Metsatöll: First of all - congratulations on your success with "Raua Needmine". What does it mean to you and where do you think will the journey go from here?

For us this was a leap into the unknown – but certainly a beautiful one. Nice experience in every meaning. Journey of Metsatöll will continue with our albums and tours, mostly. There have been discussions of making something “special” again in 2009 – but this is all speculation for now.

Metsatöll: What sort of reactions has this CD/DVD had?

All major Estonian newspapers had at minimum a full-page story; President of Estonia participated in the album's release party... We are working hard to keep our heads cool and feet on the ground!

Metsatöll: Who came to the idea of this project in the first place?

It was Paul Pihlak - he runs both Maailmaküla Festival and Elwood label. He needed a so-called “special project” for the festival and so he came to this idea. All parts involved immediately accepted it. Later we heard that few promoters had had similar ideas at about the same time. And that can mean only that our songs and the works of composer Veljo Tormis have something very similar to them and are really easy to imagine in the same program.

Metsatöll: How difficult was it to organize and record this special concert/album together with the choir?

It was easier than we thought. We had enough time with the choir so we got to know each other quite well and managed to create an effective synergy between us. Technically it was a nightmare. There is no such thing in Estonia as 50 headset microphones together at once, and we didn’t had enough resources to lend them from abroad... But eventually everything worked out just great.

Metsatöll: Who are your musical idols?

We all are (still) fans of 80-s heavy metal: Manowar, Iron Maiden, Dio,... On top of this everybody naturally has his own favorites. We believe Pathory has something to do with why we are making our music as we are...

Metsatöll: How do you feel about being somewhat known as preservers of Estonian culture? At least it sounds like it when reading about you...

It’s mostly Lauri and his “Society of Traditional Male Singing”. But of course, Metsatöll uses lyrics based on stories told throughout thousands of years. We've also performed in sacred woods and hills – in order to give our respect and to point the importance of these places.

Metsatöll: So there probably won't be songs in English some day, or...?

Most probably no. In many ways it would be against everything that is important to us. I mean, does bulldozer of globalization need another driver? There probably are enough of them already... But we do believe that it's great that there are bands singing in German or Norwegian... And Estonian. If you look at the success-story of Sigur Ros – it doesn’t depend only on the language. Of course, for the foreign fans it would be great if they had a chance to sing along like our local fans. Perhaps we will do one “na-na-na” song in the future.

Metsatöll: So what's next for you? Perhaps some similar projects to "Raua Needmine"?

There will be an open-air tour over Estonia starting July 13th – 8 nights and about 30.000 people, we hope. We'll of course try and give our best. Next winter we'll release our 3rd album, some songs already exist. We believe that this will be our best album so far. Great projects come to you when they come. And when you are ready. Pushing them is not good idea – so no, we do not have similar plans. But this means only that one day something will happen.

Metsatöll: Will there be a chance to see you at some Western-Europe festivals or concerts?

There is always a chance. We believe that after this article the chances will be greater than they are now. So maybe in 2008...?

Metsatöll: Thanks for the interview and all the best for you!

Thank you. Much luck!