Roses From The Deep

01. Frankenstein’s Wife02. Left on Mars03. Proud Whore04. Two Soldiers05. Dragon Must Die06. The Devil You Know07. Rebel of the North08. Impatient Zero09. Tammikuu10. Roses from the DeepThere are few things more inspiring than watching someone conquer their demons and soar. When Marko Hietala quit NIGHTWISH at the tail end of 2020, citing a decade of deteriorating mental health as motivation to change course, he seemed ready to disappear into the shadows. No one seriously expected him to vanish forever, but his return to active duty was a little tentative at first. Five years on, he is fucking flying. His first solo album “Pyre of the Black Heart” (“Mustan sydämen rovio” in its original, Finnish language incarnation) outlined a bold and versatile vision, wherein bombastic metal blended perfectly with prog, folk and good, old-fashioned hard rock. Liberated from his former band’s often oppressive schedule, he now has free rein to throw everything into the polishing and expanding of that initial, instinctive musical outpouring. It is always great to see someone recapturing their mojo, and “Roses from the Deep” makes it plain that Hietala is thriving.A beatific grin is audible from the start. Forcefully confirming that “Roses from the Deep” has a smile on its face, “Frankenstein’s Wife” is like a turbo-charged MEATLOAF fever dream with Hietala’s elegantly powerful voice centerstage, enhanced by choral backing vox and riding on a languid, swaggering ’80s groove, more DIO than DOKKEN. This album has more overtly personal and lyrically significant moments, but a dose of schlock horror never goes amiss.The sleazy thud of “Proud Whore” is also well acquainted with the wry smile and the raised eyebrow. A sleazy, funk rock strut with KISS harmonies and a gritty metal undertow, it also edges into the thunderous prog territory that has long been integral to Hietala’s musical identity. In contrast, “Two Soldiers” is gorgeous, fragile and misty-eyed, with acoustic guitars, cinematic strings and raindrop piano motifs underpinning Hietala’s impassioned vocal; and “Dragon Must Die” is this album’s sparkling centerpiece: explosive and dramatic, it welds crunchy prog metal riffs to synapse-twisting space rock squiggles and earthy folk rock and is utterly joyous. Like some monstrous hybrid of DEEP PURPLE and JETHRO TULL, “The Devil You Know” is a macabre delight with psychedelic overtones, while “Tammikuu” is muscular roots rock with regular outbursts of symphonic splendor. The mad synthesizer solo at the song’s death is also a major highlight.It is not easy to have so much subtlety next to a similar amount of gung-ho bombast, but Hietala’s band are resolutely shit-hot and execute every one of these songs with great precision and greater swing. The closing title track, a heartfelt but ever-so-slightly overwrought show-stopper ballad that concludes with a blissful, old-school prog keyboard riff, provides the ideal grand finale, and Marko Hietala’s glittering comeback is complete. Excellent work.[embedded content]