Metsatöll: ''In every struggle for freedom, songs are used in a similar way - they give strength, a sense of unity, the idea of the necessity of one's own existence'' Pt. I

Interview with Lauri Õunapuu from Metsatöll, discussing importance of music in Estonia- politics, censorship and importance of music for society.

Metsatöll is an Estonian band who has sold more than 80'000 records worldwide and have performed across North America and Europe, including: Poland, France, Finland, Belgium, Baltic States, Canada, Denmark, Afghanistan, UK and many others. They have toured with band such as Finntroll, Rotting Christ, Ensiferum, Korpiklaani, Eluveitie and supported Megadeth at the open air romp in Haapsalu. Their music is a unique blend of traditional Estonian folk melodies and heavy metal riffs, creating a powerful and atmospheric sound that transports listeners to another time and place.

It was a great honour to ask some questions for the multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Lauri Õunapuu, regarding paganism, politics, society and
the importance of music.

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Why is music important for Estonians, especially folk, pagan and metal genres?

I think that music is important for all mankind, this need to listen to music, to make music. The need for rhythms and melodies is transnational, there is no special way to distinguish between Estonians or other nations. Even in countries where certain kinds of music or dance have been banned for a long time, these peoples still have a tendency to make music or dance, calling these forbidden activities by another name or doing it underground.

What distinguishes the peoples, nationalities or the music of different countries and regions from the characteristic Estonian-like activity is that Estonia as a country has quite definite borders and the national myth, which was created during a time of national awakening already in the 19th century, has confirmed its existence thanks to the clear definition of "us" and "them". , where the word "them" refers to foreign conquerors , occupiers or other foreigners - Germans, Russians, etc. This has also created an understanding of what "their" and "our" music is like - although these musical expressions often have the same roots, unified and mixed up. Nevertheless , modern people, not knowing and feeling their musical roots, still love to think naively about some kind of pure, mythical and beautiful national culture that was somewhere far away. And if, for example, they hear pleasant music in their own language, which has some kind of national or even pseudo-traditional features, he classifies this music as traditional folk music, perhaps feels pride and respect.

I also don't think that emphasizing national features in the genre of metal music is particularly important in Estonia - there are only a few metal bands that use elements of folk music. I would rather even say that they, apart from the band Metsatöll , are rather folk bands that use elements of metal .

At the same time, as I wrote, small nations probably know their people and history in a more special way than big countries , where people often do not have a definite national identity. Or it's sprawling.

The use of folk music in sound works has occurred continuously throughout history, here the question is what kind of music is in vogue/fashion at the moment or what musical styles or what sound works are being composed. Almost all well-known composers have used folk music (I'm talking here about the music set in the new era, not, for example, theater music in the Middle Ages, solo blues musicians, etc..) in different eras of classical music. Also modern music bands, from jazz , rock to punk. Whether folk music is conscious or unconscious is determined by the social need to belong to a group, a subculture, which is also expressed, for example, in music preferences. Folk music is an opportunity to feel and know one's identity.

The historical-romantic lyrics used in metal music also talk about the same thing.

At the begging of Metsatöll, who was your musical or political inspiration? Were you at all inspired by other Baltic/Estonian bands? Or maybe had influence from the US or Russia?

I can only speak for myself here, because every musician has his own path and preferences, sources of inspiration and influences. Estonian folklore ensembles, Estonian movies whose soundtracks used folk music and which were extremely popular definitely influenced the national line in my musical choices . Friends who cared about folk music were also a big influence. This effect between friends is like a desire to cultivate a common cause and feel the unity of friends - one learns a story, another reads an interesting article or study about history and tells it to others - others in turn look for some exciting story from history, etc.. if friends, as we had back then, play some instruments, it is clear that this is also reflected in the music.

Do you think it’s important for music to be political?
And are you a political band?

First of all, the term "political" must be explained . What does "political" mean? Does this mean meddling in state affairs, explicitly supporting a certain political party? Or social responsibility in a broader sense?

I think that not only every musician, but every citizen in the country should feel social responsibility. Is it a village, a certain region, a country or a part of the world that you want to stand up for, so that everyone is better off. On the other hand, it is natural that not all people have the competence to have a say in political issues, state affairs or even in the organization of their home environment. Therefore, it is natural and also necessary for each person to start taking responsibility in small things, doing it as well as we can understand, is already a small step towards betterment.

When talking about political music, you can think about the aspect that a musician is allowed to say something for which other people could be punished. The musician is like the little innocent boy in the fairytale who drew attention to the king's nakedness.

In totalitarian countries, of course, such a boy can be hanged or sent to rot in the basement for years.

Do you think music holds a greater power, beyond entertainment and that it can influence the society, and political affairs?

There are all kinds of music, and the meaning of music is determined by the listener. If you have a critical mass of listeners who interpret certain music, you can do something in the world with those listeners. If no one listens to your protest song on any topic, or if its content is interpreted as entertainment, then nothing happens.

There are, of course, many examples where music has made a large number of people feel capable of changing something in history or themselves, and not only the Estonian singing revolution. In every struggle for freedom, songs are used in a similar way - they give strength, a sense of unity, the idea of the necessity of one's own existence.

Even when the song and words are simple, they have a unifying power - even if, for example, a crowd in a football stadium chants together the name of a certain head of state and the name of a man's genitals in one sentence, there is a certain unifying power in this chanting.

Were you ever faced with censorship? Have any political parties or establishments ever been interested in your music?

Every person encounters censorship on a daily basis, but whether we interpret it as such is another matter. If we take censorship in the classical sense (although there are quite a few subspecies of censorship), then we usually understand censorship as state interference with freedom of speech, opinion and expression. Metsatöll has never encountered such censorship as an ensemble. Or let's say we are in the small details - in China it was not allowed to sell a DVD with a folk song about the Turkish war.

You have toured worldwide – Do you see a difference between audiences in each of the Baltic States countries, Europe? Are different audiences expecting different music or values?

We only sing in Estonian, so it cannot be said that people react differently depending on the lyrics. Rather, it is a question of the established general character traits and openness of different peoples. It can be said that these are pseudocharacteristics, but the culture shapes the people regardless of whether these people are naturally or genetically inclined to be more open or closed.

Photo ©Metsatöll