RIP Sean Malone

[DiezelMonster]

Rest in Peace Sean Malone.

Sean was a huge influence on me, even though I play guitar and never have played bass, his playing style on the Chapman stick was always so inspirational.

I first heard Sean way back on Focus when it came out and was hooked, When Gordian Knot's first record came out in 99 it really set the standard for me in terms of progressive music.

Now 1 half of Cynic is gone.

Rest Easy Sean Malone and Sean Reinert.

 

[bostjan]

What?!

...

 

[Dayn]

Ahh for fuck's sake. I thought I was seeing old news but it's the other Sean. Goddamnit.

 

[Blasphemer]

Dude, if this year could go ahead and stop taking all of my heroes, that'd be swell. RIP to one of the greatest electric bass players of all time.

 

[BenjaminW]

 

[InfinityCollision]

Legend. Sad to see him go so soon.

 

[fps]

Wonderful player, loved his work with Aghora, Gordian Knot and Cynic. Very sad.

 

[Harry]

Sean Reinert's death got me listening to Cynic again for the first time in ages.
It's time, yet again, to bust out some more Traced in Air for me



Love the whole album to bits, but on this track in particular I just adore everything about the instrumentation.
Reinert and Malone were just a jazzy-prog metal rhythm dream team. Highly proficient to be sure but as tasteful and as musical as it gets.

 

[Pietjepieter]

This makes me really sad. A great musician and always seems to be so nice. Way to young also.

One of mine favorite bass players ever. Always so tasteful, not Just showing off, but played always what was best for the music.

sad day for music

RIP, may his music live on

 

[Edika]

I saw it on the news site yesterday and only 50 years old! He was an excellent musician and my first exposure of what a bass can do in metal.

 

[aesthyrian]

Went for a long drive through the mountains yesterday and listened to Gordian Knot in remembrance. Incredible music. R.I.P.

 

[works0fheart]

Man, 2020 is shaping up to be the worst year ever just from having lost 2 members of my favorite band. This hurts. Both of them were far too young. I understand that players like Eddie Van Halen had a much more vast influence, but these two were the big ones for me. I never did get to see Sean Malone play live or experience Cynic live and now I probably never will. Focus completely changed my perspective on what could be achieved by exploring new avenues of expression, and both Sean Malone and Sean Reinert have had nothing but my adoration since first discovering their music.

Rest in peace. There are certainly a few super groups forming wherever these guys have landed.

 

[BlackMastodon]

I heard Cynic for the first time back in 2011 when I saw them with Between the Buried and Me. I don't know if they were touring all together and if both Seans were playing that night but them opening with Nunc Fluens floored me. Edika nailed it, that really opened up what was possible with a bass in metal for me.

 

[sym30l1c]

Holy shit..the bad news keep piling up this year. One or two days ago I saw a picture of him by chance but had not thought much of it. And just today I was looking at the Gordian Knot CDs on the booshelf in front of me and thinking I have not listened to those in a long time. 20 or so years ago the music he played in Cynic, Gordian Knot and Aghora helped me discover a different approach to metal and music in general. Rest in peace.

 

[Necris]

RIP
I was just listening to Focus last night. I loved Gordian Knot's first album back when I was in high school, I'll have to return to it tonight and give the second more time as well.

 

[Omzig]

Such a loss i can not think of a project/recording that sean was involvled in that i dislike,from pretty much the first note/phrase on anything he played on you just knew it was sean,apart from his Cynic and GN albums other favs are Aghora & O.S.I. im at a loss for words so time to let his music speak to my ears

Tragic news,RIP Sean Malone

 

[ElRay]

Damn. Gordian Knot is one of those bands I periodically search to see if a new album came out under the radar and I messed it.

 

[Drew]

Gordian Knot's "Emergent" had a huge impact on me the first time I heard it, and while I haven't spun it in a while, I've had it in repeat today. Really good SOUNDING album, too, despite some oddly audible digital clipping in a few places (opening chord stab of Fisherman's Gambit, for one). The world lost an incredible musician.

 

[StevenC]

Pretty sad update posted by Paul today:

"On the passing of Sean Malone.

Since my friend and Cynic bandmate Sean Malone's passing in late 2020, many people have publicly speculated about, and privately reached out to me regarding, the circumstances of his death. I have kept my silence as I have worked through my grief and out of respect for Malone's privacy. Questions and rumors have persisted, so I want to share what I can with the many fans whose lives he touched so deeply and who are seeking closure.

On December 7, 2020, Malone was found dead by suicide in Largo, Florida, where his mother had lived. She had been ailing for some time before her death in 2018; Malone had been her sole caregiver during her difficult final year. Then, in January 2020, we suddenly lost our bandmate Sean Reinert. Combined with his mother's loss, it was an emotional double whammy that hit Malone hard.

After his mother’s death, we spoke often, having long chats about grief, loss, and the future of Cynic. I urged Sean to move out to California and live with me so he could get back on his feet and start fresh, and he did. I noticed a newfound vigor in Malone I hadn't seen before. He was excited to be in the world again, we were working on new music, and he even began teaching bass privately. Then came the pandemic. Everything shut down and so did Malone. His pain and suffering re-emerged and his light began to dim.

Matters took an unexpected turn. Late one early summer night, he disappeared. I called him, left messages, texted, emailed, contacted missing persons and everyone we had in common, but no one had heard anything. There was no response. He quit the world. My hope that he was regrouping in private and would turn up safely turned to heartache on December 7th.

As I share this sad news about his death, I want to celebrate his life by sharing one of his most beautiful and lyrical moments ever recorded, and one which his fans have not yet heard. A few years after the release of Cynic's Re- Traced EP, Sean Malone recorded fretless bass on this solo guitar and vocal track titled “Integral.” Here's a video celebrating his playing, and a full transcription in his honor along with the song file + transcriptions for download from Bandcamp.

https://listen.cyniconline.com/cynic-alliance

I am grateful to be able to share this video with you now, and I will share details about new music in the coming weeks. Please celebrate the genius and transcendent talent that was Sean Malone. Read more about his fascinating life, unique passions and accomplishments at his Wikipedia page.

As an act of support, and in honor of Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, I invite you to donate as you wish for the “Integral” song download which comes with a guitar/bass transcription of the song and an instrumental (no bass mix) for fellow musicians to play along with. 50 percent of proceeds will be shared with suicide prevention organizations To Write Love On Her Arms (TWLOHA), and The Trevor Project. The remaining will go towards funding a documentary about the lives and artistry of Malone and Reinert.

With love and courage, Paul Masvidal"

 

[wankerness]

Gordian Knot's "Emergent" had a huge impact on me the first time I heard it, and while I haven't spun it in a while, I've had it in repeat today. Really good SOUNDING album, too, despite some oddly audible digital clipping in a few places (opening chord stab of Fisherman's Gambit, for one). The world lost an incredible musician.

Wait, WHAT? Emergent is one of my go-to albums for "production heavily undermining the music." I love the songwriting on it, but UGH, that distorted guitar tone sounds like cardboard and always put me off the music (ex Muttersprache). The first album sounds far better IMO.

Sean Malone was great, definitely have tried and failed to play many Cynic bass songs over the years. I was always curious about the Chapman stick largely because of him and the cool stuff he did with it on the Gordian Knot albums (way beyond what John Myung and the Dave Matthews guy dabbled in). And Aghora's Formless was in my car for a while the last couple years.