03-04-2014 Metsatöll

Venue: Poseidon Club, Tallinn (Estonia)
By: Nilla Meri

How many of us are lucky enough to watch a great folk metal gig in a fancy night club? Some might not count it as a privilege but it definitely was a notable experience for me. Surrounded by elegant couches, with a beautiful Baltic Sea view from the huge windows that covers the place and a small stage clearly designed for a DJ or dances… Last Friday, Metsatöll had an amazing show for relatively small but a dense crowd in Tallinn, Estonia.

Metsatöll is a unique folk metal band founded in Estonia by Markus Teeäär (Vocals, Guitars) in 1999. When Lauri Õunapuu(vocals, traditional instruments) joined the band in 2000, he introduced metal music with ancient Estonian folk songs. In 2004, Marko Atso (drums) joined the band and they keep the same members since.

Earlier the show day, I’ve interviewed the band. While I was asking for 10-15 mins for the interview it turned out that we had a conversation with the band almost for an hour. The the band was also generous enough to invite me to the venue just before the soundcheck. So, I also enjoyed a short gig which I felt had been played special for me. 🙂

I’ve seen Metsatöll playing in huge venues before. And the places were always packed with people. Although, this time the situation was a bit different. Maybe it was because the gig was in a nightclub and radical metalheads hate the idea or maybe it was just lack of advertisement of the concert, there were not many people in the club that night. (Ok, it feels horrendously weird to say “club” :)) Still it was quite nice crowd with surprisingly many women(didn’t count but might be more then men) and I suppose there was no mospit during the show at all. Yet, a lot of headbanging seen and experienced by myself. A lot…

I really hope to see this highly underrated yet a great band in summer festivals this year. Now, back to studying Estonian language through Metsatöll songs!

Members
Markus “Rabapagan” Teeäär – vocals, guitar (1999-present)
Lauri “Varulven” Õunapuu – vocals, guitar, flutes, torupil & other traditional instruments (1999-present)
Raivo “KuriRaivo” Piirsalu – bass, schrieks, vocals and screaming (2000-present)
Marko Atso – drums and vocals (2004-present)

Links:
Metsatöll Facebook
Metsatöll Official