled VINYL CD.

Reunion (1999-2000)

In 1999, due to increasing public interest, Malignus Youth experienced a sort of revival.

A series of sold-out "reunion" shows occurred in Tucson. featuring bands from the now legendary "Southern Arizona Hardcore" scene, including Hellday and The American Deathtrip, Malignus Youth followed these shows with a series of shows around Arizona in which Malignus Youth joined tours of prominent punk bands including D.R.I., Fear

Fear

Fear is a distressing negative sensation induced by a perceived threat. It is a basic survival mechanism occurring in response to a specific stimulus, such as pain or the threat of danger...

, Misfits, and a reunion with Citizen Fish

Citizen Fish

Citizen Fish is a ska punk band that has been together since 1990. The band often makes strong social and political statements, dealing with themes such as anti-consumerism, vegetarianism, questioning the status quo, and encouraging people to get along with one another...

.

After these reunion shows, Malignus Youth again broke up.

Legacy

Malignus Youth maintains a Web site on Facebook, Fans all over the world continue to discuss Malignus Youth and their music.

7" EPs

• Malignus Youth (Youth Inc., 1990)

[2 pressings of 500 copies - clear vinyl first pressing, black vinyl second pressing]

• Crisis (Youth Inc., 1991)

[1 pressing of 1000 copies - 500 on red vinyl, 500 on white vinyl]

Albums

• More To It LP (Youth Inc., 1992)

[1200 copies pressed on blue vinyl]

• Missa Brevis/Ephemeral CD (Youth Inc., 1998)
• Vinyl CD (Youth Inc., 1999)

Compilation appearances

• Yeah But It's a Dry Heat (West World Records, 1993)
• Southern AZ compilation with Malignus Youth, Fells, Lonely Trojans, Zero Tolerance Task Force, Skinnerbox, Feast Upon Cactus Thorns, Mondo Guano, Bloodspasm, etc.
• Malignus Youth tracks "I.U.T.Y." (CD only) and "Shadows" (on both the LP and CD)

External links

• Official Malignus Youth Facebook page with downloadable Malignus Youth songs: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Malignus-Youth/252238344329
• Flier from 1992 show in Olympia http://www.killrockstars.com/basement/images/Fullsize/Witchypoo_MalignusYouth.jpg
• Flier from 2000 show in Tucson with DRI: http://www.gigposters.com/posters/393.jpg
• Reviews of the two reissue CDs with artwork and tracklisting: http://www.ssmt-reviews.com/db/searchrev.php?artistID=698&showReview=true

Review of Missa Brevis/Ephermeral at Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Missa-Brevis-Ephemeral-Malignus-Youth/dp/B000B85NCQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1304128718&sr=8-1