#18 - Top of 2020

 Marko Hietala Pyre of Black Heart (Nuclear Blast Records)

Marko Hietala might have become known by joining Nightwish as a bassist and providing some rougher vocals as a support vocalist but he has a very unique mellow but at the same time edgy voice that has led him to get involved in a range of very diverse projects including his own heavy band Tarot for which he is a lead singer, providing supporting vocal for Amorphis but let's not forget his perfect "casting" by Arjen Lucassen for his Theory of Everything progressive metal album (Top 2013) as the vengeful rival. Although he recently announced that he will be stepping down from his role with Nightwish, it doesn't seem he is ready to stop making music as it can be seen from his diverse outputs which include his new solo project. Although the aim was to release his debut as half English, half Finnish the decision was made to first release the album Mustan Sydämen Rovio in 2019 in Finnish with the English version being released in 2020 so this is technically a double entry. Both version are great and enjoyable with Hietala being equally confident in signing and writing lyrics in both languages, though the uniquely-sounding Finnish language adds a folky feeling in every track. The album has been years in the making and presents some more personal themes, including his father's alcoholism which affected him deeply, that would not fit with his other projects and can be heard in tracks like "The Voice of My Father" or "Isäni ääni"" . All tracks have interesting melodies with the catchy "Stones", the more sorrowful "For You" (which has an Ayreon vibe) and the electronic keyboard-based "Star, Sand and Shadow" while the album could be best described as hard rock/prog. Overall, a unique entry that is elevated by Hietala's amazing voice and his great lyrical themes that clearly show he was truly passionate about this album!

 

94.5/100

 Below is official music video for "Stones".