Marko Hietala
Roses From The Deep
Nuclear Blast Records
Symphonic metal royalty Marko Hietala is a musical wizard. One minute the former Nightwish bassist is conjuring up operatic edgy rocker ‘Frankenstein’s Wife’, with ingredients including 80’s hair metal and tinkly twinkly keys, the next he’s concocting a Celtic rock kick which is the core of ‘Dragon Must Die’. The creepy, crawling intro to ‘The Devil You Know’ leads listeners deeper into a song with a stomping chorus before taking a breath with a lighter folky sound. ‘Left On Mars’ is a heroic rock duet between Marko and his former bandmate Tarja Turunen. It’s like a film soundtrack in one song which incites ALL the emotions in just five minutes. And then there’s the galloping groove of ‘Impatient Zero’, which is riding its merry way into rock radio playlists as we write/read. Marko’s versatility is outstanding. ‘Roses From The Deep’ is an adventure into unexplored musical soundscapes, and the only man who could lead this expedition is the king of it all – Marko Hietala.
Review by Jo Wright