HAVUKRUUNU formed in Finland in 2005. In Finnish, Havukruunu means "coniferous crown." They were originally called TALVIKUU, which means "wintermoon" in English. They did not release an album until 2015. "Uinuos Syomein Sota" is their latest offering, and contains eight tracks. The title track opens the album, with harmonic vocal chants. Then comes the chaotic frenzy of guitars, bass and vocals. The pacing is almost so fast that you can hardly catch your breath. Lead guitars augment the heavy rhythms. Some traditional singing comes towards the end of the track.

"Kunnes varjot saa" is heavy and aggressive from the opening notes. Stefan had command of several different styles of vocals, the scream in the opening came from the depths of his diaphragm. More singing is offered as well. It settles into a rhythm just before the half-way point. These guys have a few tricks up their sleeve, rather than resting on the Black Metal that came before them. "Ja viimein on yö" is also heavy and aggressive, but some lead guitar augments the sound here. The vocals vary from harrowing utterances to some singing. It takes an acoustic pause around the half-way mark, leading to a well-done solo.

"Pohjolan tytär" open with a tense riff, followed by a scream. The drums thunder away, while the guitars and bass hold a steady rhythm. A dazzling guitar solo creates some variation here. The final passage of the song is surprisingly melodic. "Kuin öinen meri" opens with soft and solemn acoustic guitars. Waves can be heard crashing on the shore. The main riff then drops, and it's quite majestic. A guitar solo reaches for the heavens. "Jumalten hämär" is a short one-and-a-half-minutes of acoustic guitars with vocal harmonies. It's a nice break in the action. "Vähiin päivät käy" is a nine-minute beast, opening with a scream, and steady rhythms. It takes a pause around just before the mid-way mark, but returns with the full sound pretty quickly thereafter. Dual harmonic leads lift the song to new heights. The ending sequence is rich with clean guitar harmonies.

"Tähti-yö ja hevoiset" closes the album, at over eight minutes in length. Some tense rhythms open the song, leading to a more traditional guitar riff not often found in the genre. The clean vocals are no longer a surprise, but they work well, tempering the harsh vocals. The sound drops to just some eerie ambiance after the half-way mark. It remains through the end of the song. Overall, it's Black Metal, but it's much more than that. Bands from Finland tend to elevate things, and be innovative. That's exactly what HAVUKRUUNU have done here with "Uinuos Syomein Sota." They branch out from the traditional elements of the genre, by adding things like clean vocals, dual guitar harmonies, and ambient passages. It's definitely heavy enough for purists in the genre, and contains some nice surprises for fans who expect a little more.