To be upfront, it was a bit of a surprise when the news became public in early 2021 that Marko Hietala left his position in the international superstar Metal band Nightwish. Taking over the position as their bassist and male vocalist, Hietala became a signature part of Nightwish from the get-go back in 2001. Providing a distinctive voice opposite the powerful singing of Tarja Turunen, 2002’s Century Child and 2004’s Once (Tarja’s final album with the band before being let go in 2005) were full of magical moments.
From here, Hietala continued to hold his status as an intricate part of Nightwish through to 2020’s HUMAN. :II: NATURE (what would be his final album with the band). Acknowledging the blood, sweat, and tears put into the band, Hietala confessed in a 2020 interview with Cryptic Rock Magazine –
“Being with Nightwish has probably been the biggest, lasting part of my life. Nightwish has made my living. There have been ups and downs as well as joys and sorrows.”
Honest and forthcoming, there is no question that Hietala holds a large part of his heart to Nightwish, but after two decades of rigorous touring, etc., it was time to take a break. Heartbreaking to Nightwish fans, fear not, because while he did take a brief hiatus from the public eye to refocus his mental health, Hietala’s passion for music is too deep to abandon this part of himself. In fact, even during his tears with Nightwish, he consistently worked with others on interesting projects such as his other band, Tarot, Sinergy (which featured the late Children of Bodom Guitarist Alexi Laiho), among countless other projects he offered himself to. With that in mind, he, Tony Kakko of Sonata Arctica, and Juha-Pekka Leppäluoto from Charon reformed Northern Kings in 2022 for a live performance.
Undetermined what will be next for Northern Kings, in 2023, more interesting collaborations emerged when Hietala teamed up with Tarja to perform together for the first time in eighteen long years. This reunion led to more touring together and the two recording a single together, “Left on Mars,” which was released in March 2024. Leading to speculation that the partnership might become more permanent, more music rolled out from Hietala in 2024, which included the very addictive, catchy “Frankenstein’s Wife,” followed by the Blues-influenced “Impatient Zero” and “Rebel of the North.” All shows that Hietala was reinvigorated and ready for more, but now, in 2025, he unleashed the solo album Roses From The Deep.
Set for release on February 7th through Nuclear Blast Records, it is only the second solo record in his lengthy career and a follow-up to 2020’s Pyre of the Black Heart. Looking at that record for a moment, this solo debut was quite a good Heavy Rock adventure with memorable tracks, but Roses From The Deep is something a bit different. Explaining this, Pyre of the Black Heart seemed a bit more straightforward in the approach, whereas Roses From The Deep is highly more eclectic in the styles exhibited by Hietala.
Offering ten songs that make for nearly one hour of music, the album, of course, includes “Frankeinstein’s Wife,” the Tarja duet track “Left on Mars,” “Impatient Zero,” as well as “Rebel of the North,” these only tell part of the story. With the remainder of the album, Hietala does an exceptional job of telling stories in the lyrics and melodies that dive into the horrors of war, the character flaws of humanity that follow up through time, and the universal emotions that make us all human.
With this all entwined into the record, so are a broad range of styles that range from Progressive Rock and Folk Metal to more stripped-down Rock-n-Roll, all with symphonic tints here and there. Making for a very diverse, the sorrow in “Two Soldiers” sticks with you while the Country Rock tingling of “The Devil You Know” stands out and keeps your attention within the metaphors of Hietala’s words in “Rebel of the North.” However, the depth of “Dragon Must Die” is also a much-needed exploration, while the title track is simply beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time.
Overall, you can tell that Marko Hietala (along with his band Anssi Nykänen on drums, Tuomas Wäinölä on guitar, and Vili Ollila on keyboards) devoted a tremendous amount of emotion to these songs. While they are shrouded in storytelling, you cannot help but think that his own personal internal struggles bleed through. It is a push-and-pull battle that many of us can relate to. However, at the end of Roses From The Deep, it seems as if the light outweighs the darkness. That is why Cryptic Rock recommends diving deep inside with Marko Hietala, giving this album 4.5 out of 5 stars.
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