Artist · EveryDisc catalogue

Marco Hietala (Marko Hietala)

Marko Tapani Hietala (born January 14, 1966, in Tervo, Finland) is a bassist and second vocalist for the Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish. He joined the band before the recording of the album Century Child in 2002, following the departure of the previous bassist, Sami Vänskä. Hietala is also a vocalist and bassist for the Finnish band Tarot. In addition, he played in the band Sinergy as a bassist. In 2002, before joining Nightwish, he took part in the recording of the album Secret Visions by the power metal band Virtuocity, a studio project by the Finnish guitar virtuoso known as Jaron Sebastian Raven. Marko recorded vocals for two tracks. Upon joining Nightwish, Hietala began singing in duets with Tarja Turunen on several songs. The band's leader and composer, Tuomas Holopainen, gave Nightwish a new sound with the help of Marko's harsh and raspy voice. During the band's performances, Tarja would take breaks, during which instrumental tracks were performed. With Marko's arrival, Nightwish began playing covers of various well-known songs featuring his vocals. For instance, they performed Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train," W.A.S.P.'s "Wild Child," Megadeth's "Symphony of Destruction," and Pink Floyd's "High Hopes." Some of these covers were included on the band's releases. In 2006, Marko participated in the recording of the debut album Lucidity by the Dutch sympho-metal band Delain, where he served as a bassist and vocalist on several tracks. In 2007, when Holopainen was searching for a new vocalist for Nightwish, Hietala, along with Jarkko Ahola (Teräsbetoni), Tony Kakko (Sonata Arctica), and Juha-Pekka Leppäluoto (Charon), created a project called Northern Kings, in which Marko plays the role of bassist and vocalist.