Genre: Black metal
Origin: Sweden
Released: 2008
Website: Avsky
Label: Moribund Records
Uploaded: 09.07.08

I got both Avsky demos for review, but their debut album Mass destruction didn’t find its way here. So of course I was bloody excited to have Malignant drop into my mailbox. Avsky is without a doubt one of the most interesting Swedish black metal newcomers . They whip up a brutal album of modern black metal, reeking of old school hatred. Now don’t get me wrong, by ‘modern’ I’m not talking about progressive. It’s just that it’s a modern approach towards old school black metal.
Fuck your values, fuck your beliefs starts off the album in a magnificent manor, commanding you to scream along in the chorus. Emphasis is on the atmosphere created, not on blazing speed. It’s mostly set in mid-tempo, with utterly encompassing darkness surrounding the tunes. Some of the riffing (both guitar and bass) is so extremely clever and catchy. Combining that with TO’s chilling, bone-shattering and ghastly vocals makes for a top notch album. Sound-wise it’s absolutely perfect, allowing the cold and haunting aura play out its full effect.
It feels very Swedish. Sometimes it gets me thinking of Svartsyn, at times my mind wanders towards Ondskapt, while Shining keeps popping up every now and then. But even a dash of hardcorepunk is present at times (Like poison), just like some Darkthrone material. ‘Cold’, ‘grim’ and ‘hatred’ are words used way too often when promoting black metal, but no other words would suit Avsky better, as Malignant is just that; a cold, grim and hateful masterpiece.

Tracklist:
01. Fuck your values, fuck your beliefs
02. Cleanse the world
03. The filth
04. Like poison
05. False heavens
06. In contempt
07. Malignant
08. Loathe