Info
- Band(s): Havukruunu
- Label(s): Svart Records
- Release Format(s): 12" vinyl, Cassette, CD
- Release Year: 2025
- Review Date: February 24, 2025
- Author(s): Dzor
In the many subgenres and niche sounds that exist in Metal, Pagan Black Metal is perhaps one of the best serving to explore our past and revive old tales for the present world – both through fusing traditional folk melodies of our respective countries and with lyrics dealing with folklore and historical events that shaped our collective conscious. In this realm, Havukruunu are one of the shining lights and have been studiously improving their craft over their past decade, with ‘Uinuos syömein sota’ being one of the best Black Metal albums in recent memory. Now five years later, they have returned to continue their epic storytelling through ‘Tavastland’.
For those who are not familiar with Finnish geography or history, the album title refers to the Tavastians – a Finnish tribe that was in the Southern part of the country that frequently fought against both Novgorod and the Swedish. More specifically, it deals with an unsuccessful rebellion by the population in 1237 to fight against attempts at Christianizing them. For an album to deal with such bellicose themes, it must convey that sense of aggression and pride the inhabitants must have felt to defend their way of life. The band have understood the task completely, because ‘Tavastland’ is an album of many emotions – seamlessly combining the aggression of traditional Black Metal with regal splendor through its use classic heavy metal leads and solos laced with haunting chants. The album thrusts you both into the battle but also evokes the landscape and nature that the Tavastians were so hellbent on defending.
To see this in action, you only have to compare the opener ‘Kuolematon laulunhenki’ with the immediate following track, ‘Yönsynty’. The former strikes with power and sounds like the beginning of a battle; the thunderous tempo of the track stirring up a call to arms and urgency that is pure Black Metal violence but also injecting beautiful melodies and haunting choruses in the background. By contrast, the latter is a much calmer track, focusing on a more mid-tempo pace and with more folkish melodies – giving the feeling of being huddled near a campfire on a cold winter night with the Northern Light in the sky. This constant back and forth between intensity and respite are part of what makes ‘Tavastland’ such a great listen from beginning to end. It is not just about war and fighting for your beliefs, but the melancholy and sadness that are present in those moments in-between as you try to just make it through another day.
It is obvious that all the musicians here have worked hard to create an extremely dynamic album that can seamlessly transition between moods in a cohesive manner. This is expressed by the fact that while this is Pagan Black Metal, it is so much more than that. Havukruunu’s musicians are not afraid to bring in all sorts of outside influences, with vocalist/guitarist Stefa citing eclectic artists like Al Di Meola or Kimmo Kuusniemi Band and the other guitarist ‘Bootleg-Henkka’ making his love for ZZ Top abundantly clear. These sounds are fundamental towards giving this album that extra edge that makes it both memorable and distinguishes it from the rest of the pack.
One of the biggest pleasures musically is seeing a band you’ve been following for many years to continue pushing their craft and elevating it to new heights. I loved ‘Uinuos syömein sota’ so much that I didn’t think it would be possible for them to top themselves again, but I was mistaken. A lot of what has been lumped into the Pagan Black Metal bucket feels bland and disposable with no real depth to it other than being drinking music (nothing wrong with getting drunk to your favourite music, but still). Havukruunu stand as a shining light, or rather a flaming torch for us to see how the genre is still relevant and which continues the legacy of the founders of the genre like Bathory, Enslaved or Moonsorrow.
Svart Records
- Country: Finland
- Style: Black Metal, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Thrash Metal, Other
- Links: Homepage, Facebook, Instagram, Bandcamp, Youtube
