What a phenomenal band this Finnish outfit is. I admit I was late to their party with the coniferous crown already having been worn for a couple of albums and a slew of other releases since their coronation. ‘Uinuos syömein sota’ literally came out of nowhere and blew me away, making album of the year in 2020 and helping a hell of a lot when it came to everything the particularly annus horribilis had thrown our way. I left it too late though when it came to actually buying the CD of it and something that really niggles is the fact that recorded output seems impossible to get hold of unless you are rich. Seriously everything currently out there on a certain well known auction site is currently through the roof and you could easily expect to pay £100 for an album. With the band obviously being popular the back catalogue seriously needs to be repressed! (ooh, looking at Bandcamp it has been, get in fast).

Kuu erkylän yllä, ‘Moon above Erkylä’ won’t be making my year end list but not for lack of musical prowess but due to the fact it is classed as an EP and a reworking of both old and new material. I did try and look up to see where some of the material derives from but put simply Finnish is a language that simply does not compute and I started going cross-eyed and dizzy. Origins are not hugely important I guess as the 5 songs here sound absolutely fantastic. What I particularly like is that the 35-minute playing time is continuous, the songs have a bridge of odd psychedelia between them so there are no gaps. These are strange and other-wordly, there is even a creek of a door opening which I am sure has some significance rather than an accidental recording mishap.

The title track, Erkylä being the town the band derive from starts with glistening keyboards before a craggy roar is unleashed full of blood-lust. The gloves are off and the band do what they are so good at, throw us into the melee which is like being pitched into the middle of a massive battle. Swaggering, majesty and might combine as this furious assault thunders away, backing clamours from the vocal department buoying up the cleaving flurries from the guitars and battering drums. Clean vocals are also adopted and sound fantastic, the jubilation and glory behind them is easy to interpret whatever the language. Cymbal’s clash and some metallic guitar licks flail away with exuberance and relish. In a word “wow!” Yön torni, the ‘Night Tower’ is our next vantage point, it sounds like the enemy is at the gate, trying to batter their way in as our heroes defend at all costs. Bang, wallop, clash, yep sudden sound effects are thrown in, explosions ring in the background. “Medic!” Nope might be a bit late for patching up the wounded. Bathory-esque Viking croons ring proud to salute the fallen.

With Routapanssari, the stormy gravity reminds of Eld era Enslaved and Welkin clad Emperor. Bass rattles away and it is like a relentless volley of arrows are being slung at our marching army. Luckily as the song title suggests they are wearing Frostarmour and none shall pierce. The song ends with a jaunty bounce that is guaranteed to make some spontaneous pogoing break out ‘Mustan merkin enteen alla’ is a classic title ‘Under The Sign Of The Black Mark’ has wind whistling and then a phenomenal deluge in the pace department, whipping things up with vocals screaming in salute of the songs origins. Spoken word parts and flailing riffs give it an embittered old-school venom that is going to lop the listener’s head clean off at the neck. It was hardly summer listening and we have been in the midst of sleet and hail but finally Talvikuu, ‘Winter’ is here and as you can guess it’s a hostile and unforgivable one.

If you like your black metal to be full of storm and steel, you wont find much better than this and Havukruunu have delivered another arrow-bolt from the blue, hitting right between the eyes.

(9/10 Pete Woods)

https://www.facebook.com/havukruunu

https://naturmachtproductions.bandcamp.com/album/kuu-erkyl-n-yll