Mustan sydämen rovio

Mustan Sydämen Rovio (Pyre of the Black Heart) is the debut solo album by Finnish singer and bassist Marko Hietala of Nightwish and Tarot fame, released on 24 May 2019[4] via Nuclear Blast.[2]

Mustan sydämen rovio
Illustration of a fire hand holding a heart dyed with start patterns. The drawing is composed of several shades of dark blue.
Studio album by
Marko Hietala
Released24 May 2019
GenreHard rock, traditional heavy metal, progressive rock, folk metal[1][2][3]
Length52:03[4]
LabelNuclear Blast
Singles from Mustan sydämen rovio
  1. "Isäni ääni"
    Released: 15 May 2019

Hietala is credited in the album with his birth name Marko, instead of Marco. He said he adopted the version with "c" when he was young and trying to sound "cool", but that now it doesn't matter to him anymore. He intends to be credited as Marko in all his future projects.[1][5] He also referred to the "Marco" spelling as "the last lie I had constructed about myself".[6]

An English version of the album was released on 24 January 2020.

Background, production and song information

Mustan Sydämen Rovio spent 2.5 years in the making, with work on it commencing when Nightwish took a break in 2016.[1]

It features songs that Hietala had been writing for years, some dating back to 20 years before its release. According to him, these are songs that either felt "too personal" for him or that couldn't fit his main bands.[1] They discuss both personal and fictional stories.[1] He defined the album's sound as "hard prog".[7][8][1][9]

Nightwish's then session drummer Kai Hahto was initially considered for the album, but he got himself injured while renovating his house and was replaced by Hietala's old friend Anssi Nykänen.[10]

"Isäni ääni", a tribute to fathers in general, was released as a single on 15 May 2019 and received a video directed by Ville Lipiäinen, who has directed several videos for Nightwish.[11] The lyrics are inspired by his father, who died in 2012 following complications of alcoholism, which Hietala himself suffered from. He has been teetotal since 2010.[5]

Track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Kiviä"5:15
2."Isäni ääni"4:37
3."Tähti, hiekka ja varjo"5:01
4."Kuolleiden jumalten poika"4:41
5."Laulu sinulle"7:10
6."Minä olen tie"5:05
7."Juoksen rautateitä"3:51
8."Vapauden kuolinmarssi"5:02
9."Unelmoin öisin"5:38
10."Totuus vapauttaa"5:43
Total length:52:03[4]

Personnel
  • Marko Hietala – lead vocals, bass
  • Tuomas Wäinölä – guitar
  • Vili Ollila – keyboards
  • Anssi Nykänen – drums

Pyre of the Black Heart
Pyre of the Black Heart
Studio album by
Marko Hietala
Released24 January 2020
GenreHard rock, traditional heavy metal, progressive rock, folk metal[1][2][3]
Length52:03[12]
LabelNuclear Blast
Singles from Pyre of the Black Heart
  1. "Stones"
    Released: 22 November 2019[8][7]
  2. "Death March for Freedom"
    Released: 2 April 2020[13]

Mustan Sydämen Rovio was re-released in English under the title Pyre of the Black Heart on 24 January 2020,[14] also via Nuclear Blast.[8][13] Hietala says he wrote the songs both in Finnish and in English, which facilitated translations.[1][5] He was initially unsure whether he would release two different albums at once or one album half in Finnish, half in English, before making the decision of releasing two different albums on different dates.[9]

The English-language release was followed by a European tour, with shows opened up by Oceanhoarse.[14]

Track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Stones"5:15
2."The Voice of My Father"4:37
3."Star, Sand and Shadow"5:01
4."Dead God's Son"4:42
5."For You"7:10
6."I Am the Way"5:05
7."Runner of the Railways"3:51
8."Death March for Freedom"5:02
9."I Dream"5:38
10."Truth Shall Set You Free"5:42
Total length:52:03[12]

Personnel
  • Marko Hietala – lead vocals, bass
  • Tuomas Wäinölä – guitar
  • Vili Ollila – keyboards
  • Anssi Nykänen – drums

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Kerrang![15]
Metal Hammer (Germany)[3]

Writing for Kerrang!, Steve Beebee rated Pyre of the Black Heart 4/5 and said it mostly "gives insight into what Marko's capable of when given a free run. It's a one-off, almost certainly, but a distraction of the most endearing kind.[15]

References
  1. Ronkainen, Anna (1 May 2019). "Nightwishin Marko Hietala kypsytteli soololevyä 20 vuotta ja lopputulos yllättää: "Karvanaamalta odotettiin täräkkää heavyn vääntöä ja huutoa"". Yle (in Finnish). Ministry of Transport and Communications. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  2. Pidde, Mirko. "Marko Hietala - Pyre Of The Black Heart". Metal.de (in German). Retrieved 10 January 2021.
  3. Gratzke, Lisa (24 January 2020). "Marko Hietala PYRE OF THE BLACK HEART". Metal Hammer (Germany) (in German). Retrieved 10 January 2021.
  4. Anssi, Eriksson (24 May 2019). "Mitä kaikkea Marko Hietalan Mustan Sydämen Rovio kätkee sisäänsä? Nightwishin basisti-laulajan soolodebyytti nyt kuunneltavissa". Soundi (in Finnish). Pop Media. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  5. Kostiainen, Pasi (29 June 2019). "Nightwishistä tuttu Marco Hietala raitistui lähes 10 vuotta sitten – nyt muusikko laulaa alkoholismista, joka oli viedä isän tavoin hänetkin". Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). Sanoma. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  6. Sauermann, Gunnan (16 January 2020). "Marko Hietala: Ehrlich währt am längsten". Metal Hammer (Germany) (in German). Retrieved 10 January 2021.
  7. Michels, Alexandra (22 November 2019). "NIGHTWISH - Marco Hietala zeigt 'Stones'-Clip zum "Pyre Of The Black Heart"-Soloalbum". Rock Hard (in German). Retrieved 10 January 2021.
  8. Ewing, Jerry (22 November 2019). "Nightwish's Marko Hietala announces new solo album Pyre Of The Black Heart". Prog. Future plc. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
  9. Bobadilla, Jorge (18 December 2019). "Nos estamos concentrando más en la parte más natural y orgánica de Nightwish". MariskalRock (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 January 2021.
  10. Isoaho, Timo (16 June 2019). ""Kunnon miehellä täytyy olla pallit, mutta mulkku ei saa olla" – Marko Hietala levytti kunnianosoituksen isille". Soundi (in Finnish). Pop Media. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  11. Isoaho, Timo (15 May 2019). "Tarjolla kivikova uutuus – Ota haltuun Marko Hietalan Isäni ääni -musiikkivideo!". Soundi (in Finnish). Pop Media. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  12. "Pyre of the Black Heart". Amazon.com. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
  13. Munro, Scott (2 April 2020). "Nightwish's Marko Hietala shares video for solo single Death March For Freedom". Prog. Future plc. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
  14. Anssi, Eriksson (2 October 2019). "Marko Hietala julkaisee sooloalbumistaan englanninkielisen version – edessä myös ainutkertainen Euroopan-kiertue". Soundi (in Finnish). Pop Media. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  15. Beebee, Steve (23 January 2020). "Album Review: Marko Hietala – Pyre Of The Black Heart". Kerrang!. Wasted Talent Ltd. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
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