NIGHTWISH bassist/vocalist Marco Hietala (a.k.a. Marko Hietala) recently signed with Nuclear Blast for the release of the English version of his solo album, "Pyre Of The Black Heart". The effort, which was issued in Finland this past May under the title "Mustan Sydämen Rovio", will arrive on January 24. Speaking to Australia's Metal Mal, Hietala stated about how the LP came about: "I had some bits and pieces that I'd written the music and written the lyrics, both in Finnish and in English, during the years. And there's a lot of that stuff that came and we fixed and put it into the songs on this album. But a lot of it was also written and arranged and put together during the couple of the last years." According to Hietala, there were plenty of activities in 2019 to keep him occupied, including the completion of three full-length albums — the upcoming NIGHTWISH disc, as well as two version of his solo effort. In addition, "I did three different music videos, did photo shoots, did some shows in Finnish festivals and all that," he said. "It was a busy year, and I was working like hell. Then, after the last photo shoot for NIGHTWISH was done, I jumped on a plane and went to my wife's hometown in Brazil and from there on, we went to the beachside. And I stayed there for a month and something, and forgot about everything. That was helpful. Now I'm back here in Finland doing some Christmas shows. The NIGHTWISH stuff is coming up, and I'm doing these interviews." Asked if he is nervous about the release of "Pyre Of The Black Heart", Marco said: "A little bit. But I'm also growing in confidence a bit. A solo album, of course, you put it out under your name and your face and all that, so it's a responsibility, and people will see it as a product of mine, whether they like it or not. So there is a personal aspect of hoping your 'kid' will be liked. But there is this growing confidence from what a lot of interviewers have said — they've really gotten into the album [and] they didn't expect this." Hietala will kick off a two-week tour in support of "Pyre Of The Black Heart" on February 2 in Hamburg, Germany.
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