Due to the coronavirus outbreak, many bands have taken it upon themselves to continue providing metalheads with the pleasure of experiencing unique live shows by streaming. One of these was held on 21 March 2020. We gathered in front of our screens to watch METSATÖLL play a special set for us, named “Party During the Plague,” along with 70,000 other souls.
With “Katk Kutsariks,” METSÄTOLL immediately creates an intense atmosphere within many homes. The mystical track is accompanied by the necessary pyros, which unlike real-life events, don’t melt your face off. Followed by “Kange Kui Raud,” the band immediately can show off the talent of multi-instrumentalist Lauri Õunapuu, who switches his kantele to a torupill (Estonian bagpipes), as well as a flute. The magic continues with the fast “Küü,” while frontman Markus Teeäär urges the virtual audience to rock out with them, something we surely did.
Before continuing the set with “Kivine Maa,” Teeäär continues by telling the audience that they hope everyone is safe, even though times are pretty scary, and promise to burn down the plague. An intro with mouth harp is followed by an energetic rendition of “Kivine Maa,” and while Teeäär is shouting hey, we find ourselves clapping along to the rhythm.
While we barely can manage to sit down to enjoy the live stream, the band continues with “Vaid Vaprust,” which maintains the same amount of dynamics. Throughout the whole show, the band picks out a lot of songs that have a positive feeling to them, such as the powerful “Saaremaa Vägimees.” During “Tõrrede Kõhtudes” Õunapuu urges viewers to have a moshpit or dance, even though they can’t see it. Pro-tip, even in times of social distancing, a circle pit seems to be the best option, if you keep enough distance.
That the band is trying to keep up a good spirit is clear when bass player Raivo Piirsalu jokes about forgetting the bass solo, keeping up the stereotype of bass players; instead they focus on a badass rendition of “Kurjajuur.” It’s clear that METSATÖLL is not planning to slow down any time soon with “Ebavere,” which is then followed by the epic “Vimm.” The song usually triggers everyone to lose their shit during a show, so hopefully, that is exactly what happened in many living rooms alike, at least the stream producer allowed for extraordinary edits during the show, letting his creativity flow freely, as the images weren’t really suitable for anyone who has epilepsy. The band has managed to keep the tempo really high, but slows it down slightly with the beautiful “Ballad Punastest Paeltest,” featuring Marta Laan.
After a strong guest performance, the band slows down the tempo even more with the enchanting “Talvehambad,” which gains strength with every beat of the drum, until it explodes in a folk metal extravaganza. The feast continues with “Koduhiite Kaitsel,” featuring Marko Matvere, which provided the audience with probably one of the highlights of the entire show. Those of you who weren’t yet dancing on your feet probably got up during this song to wreck the entire living room. “See on see Maa” is dedicated to “the most beautiful homeland an Estonian could ever have,” which starts off with a lovely kantele intro by Õunapuu before it changes swiftly to a quicker pace and heavier setting.
The band continues with a cover of Heli Lääts, “Oma Laulu ei Leia Ma Üles,” a song that the band usually really enjoys playing for audiences around the world. “Minu Kodu” is probably one of the heavier songs of the setlist, with slower, brooding riffs, and an energy that almost can’t be contained inside of four walls. Before continuing with “Metsaviha 2,” Teeäär urges the crowd to put all their energy towards burning that fucking virus, the band manages to create a mystical energy on stage by their transcending performance.
Unfortunately, all stories come to an end and the last chapter of the successful livestream was the furious “Lööme Mesti,” in which METSATÖLL were able to put all their remaining spirit. The show thus ends on a climax, but not before the band gathers to thank the audience properly.
Without a crowd, the overall atmosphere was definitely special, but the band didn’t mind the lack of audience and continued with their performance as if it was any other day. With the highly energetic songs and the mystical atmosphere the band managed to create by singing in Estonian, as well as writing otherworldly songs, METSATÖLL ensured that everyone would have a good and cozy evening in front of their screen.
Setlist
- Toona (Intro)
- Katk kutsariks
- Kange kui raud
- Küü
- Kivine maa
- Vaid vaprust
- Saaremaa vägimees
- Tõrrede kõhtudes
- Kurjajuur
- Ebavere
- Vimm
- Ballad punastest paeltest feat. Marta Laan
- Talvehambad
- Koduhiite kaitsel feat. Marko Matvere
- See on see maa
- Oma laulu ei leia ma üles (Heli Lääts cover)
- Minu kodu
- Metsaviha 2
- Lööme mesti
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