Marko Hietala - "Roses From the Deep"
Marko Hietala is very highly-regarded in the Metal world — arguably in contention for “Legend” status, depending who you talk to. I suspect that, were he ten years older (he turned 20 in 1986), he already would be. But he’s in that next generation following the Heavy Metal pioneers. And, as a Finn, he’s always been more influential in Europe, generally, and Scandinavia, specifically.
Hietala got his start in the mid-80s as a founding member (vocalist and bassist) of Tarot,1 one of the very first metal bands in Finland. Considering the nation (along with Norway and Sweden) became, and has remained, a hotbed of Metal, Tarot’s influence in their now-43-year-existence is nothing short of foundational in the region. Hietala never left Tarot, but in 2002 he also joined Nightwish as their bassist and secondary composer.
He has also been a member of Sinergy, Sapattivuosi, and Northern Kings,2 as well as a contributor to the Raskasta Joulua project3 on all eight albums. But these are largely all side-projects. The bulk of the recognition here will come with Tarot and Nightwish.
It’s the latter that really sticks out, of course: Nightwish is one of the most popular Metal acts in the world over the last twenty years or so, and the definitive act in the Symphonic Power niche. Nightwish fans, especially old-school Nightwish fans, might be thrilled to see Tarja’s name as a featured artist on Roses From the Deep’s second track, “Left on Mars”.
And yeah, don’t worry, it’s one of the best songs on the album.
Hietala might be best-known for his time in Nightwish, but his roots with Tarot are very clearly classic Heavy Metal, and that’s the dominant genre on this album. But the influence of his experience is still there — the influences of Symphonic and Power are both very tangible. With Hietala at 59 years old as of January 14th, the blend of styles and sounds here truly feels like a culmination of sorts. He’s had a long career, and while I do not believe he is ready to hang up his bass yet, he has accumulated a wealth of experience and skill, and all of it is on display.
Well, with the exception of a couple of moments where he ventures too near the top of his range, such as on “Impatient Zero” (which is still one of my favorite tracks on the album, in spite of that). His voice just doesn’t sound great in the stratosphere anymore.
Roses From the Deep is full of classic rockers, ten tracks in total. The only downbeat song is closing and title track “Roses From the Deep”, which is still an intensely longing guitar ballad about love after death.
Fans of classic Heavy and Power Metal will definitely find songs to love here. A couple of songs fall a little below the rest, in terms of quality, but that’s subjective.
This is one of the best albums I’ve heard so far this year — possibly the best yet.
That said, there are still those few obvious imperfections holding me back just enough. I’m gonna sit on this one.
Rating: Teal
There are at least three other bands named Tarot out there. This one put out its debut album in 1986 with “Wings of Darkness” as its biggest hit. They’ve released eight albums, with the latest being 2010’s Gravity of Light.
Northern Kings is a supergroup which has produced two albums (2007 & 2008). The group also includes:
Jarkko Ahola of Teräsbetoni;
Tony Kakko of Sonata Arctica; and
Juha-Pekka Leppäluoto of Charon and Harmaja.
This is a collaborative music project with a revolving lineup of contributors. Its goal is to reimagine and re-record traditional Christmas songs in Metal styles.