Malignament - Hypocrisis Absolution (2021)

Hitting you like a bag of bricks to the face, today we have newcomer Malignament and their debut full-length release “Hypocrisis Absolution”. Unleashing over 42 minutes of razor sharp Finnish Black Metal, this band is as aggressive and in-your-face as it can be, thanks to its incisive guitars and pummeling onslaughts of brutality. When you think you have heard it all from this scene, an album like this comes along and re-shapes your perception.

Pummeling the listener from the start with the ravaging “Thunder of Awakening”, the album makes a commanding introduction thanks to its brutality and yet melodic nature. Continuing with the merciless onslaught with “Call to Arms” and the sinister “Like Rats They Followed”, the atmosphere of this release is electrifying as you get buzzsaw-like guitars, paired with imposing harsh snarls and a very polished style and production.

One of our favorite tracks has to be the dense “Unforgiving North” and its subtle atmospherics perfectly shining in the midst of the chaos and destruction brought upon by the monster dumming and hypnotic guitars. Things continue to escalate with the brutal combo of “Wolf and the Moon” and “And The Empires Will Fall”. With such a massive and well crafted sound, the band’s approach to the genre is quite energetic and different from the rest.

Closing with “Bloodlust and Immortality”, we are left blown away by how the duo behind Malignament manage to deconstruct the genre, pay homage to it, and yet deliver their own unique style filled with punishing hate and destruction. Highly recommended for any Black Metal fans, “Hypocrisis Absolution” is one of those extremely powerful releases that will be in constant rotation at our office, and will catch most people by surprise.

Label: Primitive Reaction

Release: September 24th, 2021

Genre: Black Metal

Country: Finland