Interview with bassist Humö and drummer Kostajainen
Interview conducted by Luxi Lahtinen
Date online: July 19, 2025
On a partly cloudy but still somewhat blistering summer Sunday at Helsinki's legendary Tuska Festival, The Metal Crypt caught up with two members of Finland's pagan black metal force Havukruunu, a couple of hours after their showtime at the festival. Bassist Humö and drummer Kostajainen took time between sets and chaos to speak with us about their journey through the Nordic metal underground, their creative process, and the raw energy that fuels their uncompromising sound. With the roar of the crowd in the background and the scent of festival spirit thick in the air, the band offered a rare glimpse into the thunder behind their music. Here's what they had to say.
FIRST TUSKA EXPERIENCE
Nice to have you guys join me for this talk. Oh, and thanks for your great performance here at Tuska Festival just a couple of hours ago.
Humö: Thank you.
How was your very first Tuska experience all in all, performing in front of all of these people here who came to see your show this early on a Sunday?
Humö: It was actually quite weird to play this early, at 2:30 p.m. I mean, we played at Nummirock Festival in Finland at 1:30 a.m., in cold and rainy weather in +10 degree Celsius weather.
Kostajainen: Yes, in that sense, the Tuska experience was slightly different for us, to play so early, but it went pretty well for us nevertheless.
Humö: Yes, it was a bit harder for us to get motivated for this gig, as playing this early isn't something we have gotten used to really. But playing here was a lot of fun and it made me happy to see so many people in the crowd.
Kostajainen: Indeed. The crowd was very supportive and that gave us a lot of extra energy to give them our best.
Humö: In all sincerity, our gig at Nummirock was a tad better though because we had a circle pit going there nonstop, which we lacked here at Tuska. However, despite the early playing slot and not as wild crowd as we had at Nummirock, it felt really good to play at Tuska, too.
ALBUM NO. 4. - TAVASTLAND
Your 4th studio album, titled Tavastland, was released on Svart Records this February. How would you compare the making of it to some of your previous albums? Was it more demanding, as you always kind of want to exceed your earlier works?
Humö: As I was out of the band for some years, I think Kostajainen might answer your question better.
Kostajainen: I joined the band in 2016 when we started the songwriting process for our second album, Kelle Surut Soi. Most of the ideas and visions on Tavastland came from Stefan. He demoed the first raw versions of the songs for this album, even playing the drums or using a drum machine. Then the rest of us added some of our own ideas and so that's how it normally goes for us, as our songwriting is concerned.
Humö: Then again, we don't want to reveal too much regarding how we work on our material as a team, but I feel we are kinda fortunate because of how much material we have always stored in files. I mean, since we were teenagers and started making music for ourselves. We have lotsa raw material stored in our songwriting pool that just needs to be worked on.
Kostajainen: We have put out four studio albums so far, but we may have raw material left for another four albums, keeping in mind we have been creating music for 20 years, more or less.
Humö: Also, we don't want to rush things too much. There's no reason for that. When we start making 
new music, we want to make sure we are 100% pleased with it ourselves. For example, it's been five years since our previous album, Uinuos Syömein Sota. None of us thinks we should make a new album every year. It makes no sense to us at all. It may fit some bands but not for us, that's for sure. It's not the right starting point for our songwriting process. Who wants to hear a half-assed album that's done in a rush, just for the sake of getting something new out?
Wise words. Also, some bigger record labels may dictate to newer bands, rushing them to book studio times so that they can get new releases out frequently, every year or two, which is just plain business for them. It apparently creates a lot of pressure for bands, which is not optimal for a lasting cooperation between the labels and the bands as far as I can see it.
Kostajainen: That's so true. That's why we feel Svart Records is a fitting label for us to publish our music. Since the very start, we went through some serious discussions with them, in which both parties agreed that we put our new stuff out once we feel we are 100% happy with. If it takes 10 years, so be it then.
SVART RECORDS ENTER THE PICTURE
How did your deal with Svart Records come about anyway?
Humö: First off, it needs to be said that a great thing about Svart Records is that they don't try to push bands at all but instead they are much like us; we don't push for labels.
When we were looking for a suitable label partner, we thought Svart Records could be the one that we have been looking for. It's also great that they are a domestic label because all communication is way easier than with some foreign label. It has some certain advantages to be on a label that comes from your own country; a common language, etc.
We have also gotten offers from some other labels over the years that have sent us some lousy drafts of contracts that have not been favorable for a new band like us. It may sound a bit arrogant to say, but if we don't feel like doing anything, then we just don't do anything in regards to keeping us constantly busy songwriting-wise. So many bands try to make noise for the sake of trying to get their own time in the spotlights, but we do not. We like it more when people find us because they like our music and not due to any gimmicks.
How much did it matter to you that you signed to a domestic label instead of some label outside of your home turf, Finland?
Humö: Not so much really. The main point for us was to find a reliable and trustworthy label, here in Finland or somewhere else. There need to be meritocratic principles there in the picture that guide us to the direction of what we demand from a label: A common understanding on how things work out smoothly and democratically for both parties, which is, of course, very important to us.
Tavastland is your first album for Svart Records. Would you like to open up a little bit about what kinds of themes and/or concepts it deals with?
Kostajainen: The stories behind Tavastland are based on the historical Tavastia times of the 13th century in Finland, when the people rose up in rebellion because of the Swedish attempts to bring Christianity to Finland. People from Tavastia started to rebel and the lyrics on this record are based on that. However, the stories are inspired by the history 
of those times, but you have to understand that the stories on Tavastland are not like history. So, in other words, this isn't about us telling stories like those history stories, but specifically that those things can be reflected in the present day and in each person's own life in their own way. In a certain way, we are sometimes disconnected from reality. Nowadays people think everything read on social media is the truth, even though it doesn't necessarily have anything to do with the truth. People should throw their phones away for a while and go into the forest. Be there for a while and listen to the sounds of the forest- like the trees humming around you there - and see what's really happening, for example, well, in a way.
I believe everyone can find some sort of meaning in the lyrics for themselves but, then again, people can also read the lyrics the way they are actually written that, in a way, may give them a sense of those historical happenings on Tavastland.
Humö: Those stories behind the lyrics are Stefan's own experiences and observations, being mirrored to some historical events.
The bottom line is that people should spend more time and live life in that observable reality as well, and not just within four walls.
As you guys come from Tavastia Proper, how much do you believe your own roots are reflected on the Tavastland record, so to speak?
Kostajainen: Well, at the album release gig when we played the whole album, we had a stuffed lynx on the stage that was brought there from the Riihimäki Hunting Museum and as some (Finnish) people may know, the lynx is the national animal of Tavastia. The lynx, for example, visually reflects where we come from, but that's just one thing.
Humö: But what probably can be seen in our activities is the fact that we don't know how to be terribly calculating as far as some business matters are all concerned. On the contrary, we are actually quite straightforward and kind of stubborn people; we do things just the way we like, leaving not much to be explained or even not having an intention to explain to anyone for that matter. Some people say we do things stupidly, but in our opinion, it feels good to us that we do things in our own way, just the way we feel is best for us.
If we are talking about Finnish mythology with its all-ancient nature, how much do you believe all that reflects through your music and lyrics?
Kostajainen: They are clearly reflected. For example, if you look at the video for the song "Tavastaland," there are historical images of Häme and all this nature and so on - and, of course, we can't really 
comment on the lyrics, because they were written by Stefan. But you can see that they also deal with the more mythological side of ancient Finnishness.
Humö: Even the song "Tavastland" alone extols the beautiful nature of Tavastia, in that last chorus, for example.
And it is also, perhaps in some ways, empowering for myself, the admiration for the beauty of nature in it.
TOURING EXPERIENCES AND SUCH...
You have been touring around Finland to support the release of Tavastland. How have the reactions been so far? Have some places been more memorable and more supportive than others?
Humö: I have to say that when we did that album release gig at Tiivistämö in Helsinki on February 28th, it was crazy that the album had been released on the same day, and yet the gang sang along to songs from this new album.
Kostajainen: Our audience already knew very well the new songs off Tavastland. It was a really good experience at that point.
In March we went to Oulu and played there on the same tour, and that gig was also a very good experience for us all in all. In Seinäjoki, where we played a day before Oulu, the crowd's reaction wasn't so good.
Humö: The Southern Ostrobothnian audience was too stiff for our music.
Kostajainen: Yes, I think they were a bit too reserved for our music, fortunately keeping their knives well hidden in their pockets. Haha, just kidding...
Generally speaking, our new songs have been well received, although we've only played two older songs at the end of the show on our ongoing Finnish tour. We've usually played about four or five songs from the new album and then a few of our older songs - and, of course, a couple of older hits have been in our set list because they mean so much to certain fans - and they want us to play them at our shows every single time.
But overall, the new songs have been really well received, and people have liked them. And when the album was released, I actually read some reviews and comments and stuff like that. So, those written articles have all been really positive regarding our new record, which feels really great, of course.
Humö: Yes. Tavastland has overall gotten a lot of positive attention. There's already been a lot written about it and people have been producing content about it online. It's really good to see that people have embraced it pretty quickly, though.
Have there been any sort of over-the-top reactions coming from your fans so far that have truly taken you by surprise?
Kostajainen: Well, a pretty funny yet very memorable situation happened at the Nummirock Festival in Finland this June, when just before 1:30 a.m., when our gig started and it started to rain, the audience started shouting, "Pants off! Pants off!", which was targeted to our guitarist Henkka. Well, Henkka didn't take his pants off, unfortunately for 
all those people who were shouting in the crowd, at least, but it was still a fun and very memorable moment.
Humö: Also, one other guy wore a Havukruunu vest that he had made himself. There were many other people in the crowd as well who had made all kinds of Havukruunu arts and other merchandise for themselves, which always kind of surprises us from time to time.
Kostajanen: The craziest thing that I have ever seen so far was a Havukruunu painting that one of our fans had painted with his own blood. It was perhaps related to one of our album cover artworks or something. It was sick but very cool at the very same time.
Humö: Way to go... I wouldn't do such a thing myself but it's still very cool that some of our fans are such diehards, though.
Now when you have so much material for a live set, does it bring any challenges as to which songs you choose to play live and is your set list also place-related and some of your songs may work better in some places than others?
Kostajainen: I think it mostly depends on how much time we have to play for our crowd, more than anything else really. At the Nummirock Festival, we played one hour; here at Tuska just about 30 minutes. At Nummirock, we managed to play nine songs all in all and here at Tuska five songs only. That's why we have to think carefully whether we decide to choose some lengthier or shorter songs for our set list. The playing time naturally sets the limits for us.
On this current tour, we want to play 2-3 new songs off Tavastland, at least. Usually, these new songs are played at the very beginning and then we make our picks regarding the rest of our material, depending on how much time we still have to perform.
We normally don't think about too much if we perform certain songs at some certain places, except when we played in at Suisto in Hämeenlinna in April this year – in the heart of Tavastia, we were thinking now when we are here, perhaps we should play a more special set for the crowd. So we did; we played five songs off the new album, including the last song on Tavastland, titled "De Miseriis Fennorum," which we only played once on this tour at our record release party – and then at Suisto. We decided to add it onto our set list because Hämeenlinna is kind of the heart of Tavastia. There may be little reasons like this behind the choice of songs for our set list. But in general, we pretty much stick 
to one set list when going on tour.
OF FURTHER TOURING PLANS
When you have finished your tour here in Finland, have you had any talks inside the band that you might possibly do some gigs abroad, like a mini tour in Europe or something like that?
Kostajainen: Well, our next gig will be in Denmark, actually, which will also happen this summer. Let's just say that some of our band members' life situations restrict us from going out for a longer tour at the moment, especially outside of Finland, to be more precise. We had a couple of 2-week European tours some years ago, but at the moment touring more intensively outside of our home turf, unfortunately, doesn't fit our own schedules.
We'll possibly do some touring abroad in the future as well. We'll see...
Humö: But in the near future, one-off gigs are quite possible for us, who knows.
Kostajainen: Indeed, one-off gigs can be possible, but what's certain at the moment is we won't be into doing any extensive tours due to our schedules.
Humö: We have already booked a bunch of one-off gigs for us for 2026, plus at least one gig for the fall this year, which we don't feel like advertising at this moment. But what's certain is we haven't planned any tours outside of Finland at this point, though.
I am curious to know also, do you prefer doing more intimate club shows for diehards, or festival shows where you can reach all kinds of people with your music?
Kostajainen: It's, of course, a big difference to play club shows versus festival shows due to the distance between the band and the crowd. When you play club shows, you are so close to your audience that people could grab your guitar or bass. Naturally, there's also a relatively big difference between playing a club show or a festival show due to the atmosphere that can be created in both. I personally like playing both, though – at clubs and festivals.
You just have to adjust for playing in both situations because they are so different from one another.
Humö: We were doing a lot of club gigs during the spring time – and the Nummirock Festival was the first festival show we did this year. I remember when I went into the venue, at that time there's was not much audience and no artist was performing yet. Then I checked the actual stage where we were supposed to play later during that day and I thought like, "Oh wow... this stage is huge for a band like us!" Remember, we had been doing these club gigs through the whole spring – and then you see a stage of this size at Nummirock, you kinda feel overwhelmed by the size of it. It felt ridiculously big, actually. Of course, when more people came through the festival gates and gathered around the stage, then the stage started feeling a bit smaller yet cozier for us.
I myself like doing these festival shows more than club shows because I tend to sweat a lot when performing onstage. It's great to play these outdoor festivals, as you can wear very light clothes, which means less sweating for a sweaty person like I am.
I remember when I played at one tiny club, I nearly passed out due to heat and humidity levels. I didn't help at all when there also were many spotlights burning our faces during your whole performance. I didn't feel too good, and I was almost certain I was gonna pass out because all that blistering hotness in that club. Happily, I managed to pull off that show.
Do the folks at Svart Records expect that Havukruunu should do more after every studio album, like more touring so that your records could sell better, and such things?
Humö: No, we don't even dream of getting our faces on some nicotine pouch or getting sponsored by some online casino. It's not something Havukruunu could be interested in. It's the fact that some bands want to be as big and famous as possible, no matter by which methods, but that's simply not our thing – and our record label staff understands our point in all this, which is a good thing. It's completely unnecessary to even suggest some sponsors for us because we are not interested in such business methods. We don't even make too much noise about our band on social media sites, so...
Kostajainen: Also, none of us is financially dependent on Havukruunu's activities – and our target is not to make the band our main financial safe haven. As I mentioned earlier, if we don't feel like doing anything with Havekruunu, then we just don't do anything. We are not forced to play, let's say, shows for six months, for example, if we don't feel like doing them. It's as simple as that, really.
So, can Havukruunu be considered more like a hobby band for all of you, which is fun to keep going – or is there a more serious, financially favorable aspect to it all?
Kostajainen: I would say there's a semi-financial thought behind our comings and goings, too. We do get some money for what we are doing with this band...
Humö: ... but not the kind of way that all of us should earn our living with the band.
OK. How would you see what may happen in the Havukruunu-camp within the next 2-3 years?
Humö: I would say that hopefully nothing so amazing will happen, that we will just continue on the same path and do gigs and, little by little, each of us will do some small creative work on our own, little by little, and 
hopefully things will stay very much the same as they have been for us so far.
Kostajainen: We'll accept gig offers and pick up the best ones that feel good to us - and then at some point some creative work of some kind will probably start again. But it could very well take a year or three; you just never know. But then again, when that inspiration somehow comes, then we can start working on some new music again.
Humö: Yeah, we don't have any so-called strategy that we should do a fucking grind for the next two years and just have to grow and be bigger and bigger. Hell no! It is what it is - and things happen the way they happen. Of course, we ourselves contribute to things happening that we ourselves want to happen, but there is no such goal that, hey, we have to be the headliner at Tuska Festival in two years, on Saturday night. That's not what will be in our goals...
But, of course, we can take offers and a price can be agreed upon, but that's a separate matter.
I understand. If a gig offer has enough euros in the pile, then it can be discussed at least, right?
Humö: Well, but not even that is our main priority that we could get lotsa money for playing gigs. As long as we, as a band, feel something is worth doing and fun for ourselves, those types of things matter to us most.
And this Sunday was such a fun day trip for us that we got to play heavy metal here at Tuska. It was fun to do.
A PLACE NAMED ERKYLÄ?
Alright, my time is almost up, so I have one last question for you guys. As you come from Tavastia Proper and have released an EP in October 2021 carrying the title, Kuu Erkylän Yllä. What's so special and mystic about a village called Erkylä, especially during a full moon?
Humö: It's probably the moon that may make the village of Erkylä so mystic. It needs to be experienced in order to believe it - and during the nighttime, of course. No doubt, something mystic happens in the forests of Hausjärvi where we come from.
| Other information about Havukruunu on this site |
| Review: Kelle Surut Soi |
| Review: Uinuos syömein sota |
| Review: Kuu Erkylän yllä |
| Review: Tavastland |
| Review: Tavastland |
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