Marko Hietala Bass guitarist and second vocalist of the Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish. Date of Birth: 14.01.1966 Country: Finland

Biography of Marco Hietala

Marco Hietala is a Finnish musician, known as the bassist and secondary vocalist of the symphonic metal band Nightwish. He joined the band in 2002, prior to the recording of their album "Century Child," following the departure of previous bassist Sami Vänskä. Hietala is also a vocalist, bassist, and member of the Finnish group Tarot. Additionally, he played bass guitar for the band Sinergy. His addition to Nightwish brought a new dynamic to the group, as some songs began to feature duets between him and former Nightwish vocalist Tarja Turunen. The band's leader and composer, Tuomas Holopainen, took advantage of Hietala's distinctive, raspy voice to give the group a different sound. During Nightwish's performances, Turunen would take breaks, and prior to Hietala's arrival, the band would play instrumental compositions during that time. With Hietala, they started performing covers of various well-known songs, with him on vocals. They performed covers such as "Crazy Train" by Ozzy Osbourne, "Wildchild" by W.A.S.P., "Symphony of Destruction" by Megadeth, and "High Hopes" by Pink Floyd. Some of these covers were released as singles by the band.

In 2006, Hietala also participated as a bassist and vocalist on some tracks for the debut album "Lucidity" by the Dutch symphonic metal band Delain. In 2007, while Tuomas Holopainen was searching for a new vocalist to replace Tarja Turunen, Hietala did not sit idle. Together with Jarkko Ahola (Teräsbetoni), Tony Kakko (Sonata Arctica), and J-P Leppäluoto (Charon), they formed a project called Northern Kings, in which Hietala serves as the bassist and vocalist. On October 31, 2007, their album "Reborn" was released under the label Music Finland, featuring cover versions of popular hits from the 80s.

Discography:
- Tarot: "Spell Of Iron" (1986)
- Tarot: "Follow Me Into Madness" (1988)
- Tarot: "To Live Forever" (1993)
- Tarot: "Stigmata" (1995)
- Tarot: "For The Glory Of Nothing" (1998)
- Conquest: "Conquest" (1999)
- Sinergy: "To Hell And Back" (2000)
- Sinergy: "Suicide By My Side" (2002)
- Nightwish: "Century Child" (2002)
- Tarot: "Shining Black" (2003)
- Tarot: "Suffer Our Pleasures" (2003)
- Nightwish: "Once" (2004)
- Tarot: "Crows Fly Black" (2006)
- Delain: "Lucidity" (2006)
- Nightwish: "Dark Passion Play" (2007)
- Northern Kings: "Reborn" (2007)
- Northern Kings: "Rethroned" (2008)
- Delain: "April Rain" (2009)