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Finland has had a damn good run of atmospheric Black Metal lately. Havukruunu are the obvious highlight of this trend, and certainly one of the latest to have truly impressed me, but there are plenty of quality acts in the style that have been cropping up in recent years. Malignament are among them, a duo consisting of members P.J. and Grond whose demo got them a deal with Primitive Reaction for their debut full-length, Hypocrisis Absolution. I don't know when this trend is going to end, but it certainly doesn't stop here. In fact, it may well be a peak.

Hypocrisis Absolution contains highly atmospheric Black Metal with hooky melodies and dense, layered songwriting that takes you to frozen lands besieged by malicious storms of ice that bury everything in perpetual darkness. That's pretty typical at this point, but Malignament are able to stand out a unique entity through sheer songwriting power, with every song containing quality musicianship and a complete disinterest in sticking to the normal conventions of the genre. I'd name highlights, but you're better off reading the track list. Hell, they even included the two songs from their demo, both of which fit the full-length perfectly and give newcomers a chance to catch up entirely.

Hypocrisis Absolution is one of those rare debuts that announces the arrival of a gifted band whose outstanding innovation and originality set the bar so high you have no idea how they're going to top it next, but I for one am looking forward to seeing them try. Highly recommended.