Marko Hietala in Aarau

Marko Hietala is a Finnish heavy-metal singer, bassist and songwriter, born in 1966 and known for co-founding Tarot and serving as Nightwish’s bassist and male vocalist between 2001 and 2021. His voice features prominently on Nightwish songs including “Wish I Had an Angel” and “The Islander.” He began his solo catalogue with the album Mustan sydämen rovio, later released in English as Pyre of the Black Heart. Marko Hietala performed with Nightwish at the End of an Era concert at Hartwall Arena in Helsinki in 2005 and at Wacken Open Air in 2013, where the band recorded the concert film Showtime, Storytime. In 2020 he took his solo material on the Tour of the Black Heart. He later reunited with former Nightwish singer Tarja Turunen for concerts, and the pair mounted the Living the Dream Together tour in 2024.