Random Earworms III – Havukruunu “Kelle Surut Soi”
6 min read
Random Earworms Introduction
Hold on to your bits folks, because it’s time for another installment of our recurring series #RandomEarworms, where the Blessed Altar Zine members each deliver a quick-fire review of a ‘chosen’ album.
On this occasion, I was nominated to make the album selection, so I have lovingly placed my precious offering on the altar for the BAZ team to dissect. My choice is the 2017 release “Kelle Surut Soi”, the second full-length album by Finnish pagan black metallers Havukruunu. So without further ado let’s see what the team thought of “Kelle Surut Soi”.
Proua Metallist
Band: Havukruunu
Title: Kelle Surut Soi
Label: Naturmacht Productions
Release date: 29 April 2017
Country: Finland
Proua Metallist
Have you ever come across an album that makes you feel like all the air is being sucked out of your lungs as something simultaneously reaches into your chest and clenches your heart in an icy-cold vice-like grip? Well, this was my experience with Havukruunu’s powerful 2017 release “Kelle Surut Soi”. I knew on my first play through that this album was special, as it masterfully delivered everything that my metal heart craved, evoking profound emotions. read more “Kelle Surut Soi”, which apparently translates to something like “For Whom the Sorrows Sing”, is comprised of heavy black metal coupled with sweeping, expansive folk melodies and deep pagan elements. The astounding production ensures that nothing is lost in the mix, and each component of every track feels thoughtful and carefully constructed. The musicianship is simply jaw-dropping, with sensational drumming complimented by stellar riffs and a vocal performance with a depth and diverseness that succeeds in conveying a deluge of emotions over the 51 minute run time. I particularly enjoy that the tone of the album shifts seamlessly from melancholic to frantic, to anguished, to exultant, all the while feeling authentic and natural. “Kelle Surut Soi” is the type of album that I pine for, and therefore I find myself returning to regularly. I feel that albums of this calibre don’t surface all that often, so don’t let this title pass you by and if you haven’t explored Havukruunu yet, this is a great place to start. So, press play and prepare to enjoy the sweet sensation of your skull imploding.
Tom’s Reaction:
I don’t like Black Metal. I’ve said it before, but just in case you weren’t aware of this fact, I’m saying it again here and I feel I should, given that Havukruunu clearly deal in Metal that is Black. And it’s not a matter of principle; I want to be able to appreciate all this music that people around me enjoy, but I don’t know, it just isn’t happening for me. Or at least it only happens rarely. read more Needless to say then, I didn’t love this, but I take reassurance that my fellow writers who appreciate the genre far better than me will have more useful insights to share. What did at least partly hold my interest while listening to this album was some of the variation from the band. As well as the typical, hailstorm of relentlessly battering guitars and drums, with the familiar demon shouting up from the bottom of a well, there were some fluid, almost epic guitar solos and some cool, haunting, near-ambient passages, with a variety of guitar textures throughout the record. I’m sure if I listened to this again I would start to pick out more interesting features, but I just find the whole BM aesthetic so off putting. This is not the record to turn me.
Yeti’s reaction:
A serenade of tranquil acoustics before vollies of lightning fast shredding and percussion is a hell of a first impression. Fast, relentless metal is what so many metalheads crave and this is something Havukruunu do very well on their album ”Kelle Surut Soi”. read more They have a wicked blackened focus in the drumming and most of the riffing but they also deliver huge on melodic portions and some out of the box old school solo juxtapositions throughout the songs. I also like the swap between traditional black metal vocals and the pagan chanting verses, it really works to set the tone of the madness at hand. A few of my favourite tracks off this one were “Vainovalkeat”, “Vainajain Valo”, and “Myrskynkutsuja” but realistically I enjoyed every second of it. Even if you don’t speak Finnish, Havukruunu are about to get stuck in your head!
Jammerfal’s reaction:
Havukruunu is one of those bands that capture the attention immediately.
When I first heard them I was amazed at the quality of the band and the exceptional execution of this type of Finnish black metal. Wonderful. read more It is that these boys are so good that almost no negative points are found in their work. In fact, for me and in my humble opinion, this record is not written in English, it barely takes one point, but on a musical level, these Finns know what they are doing. Just give a listen to this album and it will be enough to catch you and not let you out. Anyway, the style of pagan folk in Finnish does not displease me, on the contrary, I find beauty to their songs that make me delight in their choirs and lyrical passages but the great thing here is the formidable proposal. More and more people should listen to this band and in particular this album. This is on another level. 9/10 for me. Excellent.
Goth Mark’s reaction:
Initially it was assumed that Havukruunu would be a Moonsorrow-ish type of band, seeing as they come from Finland. The whole thing, is seemingly influenced with a latter day Immortal and Bathory style of influence with hints of I’s ‘Between Two Worlds’ album in places too. Generally, the album is striking and deeply atmospheric, incorporating grandiose pagan metal flourishes with massively catch folk melodies thrown into the mix which is a delight to listen to if this style of black metal is your jam. read more However, there are some points where the vocals in the mix can’t fully compete with the general busyness of the album in places if you really had to pick a fault with the album as a collective whole; but the songwriting talents for crafting a supremely anthemic and deeply memorable song is up there with the best in the scene without any shadow of doubt. The clean vocal parts on the album are very reminiscent of the much missed Windir and have a flavour of mid period Enslaved too, which aids to a certain drama and power to the overall atmosphere they convey. Kinda annoyed I missed them first time around, really – so check these guys out or be an ignorant tone deaf root vegetable.
The Key Keeper reaction:
I have to start saying this… Proua Metallist, thank you for reminding me this amazing album. They managed to transmit that to the listener. They managed to create a very good album. The album is always on top, to be honest, there no up and downs related to quality music. But, yes is up and downs related to fast Black Metal or to those atmospheric riffs related to Pagan Metal. Better songs? I can’t choose one or two, or even three or four. All songs are together, and together they do the “Kelle surut soi” a very good one and unique piece. Listen to them…
Since it was released I never listened again, so it was very good reminding and listening to again.
This album a very good piece of Pagan Black Metal. The riffs on the songs and the atmosphere that creates are very good. The way that the vocalist Stefan and Olli K. Sinisalo on the choirs, sings is very good. The solos on the songs, are felt, the drum and the way that is played… This album is felt, not just another album. read more
Truly Yours,
Blessed Altar Zine Team
**Please support the underground! It’s vital to the future of our genre
#WeAreBlessedAltarZine
#TheZineSupportingTheUnderground
