Album Reviews: Karjajuht by Metsatöll

Metsatöll is a folk metal band located in the heart of Estonia. I remember when I first heard this band, it was back in 1999 when they released Terast Mis Hangund Me Hinge. Now it is 2014 and they are releasing a new album which I am excited about. 

Recently, I had the opportunity to listen to Karjajuht, Metsatöll's newest album which comes out May 27th. What did I think?

I absolutely love Külmking, the first track. The instrumentals are insanely epic during the bridge part of this tune. This song is not in English, so the story will be hard to understand if you don't understand Estonian. 

Metal music is all about excitement and Lööme Mesti is definitely an exciting song. The instrumentals are exceptionally amazing. I love the use of the flutes, torupill, kannel, and goathorn in this tune. Of course Markus brings the song to life with his rocking vocals.

See On See Maa starts out slow. The flutes in this tune really stand out, along with the mouth harp. I am really loving the vocal delivery, along with the story itself. I have to be honest, when I first heard this song, I was highly reminded of Rammstein meets Il Divo.

The flute arrangement in Must Hunt is so epic. I do love the vocals in this song because they are polished and I how they go so well with the instrumental arrangement. The story is also quite exciting. 

Estonian as a language is so beautiful. Terasest Taotud Tee is an exciting song. I know that I keep talking about how great the instrumental is, but I cannot help it. The story line is awesome, but the vocals really bring it to life. 

The drums are really exciting in Öö. I actually find myself imagining an Irish dancer, dancing to metal music when I first heard this amazing addition to Karjajuht. I am really loving the use of the stink drum in this tune.

Sometimes the heaviest of metal can be so incredibly beautiful. What I love about Tôrrede Kôhtudes is the instrumental arrangement. I love how the song starts out so fluidly innocent and gets dark once Markus comes in. 

When I first heard Metslase Veri, I was reminded of the army. The drums are insanely solid in this tune, making it quite memorable. I also love the use of the flutes, along with the mouth harp, goathorn, ängipill, torupill, and kannel. 

Folk metal is one of those subgenres that really brings out an artist's creativity. And Surmamüür is proof of this. The story line is quite pronounced in this tune. The vocals are quite raw, as well.

The tenth track is Mullast. When it comes to heavy metal, this song really does deliver a strong message. The vocal delivery it outstanding, which I really like. The use of the flutes and ängipill is something to appreciate, as well.

Karjajuht is not only the album title, but the eleventh song on the album. And what an exciting song it is. In fact, I cannot stop listening to this tune. This is definitely my favorite song on the entire album. 

Talisman is the final track on Karjajuht. It's softer than most of the songs on this album, but still remains true to it's roots. As a strong ballad, this song is the most beautiful song on the album. Metsatöll saved the best for last.

Karjajuht by Metsatöll is available on Tuesday, May 27, 2014. Would I recommend this album to a friend? Absolutely. Especially if you love metal music. This album epitomizes folk metal at it's finest. Would I purchase this album for myself? Yes. For more information about Metsatöll, please visit www.metsatoll.ee today.

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