In a tweet that has stunned Nightwish fans, and the entire metal community, bassist and male vocalist Marko Hietala has announced his departure from the band after 20 years. In true Nightwish tradition, he has been open and transparent in making the announcement, posting his resignation to Twitter:

“Dear people. I am leaving Nightwish and my public life.”

In his statement, he goes on to explain his numerous reasons for leaving, and it is evident that he has not made this decision lightly. Citing concerns about hypocrisy and artists being overworked within the industry, leading to him feeling “disillusioned” and “in need of validation, he explains:

“For me to write, sing and play, I need to find some new reasons and inspirations. “My Walden” so to speak.”

Hietala admitted this past year of being forced to stay home has brought many of the feelings to light, bravely admitting to experiencing dark thoughts due to his chronic depression, and his acknowledgement that he cannot continue as things are. He has preemptively shut down any notions of the other members of Nightwish having any bearing on his decision:

“Conspiracy is the word of the day… Blaming for instance Tuomas (Holopainen) is an insult to both him and my free thinking. This is a very sad thing to all of us too. Have a care please.”

He has respectfully asked the media, other bands and artists to allow him this time, and not approach him for projects for the rest of 2021. The only exception being Tony Iommi, Black Sabbath guitarist, and his childhood hero. 

Hietala has also taken the time to reassure and comfort fans with the words:

“Don’t worry, I’m fine. I have my two sons, a wife, the rest of the family, friends, a dog and lots of love. And I don’t think I’ll be gone for good.”

Marko Hietala has been a mainstay figure in the metal scene in Europe since forming the band Tarot (initially called Pergatory), with his brother Zachary Hietala in 1986. In 2001, he joined Nightwish and history was made, with the rest of the world soon being gifted with his mind-blowing talent. His incredible vocals and powerful rhythmic bass playing with that almost signature warm, loose tone seemed to only become stronger over the years. Although technically a tenor, he is capable of holding his strength even on the lowest, growling notes, with his voice bearing a unique deftness, lending itself well to many musical styles. The addition of Hietala to Nightwish gave the band a whole new dimension in their work and birthed such fabulous duets as their now legendary cover of “The Phantom of the Opera.” 

Hietala’s mastery over his voice was recently showcased beautifully on “Masked Singer Suomi” (Masked Singer Finland), performing such varied hits as Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise,” Prince’s “Kiss,” Elton John’s “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” and Backstreet Boys’ “Backstreet’s Back.” Disguised as Tohtori (The Doctor), he completely fooled all the judges, with none successfully guessing his identity.

He is also a former member of supergroup cover band “Northern Kings,” and has been a regular guest artist with fellow symphonic metal band Delain, recording tracks and touring with them. “The Gathering” and “Sing to Me,” are just two examples of some of the amazing work he has done with Delain. Other collaborations have included his work with cover band Sapattivuosi, HAIL!, and the epic “The Theory of Everything,” created by Ayreon. In mid-2019 he released his first solo offering, the progressive rock styled, “Mustan Sydämen Rovio,” which also saw an English version release “Pyre of the Black Heart” in January 2020. And through all this, the relentlessly hard-working musician has also continued his work with Tarot and of course, Nightwish.

Nightwish defined symphonic metal, being one of the first metal bands to be fronted by a classically trained, female soprano, Tarja Turunen. With maestro Tuomas Holopainen on keys and synth, and the driving force behind their lyrics and overall style, they became pioneers of a brand-new musical age. Even the departure of Turunen and subsequent lead singer Anette Olzon, did not deter them from forging forward. Now fronted by the incomparable Floor Jansen, Nightwish have kept going strong, and with them, every step of the way since 2001, has been Marko Hietala.

The band have confirmed in a response to Hietala’s resignation that a session bass player will be brought in for their upcoming “Human :II: Nature World Tour,” and that they will formally announce the live line-up at a later date. Nightwish went on to say:

“We respect Marko’s decision and wish him all the very best.”

Author: Harley Houghton

Harley Houghton is a writer and blogger, based in Melbourne, Australia. Her passions include music, especially metal, gaming and comics. Check out her blog www.harleysmadhouse.com and follow her on Twitter.