This January has been full of sold-out shows. One of these was HAVUKRUUNU and HELLRIPPER at the legendary Tavastia on January 22nd, 2026. Certainly, the fact that the acclaimed “Tavastland” was going to be played in full to celebrate the final show of its supporting tour helped accomplish this feat, but no small merit also goes to the electrifying performance of HELLRIPPER last year at On The Rocks, making this a pretty good combination.
HAVUKRUUNU has been steadily growing a bigger following, and thanks to their performances in various festivals, they have only built up more on that, so the venue was filled with their enthusiastic fans, making for a really good atmosphere, but first it was the young Scottish James McBain and his HELLRIPPER who had the task to warm up the audience. A task the band performed splendidly. He mentioned back at the previous Helsinki gig that they would come back very soon, and they did keep that promise. The barrier at Tavastia didn’t allow them to have as close an interaction with the crowd, but the four guys on stage gave another intense show, generating the first mosh pit of the evening. There is a new record – “Coronach” – coming out in March, from which they included a song in their set, but it was otherwise a well-balanced set, covering bits and pieces of their discography as a whole. Their live energy truly is contagious, and eventually, some people even attempted to stage dive. In the end, the mainman of the band did the same, as per tradition, but again only for a very limited time, as the logistics were a bit more complicated and the crowd a little more spread out than usual (still kudos for the attempt).
The adrenaline was high after this show, while a full Tavastia was waiting for HAVUKRUUNU to enter the scene. A stuffed lynx with a rabbit in its mouth was the centerpiece and only decoration on stage. To properly execute the latest album in its entirety, the band was joined by Anna-Stina Helenius (electric cello, choirs), who sat in the background adding an extra layer to their normal live setup. Judging from the fans and their reaction throughout the show, it’s easy to see how well-received “Tavastland” has been (and playing this record in Tavastia is only fitting), and clearly, the band has grown quite a lot in their performance as well, gifting the audience a show of high standard. I don’t think some people of the crowd ever stopped moshing from the previous gig, but certainly, I would not have wanted to stand in the center of the hall, and in truth, it would have been very difficult anyway, as it was very, very hard to move around.
Concluding the first part of the set, the guys returned on stage after a brief moment to play another five songs (including the final encore), for a total of about 90 minutes. As “Myrskynkutsuja” sent everyone home, we left with these certainties: HAVUKRUUNU has really become a solid reality in their own right, which is kind of strange to think about for someone who grew up in his teens with MOONSORROW and the likes, and also we can now easily say that they have finally outgrown the role of “crowd-bringing, local support band”, and can very well – and successfully – headline a sold out show of this size. Well done!
HELLRIPPER
HAVUKRUUNU
