Review: Havukruunu – Tavastland

Style: Black metal, folk metal (Mixed vocals, mostly harsh)
Recommended for fans of: Moonsorrow, Saor, Dissection, Immortal
Country: Finland
Release date: 28 February 2025

We’ve all been there: you’re out enjoying your commune-with-nature, and all of a sudden, a bunch of bishops stroll into town and try to upend your way of life. Those guys are absolute jerks, thinking they can come in without fanfare and force you into a completely new belief system. Wouldn’t it just be better if they, I don’t know, were chased into the forests to the north? The people of 13th-century Finland can’t help but agree, and black metal outfit Havukruunu are here to recount the story of how the Tavastians reclaimed their pagan traditions on latest record Tavastland. Will you revel in their tale, or is this a piece of history best left forgotten? 

Havukruunu’s brand of pagan black metal is reminiscent of fellow Finns Moonsorrow, composing tracks with a base of anthemic riffage and extended instrumental breaks. On Tavastland, they adorn their sound with any number of cinematic embellishments, typically through group chanting (“Yönsynty”, “Unissakävijä”), larger-than-life solos (“Kuolematon Laulunhenki”, “De Miseriis Fennorum”), or folk interludes (”Kuoleman Oma”, “Havukruunu ja Talvenvarjo”). Tavastland’s compositions are fairly unstructured, preferring to wander from riff to riff while retaining a central mood, though opener “Kuolematon Laulunhenki” makes a point to reprise its opening ideas at its end. Through voice-overs accompanied with a haunting owl-like flute, the album recounts vignettes from the villagers’ perspective just before the exile of Tavastia’s bishops in the 13th century.

When working within a less structured songwriting framework, moment-by-moment interest becomes paramount to retaining the listener’s attention. Havukruunu by and large succeed at this on Tavastland, particularly when leaning fully into aggressive black metal passages. “Kuolematon Laulunhenki” utilizes a bevy of playing styles to maintain interest, adding lightning-speed flourishes to the opening ideas and effortlessly transitioning from chunky mid-paced riffage to a chilling solo later in the track. “Havukruunu ja Talvenvarjo” features some of Tavastland’s best riffs, iterating on an ethereal and hypnotic motif that begins as an impassioned trek across a moonlit snowy forest and ends contemplative and heartbroken. Closer “De Miseriis Fennorum” effectively utilizes a similar trick in its middle section, recontextualizing spellbinding tremolos over a series of morphing drum patterns, each giving the riff a distinct feel and creating a sense of motion while staying in the same place melodically. The final moments of “De Miseriis Fennorum” are distinctly free-form with a wall of buzzing guitars and strings giving way to a lonely wind, alluding to the slow and icy death of the exiled Tavastian bishops.

Strong guitarwork comprises the core of Tavastland’s sound: a track’s success is contingent on the success of its riffs. Conversely, this means that when the riffs don’t work, the songs don’t quite work either, as the undeniably enjoyable folk facets aren’t quite able to hold up Havukruunu’s compositions alone. As a consequence, about half of Tavastland’s tracks are wholly adrenaline-pumping forays into the harsh wilderness, and the other half are one part spectacular and one part serviceable at best. This dip in excitement typically happens when the band slows down, as their ability to write more languid pieces doesn’t entirely stand toe-to-toe with their faster, more aggressive moments. “Yönsynty”, for example, features a spectacular beginning with gorgeous riff-chant interplay, but loses steam by its end at the hands of relatively anonymous riffage. “Kuoleman Oma” suffers the same problem in reverse: the track takes a bit too long to build momentum around its acoustic beginnings, though it closes on an ascendant solo that charges headfirst into tumbling and powerful guitar melodies. Additionally, the track features gorgeously intertwining acoustic guitar and bass halfway through, showing that the band are indeed capable of writing compelling passages both fast and slow.

Embellished by somber folk instrumentation and a menacing historical retelling, Tavastland rarely takes a break from its unrelenting wintry assault. When leaning into its more aggressive tendencies, the album shines the most, expertly iterating and recontextualizing riffs in a free-form songwriting framework. Though Tavastland never descends into unlistenability, its noticeable lulls do cause the experience to drag at times. Nonetheless, Havukruunu have once again proven their acumen for black metal songwriting and demonstrated themselves as worthy bearers of the crown of pinecones.

Recommended tracks: Havukruunu ja Talvenvarjo, Kuolematon Laulunhenki, Tavastland, De Miseriis Fennorum
You may also like: Ungfell, Thrawsunblat, Cân Bardd, Fellwarden
Final verdict: 7/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram | Metal-Archives page

Label: Svart Records – Bandcamp | Facebook | Official Website

Havukruunu is:
– Stefa (vocals, guitars, keyboards)
– Bootleg-Henkka (guitars)
– Humö (bass)
– Kostajainen (drums)