Black Metal History Month - HAVUKRUUNU : "Tavastland"

Instead of hitting you with a blizzard of blast beats the Finnish headbangers come with an epic gallop, that feels more like classic metal. It takes almost two minutes before the blast beats come and at least then the guitars are not just holding a static tremlopicking and lock back into a more aggressive gallop for the verse. The vocals are a mid-range scowl backed by a sung chorus offering a call and response. It feels like Tyr or even old Enslaved in this regard. The second song works at a more deliberate and epic scale. Thankfully Black Metal History Month falls in the winter, so there is at least a touch of chill in the air for these sounds to be properly enjoyed. They indulge in a few guitar solos on this one which is not something most black metal bands do so it's cool to hear those who can do so. 

Another part of their sound that helps to set them apart is the bass being more present in the mix, even if it is an underlying clunk, you can hear it so it brings more backbone to the overall guitar sound. The second band this month where that has been the case so maybe more black metal bands are giving their bass players more priority,. This is a trend I stand behind. The sung vocals are also an element here, but more of a background layer, as this song races forward with more aggression than the previous two. This increased speed also places them closer to the more conventional path of black metal. The title track finds a similar rapid-fire attack in play, perhaps this one is even more furious in its intent. Though two minutes in they break it down into more of a chugged groove. It's also another song with guitar solos though it's a melodic embellishment that follows the main theme of the song. 

"Kuoleman uma" works of a more classic metal chug which is a very effective place for the band to return as it has more impact than just blast beats, the only thing is for black metal, it does not sound all that dark nor is this album that dark for a black metal band, It almost feels more like pagan metal, but there is some great songwriting going down here so hard to fault them for that. They do revert back to the more traditional black metal buzz for "Unissakavija" though even here they wisely lock into a more Iron Maiden-like gallop. The solos feel like something Dave Murray might do. "Kun Veri..." is aggressive without blasting, with the Maiden-like solos ripping right out the gate. This might be the most Maiden-influenced song on the album. Regular readers know Iron Maiden is my favorite band so it's cool to be talking about a black metal band that is influenced by them. 

The last song finds their tribute to Iron Maiden gloriously remaining intact, If Bruce was singing over it instead of snarled vocals it would sound just like them. Granted the bass lines are not as intricate. Throughout the almost 11-minute song, they accelerate into more black metal picking and end on a more folk metal note. I'll give this album a 9, anytime I reference Iron Maiden in regards to a band it's a good sign. I am surprised Svart Records is releasing something as straight-up metal, so kudo to them for that. 

pst49

Havukruunu : " Uinuos Syömein Sota"

After enough viking metal I finally decided if it is not Scandinavian it's cultural appropriation. Thanks to the Vikings tv, all kinda of corn bread eating Americans are going around with Thor's hammer around their neck. These guys have a legit enough sound. Being from Finland this is not what I think of when I think of black metal, it has nothing to do with Horna. The do have sung vocal choruses and shredding solos. Their over all sound makes me think of Moonsorrow. The songs are a reasonable length. The do have a uniform sound to their triumphant gallop. I would put them closer to pagan or folk metal as they are too happy to really be black metal. The band's name means coniferous crown, so not very dark there at all. The guitar solos are pretty impressive though. I think if they do not swtich it up a little by the next song I will begin to get bored.

It is a mixed bag as they blast into the third song faster and more furious, but speed alone doesn't be much for me. Then midway into the song they break down into a folk part before the dazzling solo section sweeps in. Even when they come in blastng hard I am not convinced they are black metal. They come close to nailing the sound, but I do not feel the darkness. They do kick into a cool riff before the triumphant solo section. But the rule here is cool riffs alone does not a good song male. Sometimes the frolicing in the snow gets to the point that it sounds like X-mas music. Well at least for me, if you are into folk metal then this will seem pretty heavy to you. I think if the bass came up in the mix and the drum got more love in post production this could have sounded heavier than it does now.  This trend of x-mas metal continues as the album progresses.

This is a guitar players album for sure. The drumming is not bad. There are moments when they hit harder, but they are not consistent. This is not a negative trait as they at least care about their song more than giving a relentless pounding. There are some interesting choices with atmosphere that are more space age than what you would expect from these guys who sound more like LARPers. I will give this album an 8 , while it's mood might not be for me, these guys accomplished what they set out to and fans of this kind of thing are going to dig it.