Nightwish Reveal Tour Fill-In for Longtime Bassist Marco Hietala

Nightwish have officially revealed their tour replacement for bassist Marco Hietala, who left the pioneering symphonic metal band in January earlier this year and withdrew from the public eye. Filling the void on Nightwish's world tour supporting last year's Human. :II: Nature. album will be Jukka Koskinen of Wintersun.

The addition of Koskinen as a live member adds some familiarity to the Nightwish rhythm section as drummer Kai Hahto (ex-Rotten Sound, ex-Swallow the Sun) has played alongside him in Wintersun for more than 15 years.

Announcing the news on social media, Nightwish confirmed Koskinen's place within the band's ranks, marking their first new bassist since Hietala joined in 2001.

The 39-year-old musician, who also previously spent time in Norther, Cain's Offering, Dark Sarah and Amberian Dawn, exclaimed, "I couldn’t be more honored to be part of the vehicle of spirit of Nightwish on its onward journey sharing special live moments to come on the Human. :II: Nature. tour with all of you out there!"

Nightwish's pair of interactive livestream shows, dubbed 'An Evening With Nightwish in a Virtual World,' will take place today (May 28) [edit: the May 28 stream has finished] and tomorrow (May 29), marking Koskinen's first-ever onstage performances with the group.

Learn more about these events and snag your ticket here.

Upon his exit, Hietala issued a formal statement announcing his resignation from Nightwish, citing his disenfranchisement with the current state of the music industry and noted his chronic depression as a contributing factor as well.