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Metsatöll / Ajattara - Rock Café, Tallinn, Estonia, 11.12.2009


Event: Metsatöll / Ajattara
Written by: Ivor
Published: 13.12.2009

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Metsatöll / Ajattara - Rock Cafe, Tallinn, 11.12.2009 by Ivor (42)


There are times when you wish the running order of the bands was different. So that you could just come in later, right after the lamest band has had the misfortune of not being able to perform for you. This was one of those times, the one where bad luck is on your side and you have the misfortune of not being able to avoid seeing the lame band somewhere in the middle of the evening. How unfortunate, how unfortunate.







However, it's also rare that the opening act of the evening is so good that it leaves the rest in the dust. On this particular evening it was Zetod who, in my personal biased opinion, owned the evening. Zetod is a band consisting of guitar, bass, drums and accordion. That's not the fun bit, though. They play something that can be described as Estonian ethno/folk rock/metal. That may be the fun bit. However, it's the sound and instrumental side of their performance that grabs the attention. The four guys are really talented and it shows live in every aspect, studio versions that you can hear online aren't close enough to describe the live feeling. I've seen them a couple of times already and it gets better and better each time. Plus it seems that the band may have gone prog with their instrumental interludes. That's the fun bit.







Last time I saw Herald, which may have been some three years ago maybe, they were still performing with Mart Kalvet as their singer. It came to me as a surprise that he is not with the band anymore, the new singer and bass player having joined the band in April. Herald being what it is, though, a classic heavy metal band, didn't really grab my attention three years ago and it sort of failed to grab my attention this time either. Although, I'll admit that they sounded quite good. Maybe it can be attributed to the pretty atrocious performance of Blaze Bayley that I saw this Spring. In any case, Herald was quite okay as far as I'm concerned but nothing more.







I had an impression that Ajattara was to be the main act of the evening. However, they were not. Can't say if it was a good thing or not, though. If they had been last, I might have walked out of the venue. They weren't last, so I didn't. In short, though, Ajattara's performance was downright bad. I listened to Ajattara on MySpace when I did some scouting prior to the gig. Unfortunately what could be heard there was some slower semi-acoustic stuff and not the black metal what they played live. Live Ajattara sounded as if they played a one very long boring song. Or, as a friend of mine put, they played the same boring song many times over. If you are debating whether to see Ajattara live or not, I say don't, you won't miss anything.







This gig was a celebration for Metsatöll, a passing of 5 years since the release of Hiiekoda. How to describe a performance of a band I've already seen over 10 times? Not because I immensely like them but because other people so immensely like them that the band have happened to perform at more or less every bigger event of interest around here. Although there was a time I had a serious overdose of them, I kind of have to agree with the general feeling that besides the fact of being a local musical phenomenon, Metsatöll have something in their music that is so very Estonian. Some of you have seen them abroad, you comment how they sound to you. I can only say that this time they had a pretty good gig, I've seen both, better and worse, from them.





In conclusion I can say that the evening had it's ups and downs. I think that if the evening had consisted solely of Zetod and Metsatöll it would have been quite a bit more enjoyable. Plus Zetod would have gotten a longer set which would have been fine with me. As it was, Herald was the forgettable one, and Ajattara was the lamest band of the evening.

Zetod: http://www.zetod.ee, MySpace
Herald: http://herald-metal.com, MySpace
Ajattara: http://www.ajattara.fi, MySpace
Metsatöll: http://www.metsatoll.ee, MySpace






Written on 13.12.2009 by I shoot people.

Sometimes, I also write about it.

And one day I'm going to start a band. We're going to be playing pun-rock.


Comments

Comments: 7   Visited by: 41 users
15.12.2009 - 03:09
Marcel Hubregtse
Grumpy Old Fuck
Ajattara blows every other single band on this line-up right out of the water on album. Simple as that. Musically vastly superior to the others.


Btw... Mart Kalvet is that the same Mart as of Taak and Dawn Of Gehenna?
----
Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal

Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight
Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.)
05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996

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15.12.2009 - 11:49
Ivor
Staff
I'm not even going to argue with you. Live Ajattara was so inferior to others that I'm not going to reach out for their music even if I was to use a stick. Sorry. Plus, our tastes differ enough that I'm inclined to disregard your usual ramblings.

As for Mart Kalvet, the answer is yes. Lot's of other bands as well.

I.
----
No friends for playing games
No foes who scorn my name
Computerized machines of steel and rust
/---/
No friends in my house on Mars
No foes in my house on Mars
I was born in my house on Mars
I will die in my house on Mars
-- Ayreon - My House on Mars
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16.12.2009 - 00:32
Bad English
Tage Westerlund
Ivor - Zetod neve rheard band but i love Herold, since I heard it long ago and soemhwo I think band dont fits into this event, because diferent genres ,
----
Life is to short for LOVE, there is many great things to do online !!!

Stormtroopers of Death - ''Speak English or Die''
apos;'
[image]
I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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20.12.2009 - 20:29
GT
Coffee!!
Zetod sounds kinda interesting. I might check their stuff out if I get the time
----


Dreams are made so we don't get bored when we sleep
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23.12.2009 - 00:02
Thryce
Retired Staff
Nowadays Ajattara isn't worth shit anymore - that I will give you - but there was indeed a time they would blow every other single band on this line-up right out of the water, as Marcel so delicately puts it. It sure is starting to look like they totally lost it after the release of Äpäre. Seems like from then on Ajattara can't do anything right anymore, both on album as live. I guess Ruoja should have called it a day when he had the chance back in 2007, instead of recruiting a totally new line-up.
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Your favorite band sucks.
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23.12.2009 - 00:42
Ivor
Staff
@GT: Sure do, although, since it's in Estonian it might not be as attractive. Plus, as I said, it's quite a bit more laid back than at the gigs.

Written by Thryce on 23.12.2009 at 00:02

Seems like from then on Ajattara can't do anything right anymore, both on album as live. I guess Ruoja should have called it a day when he had the chance back in 2007, instead of recruiting a totally new line-up.

It might indeed be the line-up change. I've no intention to find out, mainly because it was so bad live, but also because I don't have any interest for black metal. I was eventually more surprised to find out that Ruoja was here a couple of years ago with Mannhai, a stoner rock band. Now, that was pretty kicking stuff. In comparison two performances are like black and white.

I.
----
No friends for playing games
No foes who scorn my name
Computerized machines of steel and rust
/---/
No friends in my house on Mars
No foes in my house on Mars
I was born in my house on Mars
I will die in my house on Mars
-- Ayreon - My House on Mars
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29.12.2009 - 01:21
Marcel Hubregtse
Grumpy Old Fuck
Written by Ivor on 23.12.2009 at 00:42

with Mannhai, a stoner rock band.


Mannhai are great. A shame I only have their 7" split with Reverend Bizarre. There Mannhai plays a brilliant version of Forever My Queen (Pentagram cover)
----
Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal

Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight
Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.)
05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996

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