As a typical Nightwish fan, Marko was so loved, and has been sadly missed, but all the fans I know in life and online absolutely wish him nothing but health and happiness, now and for the future.

Nightwish fans have nothing but love for Mr. Hietala. We wish him the absolute best.

"I already realized that I'm becoming an anchor weighing the whole group down in Nightwish" Wow, this is a clear indicator how messed up depression and anxiety can get. Clearly he is the best thing that could've ever happened to Nightwish.

My girlfriend who is a massive Nightwish fan met him in the hotel we were staying. She asked him if he was who she was she thought and he was such a pleasant nice guy. Replying i think this has something to do with a man who ones played in a band called Nightwish correct? And my girlfriend heard from the first sentence that it was indeed Marco. She broke down in happy tears and asked if she could have a picture with him. And he said of course we had a nice chat with him. Such a lovely lovely down to earth guy. Saying to her: these kind of reactions make it all worth it to make one person happy and make their day or their week. Marco, you be you and keep being you! Kind regards, from a boyfriend who got replaced as the background on his girlfriends phone to the picture of you and her. ;)

Marco is a success story. Many musicians (Specially rockstars) end up in very dark paths. Its very good to see him talking openly about his issues and how he is dealing with them. He is such a smart and loving guy. WIsh him the absolute best. And as fans, I hope no one pressures him into going back into Nightwish or whatever. Just let him do whatever he wants. He is a very creative soul, and he has already given us more than enough. Its time for fans to give back.

Absolutely honour and respect this man's decision to do what is best for his mental health - this is something so difficult for people to face and cope with and confront. I was diagnosed at age of 22, am 48 now, I never got better and have to do what it takes to cope day to day. It isn't easy to put yourself in a space when you can heal and take care of yourself. It isn't easy. So respect his openness and candor.

hope he feels better.. he always came thru as a nice wellspoken inteligent individual

You can tell how he is both nervous about talking about himself in this way but also wants to share his story. I hope that floor has been a good influence in telling him to take time for himself. They have both been SUCH amazing influence on breaking the mental health issues barrier and taboo, especially in his position as a “cool rocker”. This is huge, thank you for sharing and I’m so happy you’re doing better and found the issue!! 🖤

what a great soul, and what an inspiration for all those suffering to seek help. Not easy to open up. He's strong! As Rob Halford would say, he's made of metal.

I was very sad to hear when Marco decided to leave Nightwish. However, just like when Jukka left, I want him to have his health come first. If you don't then there is a high chance that we lose them forever. I'm very happy to see that he is in a much better place now.

It is good to see Marco in a better place, I get it with how bad he felt and how hard moving forwards can be. I wish Marco nothing but the best and am looking forwards to some new music from Marco, Good Luck Marco

Its so nice to see and hear Marko is in a better place with his health and doing well now and also with the facts and truth from himself .❤😊👊🤘

I LOVE this man - his honesty is heartwarming. Good on you Marco.

I always joked about how Marko was my favorite Nightwish vocalist - after all, he was always there, even when they changed their singers. Him leaving was sad, but from what he tells, it was the right decision. His health is more important.

I hope someday to be able to see Marko in a reunion tour with Nightwish, as I only discovered them months ago, and saw them in NYC. The most important thing though is that he is healthy and happy. He's an amazing singer, so what is best for him has to of course come first.

Marko is still with Tarot and Northern Kings. I adore and support Marko. I'm Australian and listen to Raskasta Joulua Christmas day lol.

Wow! Mountains of respect to him being so open and candid about his mental health and all he was going through. Certainly not an easy subject to open up publicly about. Hoping for continued healing and success for him.

This is a great and honest discussion of depression, anxiety, and mental health. I hope Marco's comments inspire others who are struggling to reach out for help.

Great to see Marko looking so well and with a sparkle back in his eyes - I'll always hope he may rejoin Nightwish but whatever he does I wish him every success 🤘

So happy Marko is feeling better! I saw the concert in Kuopio. Drove from northern Sweden just for that. It was an amazing experience. 10/10 would go again! ❤

Huge respect and love to this man for speaking so openly and candidly about the problems he's had. It's good to see him looking so relaxed here and able to talk about it, and good to hear about the projects he has lined up. I was sad he had to leave Nightwish, but I'm also happy that it was the right thing to do for his health - I hope whatever happens in the future, he's always able to do what's right for him.

Adding my voice to the choir... I'm SO SO SO happy and relieved to see Marko in good health (considering) and back on his feet. 😍😍 We are obviously sad and we miss him badly but... what kind of human beings (let alone "fans") would we be if we "complain" with him for choosing his health over our "we miss you in Planet Hell"??? 😳

What a lovely man he is. He must do what is right for him - much as I would like to see him back with Nightwish, all his other work is good to see. Northern Kings and his solo work are great. Another album to follow Pyre would be nice. But most of all - look after himself and put Marco first. And congratulations on new fatherhood in prospect

I'm very happy to hear that Marko is taking care of his mental health as his first priority. His comfort/bravery talking so openly about his experience is refreshing. Fighting the stigmas associated with neurodivergence is so important. Lots of love to you, Marko.

"I need smaller circles now".. ''maybe later".. That leaves a shimmer of hope he some day might return on stage with Nightwish..

Thanks for making this, he sounds and looks good 👍🏻 Congrats Marko on becoming a dad again!

Much respect to Marko for having the courage to speak so openly about himself, it's not easy to admit you have struggles, but he's wise enough to know it's part of the human condition and no one is infallible. It was always uplifting to hear and see him in Nightwish, he's an amazing performer and musician. I'll forever treasure seeing him perform live here with Nightwish in the musical backwater of Australia. I understand there was some issue with the greedy industry goons, record labels, events organisers, they are parasites on artists and just another wrong in the world to contend with. That must of been an additional weight to bear and source of frustration and discontent I imagine. It's good to hear him keeping busy with music still, to keep the passion alive for what is in your blood at that point. Be well Marko and congrats to your child for having a demi-god of metal as their father! 😁

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Good to see Marco healing. No matter where he is, I'm just happy he's still in our hearts and minds. 🤘🏼

The everyday struggles of musicians are sometimes taken for granted by fans I think. We're so used to seeing them having a good time on stage and as Marko said when you're on stage you feel like all the logistics about it are worth it, but when you spend months going through airports and airplanes while suffering from chronic depression at the same time, anyone can reach their breaking point. Watching this I see why he had to leave. Hope he is still on speaking terms with the NW members and someday does end up coming back, but in the end with so much current awareness of mental health and prioritizing your well being, you have to do what's best for yourself and all the chaos you have to endure to be in a big band like that sometimes just isn't worth it. Take care of yourself Marko and congrats on the baby.

Thank you for this interview, and glad to see Marko is feeling better. Marko will be forever remembered, and rightfully so as a great member. It was obvious to me in the interview, that as good as he feels getting out and performing, the demands of world tours with Nightwish are too much, but as he said let the others carry on. The demands on all Nightwish members are tough, because they are a very active band, and he just wasn't enjoying it anymore. Not because and of his bandmates. I wish him well, and Jukka at this point has proven to be phenomenal bassist/bandmate. He deserves to be a full member.

You can only thank Marko for being so open in this interview.

Would love to see him and Tarja do something together even if it's a version of Phantom. A guest appearance at a show with NW would be cool if there are wver at the same place or maybe when the head to Finland and Marko happens to be free on the day

Good to see that THE MAN is getting better ! Take care for yourself Marco ! And forgive us....but we are still hoping....

For all the people commenting that it is great to see Marko in good health again or being better: Watch the interview again. He can not get into details of the shit he's been through because it is still too hard to talk about it and he almost cries talking about his health. He is still in the middle of his troubles. This will not go away in a couple of months or years. Very brave he does a gig but he should be very careful. I hope his self image will improve in time and he will find a way to live with depression.

So brave to open up about the depressions, therapy and medication. Kudos man. Wish you all the luck in the world, you will be missed but never gone.

Marko I'm sure when you and the guys from Tarot are ready that there will be drummers lining up wanting to play with Tarot. Congrats on being a Daddy again. I've always loved your honesty and I think Metal and Mental Health talked about more. ❤️ You Marko from 🇦🇺

"Goddamn plastic tubes" "I hate them people" "Cancer of the earth" Marko is back! Didn't complitely lose it.

Although I will miss Marko dearly, I am SO glad he recognized that he was sinking, sought help, went to therapy, and was able to make positive life changes for himself and the preservation of his sanity! How refreshing to hear an artist speak so frankly and openly about the importance of caring for your mental health! Just think of all the amazing artists who self medicated with heroin, alcohol, coke, and spiralled so far out of control while no one knew how to help them or what was going on. They ended up taking their lives because of the stigma surrounding mental illness. Thank you Marko, for getting better and staying with us, but also for setting an incredible example to other artists and musicians who may be struggling right now. TALK ABOUT IT! It's nothing to be ashamed of. I wish you peace, love and light!

What a lovely interview. Thank you Chaoszine! You can see that Marko is much more relaxed. So great to see! I wish him all the best and I hope all goes well with his wife and future child🥰

It's so nice to hear this metal dude talking about his mental health so openly; talking about medication, therapy, and improving life situations even when the decisions are difficult to make. I'm glad he's in a much better space now and I hope that trajectory continues! Great interview.

He seems considerably more relaxed than any Nightwish interviews I've ever seen of him.

You can tell he had a really hard time doing this interview, you can tell he was thinking about things while answering the questions that probably had nothing to do with the questions. I too suffer with anxiety and depression and it's a very terrible sickness. Glad to see he's doing better and hope to hear more things from him in the future.

Nightwish has always been my favorite band, just like Marko and Tarja, and I hope to see them together one day singing Nightwish songs. But above all, I wish you to really recover and have all the joy of living again, be very happy and feel at peace :) a big hug and all the best

Hey Marco, if you're reading this, thank you for being open about your mental health in this interview. I hope it helps others to talk about it too and that you don't have to feel ashamed about it! Glad you're doing better even though you may still struggle. Of course I am sorry that you are no longer with Nightwish, but it sounds like you made the best choice! Health always comes first. Good luck to you! :-)

Respect to Marco who talk about depresion. I happy to hear that Marco health is better

"It's time to rock again!" What an amazing human being... Too much to learn from Marko. He was on the top of the wave with Nightwish and yet had to step back to put health and family first. Took his time to reorganize, set priorities without leaving what he loves behind. Most important thing he asked for help.

as a long standing fan its nice to see he is well and hear he is doing good.

It is really amazing how open Marco is about his mental health situation. The amount of work with yourself needed to do that is quite heavy and I am glad that this way Marco contributes to destigmatize mental health issues in general. What an humble guy! I wish him the best!

As someone who was diagnosed with ADHD last year at 29, I feel him so much with his struggles. And I appreciate him so much for sharing all this. It's so important! I wish could give Marko a hug :( People with ADHD have a lot of struggles that the average person does not know about and these are due to neurophysiological reasons. It's often out of our control. It's a very complex condition and needs the person to know about it to live a healthier life and understand himself or herself. Marko basically went through his whole life until now undiagnosed!! That must have been really hard!! I'm just so happy he finally got a proper diagnosis. My life changed already after the diagnosis last year. It was a true gift. We love you Marko

Hearing Marko talk candidly about his mental health has made me realise I need to talk to someone too. Many of the things he has mentioned are very familiar to me. Thank you Marko. Love & respect from England. Xx

I am beyond happy that Marko is alive and well. Mental disorders and chemical imbalances are definitely a thing. I think it takes a lot of inner strength to not detail fully, but *address* the whole situation he's been going through, with us as fans. He really brings it forward that not only is it okay to get help when you need it, but it's okay to need help. Thank God he's okay.

he won't be reading this, but THANK YOU Marko for your contribution to my childhood and adulthood! while it is a tregedy for all of us that you are leaving Nightwish, if that is what you need then we all wish you the best future!

All the best to Marko! I will follow his music wherever it goes.

You look and sound like you’re in a good place Marko. That’s very heart warming. We all miss your immense talent and hope to see you more at your pace.

I am so glad to see that Marko is doing better and finding how to keep himself healthy and enjoy having a baby. Like so many of his fans, I wish him health and happiness.

So much respect for this man

I’m so relieved and overjoyed that Marko has found much more peace and is having fun again playing. He is a beautiful man. Love you Marko!!!

Welcome back to the world Mr Marko. 😍😘🤩

He definitely took the right decision. His health is paramount. Nice he has some bounce and optimism coming back. Love the guy.

Thank you for the interview👍

A great interview, indeede-o

For me it’s obvious Marco will never rejoin Nightwish as a full member. To much hassle, to much touring to much worrying about his voice. I wish him all the luck in the world and hope he will find peace of mind and happiness on the path he will follow!

He is a Rockstar and not in the way that everyone thinks. With his positivity and his mindset he is a real treasure. I miss him from Nightwish but i commend him on his life choices he's made. Marko your loved and missed!🎼🤘

Great to see that Marco is doing better! Also, very much appreciated that he speaks freely about mental health, depression and ADHD problems. Time to break the taboos and bring awareness that can help others.

Love that he mentioned getting peace back in his life after such a bunch of challenges. So happy to see him doing what he enjoys and excels at!

He look really heathy. He was the guy who makes me love Metal, and even i feel that something is missing in nightwish concerts without Marko's voice, If it is for his mental health, than its better this way. My love and wishes of happines for you 😃

I would only have one question and one thing to tell him. Question would be: - Will you sing one day Endlessness live ? (even just a single time) Comment would be: We love you Marko and we wish you all the happiness in the world with your personal life and your projects :)

What a king for opening up about his mental health! ❤️

It feels like logistic position is open in Nightwish 😄 But was so nice to hear that he's doing the best for his mental health. So many things behind musician's life. Thank you, Marco, for so honest interview

Very nice to see you !! Respect your openness , Marko ! It's time to Rock again !!!

Much as I miss Marko in Nightwish, I'm so glad he prioritized his wellbeing and seems to be in a better/happier place now. Wishing him well whatever the future holds 🤘

So happy to hear he has found some peace and balance in his life. He has given so much to the world. Huge respect to him for being true to himself. LEGEND!

So glad to see him looking content and healthy. God bless Marko. Perkele!!

Thanks for this. I watched the whole video with a smile on my face. It's great to see Marko and to hear that things are going well.

Very interesting. I saw Nightwish back in 2016 and at the start of the show, Marko had a bit of a meltdown and walked off stage during the first song. They were having some kind of audio problems and I don't think his bass was coming through at all. He got real frustrated and rattled. He threw his bass down and walked off. The band played the song, but also struggled. I don't think they could hear the monitors. They paused after the first song, fixed the issue, and Marko apologized for his behavior. The rest of the show was flawless. Knowing that he was suffering depression and anxiety issues puts it all in a different light.

He is spot on with descriptions of anxiety and depression. I so admire him for that. I am so glad he is doing better!

honest and direct, with a lot of courage. Magician.

Really happy to see Marko happy!

I shed a tear to this, whatever. I also don't know why I'm replying since i don't usually take the time or have interest to do so, at least on youtube. Maybe i just come back here and read it some time in the future and have it as a digital memory of sorts. This was like listening to myself (No, im not a successful musician just a basic factory worker trying to find my path here on this weird globe). I mean many (probably most) people does not know what it's like, many say just forget and stop overthinking, everything will be okay, hit the gym or go out for walks etc. I can tell you I've done these and it might ease up for a bit, at that moment, but it won't dissappear like that. There are things that help me put it aside for a while but i don't know how you remove it completely. I'm a 36yo dude from the same country and I've been having depression from around 2013-2014, it comes in big slow waves, it is like a dark cloud on you constantly and you're in it. It is like added weight on you 24/7, it feels heavy. If i go outside and i haven't seen the sun for months I just feel the warmth and it's just goddamn bright but i cannot enjoy it as i used to. There are summer days with sunshine that i find joy in and i feel good with some of my friends but I also know the darkness will come back eventually. I had a quite long relationship (8y) that ended and i thought it is for the best, i thought i did the right thing, it did not feel that bad and we agreed on things and did not have any bad feelings towards each other. I was alone first time in a long time, couple of years went by, had another that lasted 6 months and i ended that as well. I always did think it was the best decisions at that time, and I also found a lot of wrongs in things that many times had no real logic when i look back. I work with pretty basic tasks and I'm ok with what i do, quite basic things but it often feels really overwhelming and i use most of my energy to try to learn new things that should not be that hard, what ever it is from calculating to trying to solve simple problems at times. I get distracted easily and sometimes angry as well quite easily. For the past 4 years i have been alone, i go out with friends from time to time, but i don't really call anyone and i don't get calls that often anymore either, since many times i don't answer the phone or i come up with an explanation. I've never tried anti-depressive medicine of any sorts, but i have been seeing a professional like 1.5 years ago for couple of weeks and it was a good feeling to let everything out. I'm a little bit afraid of medication, will others notice or will it be enough, can i get rid of these meds once I've begun?. Only thing i find good for my self is weed and been smoking for about 3 years. It has been pretty much daily. It helps me to put it aside for that moment and you feel more relaxed and don't overthink everything i normally do. I know weed won't remove the depression but with that i can live with this dark cloud little bit easier. I smoke almost daily, not when I'm at work of course, but evenings after work 1-3 small joints and relax, weekends i might light up that bud with my morning coffee and have a chill day without the darkness. Then there are times i don't smoke for a week or 2, so no problems being without it either. The so called "funny" thing in all of this is that Nightwish is a band I've listened to since i believe Oceanborn and Marko is a guy i kinda look up to, same with the rest of the band members. Their music helps me escape to whatever fantasy land of my own and it is so weird to see this interview and hear he has been battling this same goddamn darkness. I hope i find my path here some day and i really wish Marko finds peace and happiness in whatever he will be doing. Take care anyone who lives with this shit cloud 🌦 Sun's gonna peek at some point.

Great to see you looking so healthy and upbeat Marko. This was a great interview.

I have struggled with ADHD all my life and I am relieved to here that one of my favorite musicians has similar struggles

Cool to hear normal issues from a superstar musician. Real human being.

Extraordinary musician. Glad to hear he's doing much better.

As someone who got into metal around the time Marko joined Nightwish... it's so great to see him being so open about his struggles, and to see him taking care of himself. Anxiety and depression have claimed too many of the greats, and while I feel a lot of nostalgia, I couldn't be happier for him.

It was good to hear from him again. He looked good. Nice to see🙂👍. Thx for this interview chaoszine. Much appreciated👍👍

Good to hear that Marco feels better. It would really be very interesting to hear some duet from Marco and Tarja

Marko was a big part of what made Nightwish special, and his departure from that band was truly devastating. But having seen this interview - with everything put in perspective - he made the right choice. I hope more people follow his lead and get the help they need and deserve. Thankyou for the awesome music Marko and I only wish you the very best in your recovery and management of your struggles.

So great to hear from Marko and so glad to hear he's in a better place and is finding the right help. I understand the struggle of mental illness and very much felt similar these past couple of years. Wishing him all the best, and thanks so much for sharing.

I hope you continue to heal and find the answers. I follow a very similar path. You are painfully missed in Nightwish. I know that is obvious, and probably not what you want to hear. There are so few magical bands in the world. The world is in a bad bad place. It needs the magic. Take care.

I want to give him a hug.

Lovely guy..So great to see / hear him sounding happy.

What an honest and open interview. He's a wonderful musician. I wish he was still with Nightwish but I fully understand his position and wish him nothing but the best. Absolute superstar!

I'm so happy to see Marko doing well, no matter how small his future Projects/Bands would be, I'm always going to listen to his voice and support the bands. I just love his Voice and music creations.

Arto is probably the only one who could ask Marko the questions about Nightwish and get meaningful answers...good job!

That was really interesting. Thanks Arto!

It’s so relieving to know Marko is doing much better these days, also sad to realize the extent of his troubles, how much he’s been through. It’s great to know he’s been getting help, it’s working and he’s not suffering in silence. Knowing he’s going to be a father again warms my heart too. I have all the hopes and best wishes for the man!

The way Marko was able to talk about his personal health and well being was commendable. Let's hope the dark clouds are kept at bay by the sunlight on the new horizon for him. What a down to earth man !

I'm actually impressed at how well Marco is handling the anxiety aspect of his life. I suffered through anxiety and PTSD myself so I understand how Marco needed to take time to do some soul searching

It's wonderful to see that Marko is doing well and feeling better. While we Nightwish fans miss him very much, his wellbeing is paramount and its good to see that the life change he has made has been right for him.