History & Biography This Viking metal band came together in 2016. Call Of The North was a 2017 demo. Bassist Pontus left. The Stockholm-based band issued its debut album in 2019. Havamal‘s new album The Shadow Chapter would be released through Art Gates on May 21st. The band had a video for the track Nidhoggr. Tino "Saurus" Vesanen joined in 2021.
Reviews HAVAMAL – TALES FROM YGGDRASIL – ART GATES 
Havamal refers to ancient Norse poetry and Yggdrasil to a tree in the same mythology so it is not a surprise that the band hails from Sweden. What is a surprise and disappointment is that the style and sound is burdened by the ever poppy and wussy keyboards that plague weaker bands. Swedish bands typically know better.
What makes this a metal fan’s bigger dismay is that the songs bereft of synthesizers are fully formed and completed. There is a lack of guitar leads on the nine tracks contained herein, but otherwise one could imagine any of these tracks as whole, fully formed and metallic without the unneeded and unwanted pop melodies.
The vocals are gruff, the muddy drums rambling with speed and the guitars metallically powerful, but then those keyboards kick in and remind one of Nightwish. It is a pity. Hear Hail Havamal and hear a song that could have been very good, but is not. – Ali “The Metallian”
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