Mercyful Fate: Classic or Dud?

I'm surprised there's never been a proper Mercyful Fate thread before! Having started to delve deeper and deeper into metal over the past year or so, I've come to prize Don't Break the Oath as one of my favorite records in the entire genre. The first time I heard it was a revelation, and I love pretty much everything about it. I can see King Diamond's voice being a deal-breaker for some, but I can get with it--and the playing and the riffs are so flat-out amazing that they totally overcome any reservations I might have about it.

classic tho it took 20 years to get into his voice like it did with Dio

CLASSIC AND I'M FPing ANY FUCKER THAT SAYS OTHERWISE

classic. DON'T BREAK THE OATH

Absolutely classic for Don't Break the Oath and everything that came before it. (Everything that came after it, not so much...)

I have a special fondness for the first EP (Nuns Have No Fun) and other tracks from that period (conveniently collected on Return of the Vampire. The actual sound of it is so purely haunted and evil.

And King Diamond was on fire back in those days.

A top 5 band for me. I started to write a long graf about how I feel about them but it's like, people would laugh at how highly I esteem this band. I love this fucking band more than all but maybe three other bands ever.

Absolutely classic for Don't Break the Oath and everything that came before it. (Everything that came after it, not so much...)

This isn't true btw. Both In the Shadows and Time are outstanding albums, and their highlights stand alongside the best tracks in the band's catalog: "Shadows," "Angel of Light," "The Bell Witch," "Nightmare Be Thy Name": these are all great songs.

Sure.
But absolutely classic songs?
Not so much, imho.

those songs stand alongside anything from the first two imo - and the guitar work by that point has, if anything, gotten better. I think the first two benefit from historical perspective - they're acknowledged classics that sort of came out of nowhere, they get the debut-and-followup benefit. Both Time and In the Shadows are great records front to back

I don't hear it. But I think it is better than King Diamond solo for sure.

classic tho it took 20 years to get into his voice like it did with Dio

― it looks like something rupert the bear would wear (Algerian Goalkeeper), Wednesday, June 13, 2012 5:58 PM (2 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Damn, 20 years! You're a persistent guy... I've had a harder time getting used to the black metal voice than any of the high-voiced dudes.

I don't hear it. But I think it is better than King Diamond solo for sure.

whaaaaaaaat

Fatal Portrait: total, undeniable classic
Abigail: Ditto
Conspiracy: just a batwing-hair beneath those two

Not only are Mercyful Fate undeniably fucking classic, but Force of Evil, the band made up of MF and King Diamond solo-band alumni, made two killer albums in the early 2000s that really deserve a wider hearing.

Fatal Portrait is an interesting transition album, where Diamond and his henchmen are slowly shifting from the layered and mystique Mercyful Fate sound and songs to the more straightforward approach of his future solo output.

why didn't anyone ever tell me this band sounded like this

currently listening to Melissa and this is what my face is doing:

o_O O_O ^_^ \m/

(yes, my face went "\m/", I am certain you all know exactly what I mean)

I'm so happy for you!

If you come to visit we can drive the 20 minutes or so to pay homage to King Diamond at his house.

what is this bit in "Evil" that sounds like "Eye of the Tiger"

I'm so glad I contributed to this:

Satan is Alive: A Tribute to Mercyful Fate

"Evil" is like 14 songs mushed together, so I'm not surprised you hear "Eye of the Tiger" in the mix; I haven't heard "Eye of the Tiger" in so long all I can remember is the opening lines.

I think people complaining about dude's voice are the most po-faced people alive

i probably say this on here a lot but KD has one of if not THE greatest Metal voices ever

feel like I did a good deed today

:)

best band

where does one begin w/Mercyful Fate

DON'T BREAK THE OATH

Just search "Gypsy" and "Nightmare" from that album.

Also, lol at Liz Frazer appearance on "Nightmare."

j/k

http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/c0.0.403.403/p403x403/546886_10152236115395467_367926966_n.jpg

crut, Don't Break the Oath and Melissa are both awesome, King Diamond's Abigail is great too.

I discovered Don't Break the Oath for the first time a couple of months ago. Holy shit, what an amazing record.

those first two Fate albums are basically the bedrock. King's debut Fatal Portrait is great, so's Abigail. Fate reunion albums Time and In the Shadows are also both excellent. Bootlegs from their early years are fucking HOT, they play really well and just burn shit down. (And King's patter is just the sort of dramatic metal stuff that everybody loves.)

DON'T BREAK THE OATH

^^^

i saw then live in '99, such a great live show

aero, y'all ever check out The Brats...the band that i think maybe 2 or 3 of the Mercyful Fate guys were in before Mercyful Fate? kinda awesome/cute band that i guess could be described as biker metal/new wave/power pop?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKsNfKRwLVM

By the way, both Melissa and Don't Break the Oath have cover art that's are in the all-time pantheon, too.

yeah the Brats are p. cool. Fun stuff. I'll buy basically anything pre- or ex-Fate, that band is the best

The riff-solo combination from 4:18-5:00 in "Satan's Fall" is so perfect.

:D

TONIIIIIGHT THE CIRCLE IS MEETING AGAIIIIIN

definitely a MF kind of day, kicking out the jams with Melissa...

I'M A CORPSE
I'M A CORPSE
I'M A CORPSE WITHOUT SOUL

"Satan's Fall" is absolutely fucking epic

I really wish he'd take MF off of hiatus. I actually liked 9, it was a more modernized, streamlined version of Fate. and maybe he could convince Denner to come back while he's at it.

I'm bummed that I never got to see them. I had a ticket to see Mercyful Fate in 1999 in Atlanta, but at the time I lived in Tallahassee and had no car. The show got cancelled so it became a moot point, and then...hiatusville.

oh and uhm In the Shadows is an underrated Fate album. like "Bell Witch" is in my top ten MF songs of all time.

I AM THE AIR YOU BREATHEEEEEEEEE
I AM THE BELL WIIIIIITCH

yeah agreed, I just listened to it and though it doesn't quite hit the operatic heights of the first few albums it's still really good. Those boys could play.

one of my favorite MF tropes was when King would go into Bee Gees harmony-land.

still the best

I'm all about "Black Masses"

MF were like one band that could actually convince me to worship SAtan cuz it just sounds so damn fun

God that scream at the end of "A Corpse Without Soul"

SATAN HAS TAKEN HIS TOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

NUNS HAVE NO FUN!

you're damn right, Kim. fuck nuns.

Denner/Shermann best metal guitar duo in history. Tipton/Downing can watch on the sideline. THERE I SAID IT.

Bullshit

Murray/Smith might have something to say about that. But I like yr enthusiasm #hailsatan

\m/

Are the albums after Time worth getting? I picked that one up recently; a really great record, every bit equal to In the Shadows. Seems to me 90s Mercyful Fate is a bit stiffer, a bit more predictable, than 80s Mercyful Fate, but still massive fun.

9 has its moments, one of which is "House on the Hill."
http://youtu.be/zzB_6LYdl54

No more atmosphere or sprawling musical suites, they just sort of rock out for 40 minutes. Sounds too modern for its own good, though. (To be fair, the album sounds much better than that YT rip; however it's still clicky as all hell.)

This thread's interesting, I'd always presumed Melissa to be their most popular release. DBtO, or the remaster anyway, has a shrill edge that makes it almost unlistenable. Melissa and especially that s/t e.p. are MF's peak for me. I listen to Return of the Vampire more than anything else. "Burning the Cross," maaaaaan.

I meant the Burning the Cross demo, not the s/t e.p. re: my favorites. (The e.p. is also great, though, obv.) Jesus I think everything I've typed today, whether email, message, or forum post, has required a correction. I would like to begin tomorrow ASAP.

Okay, 9 isn't too bad. I found a cheap used copy. Nothing mind-blowing or anything, but "Church of Saint Anne" has some distinctive hooks.

"9" didn't hold up as well as I remembered it. The modernisms rendered a lot of the riffs sterile. Into the Unknown I have but have only listened to once.

"Dead Again" has some genuinely creepy atmosphere and part of me is sad I sold it. "Torture (1629)" is a great song.

I'm obsessed with "Time" the song right now. It's genius.

yknow what's a little frustrating, there is just no singing along with this dude

There's a lot of fun to be had trying.

My problem is that "Melissa" is too good, I can't seem to bring myself to listen to anything else.

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaooooooooooowwwww!!!!!

kinda too soon to tell, but Mercyful Fate may be the band that gets my opera-singing girlfriend to 'appreciate' metal

haha I didn't even see this

yknow what's a little frustrating, there is just no singing along with this dude

― j., Monday, March 17, 2014 11:04 PM (1 week ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzgfykZ1Wg1qdq5u6.gif

... that guitar break on "Into the Coven" tho

For album cover/opening track awesomeness symmetry, you're hard pressed to top this:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/pt/5/5b/Don

and this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWCOqNHzM0k

What a beautiful moment
If you're willing to trade
Then I'll give you a moment of mine

KD, such a softie.

I'm going to splurge some cash on the 2007 Cargo re-issues, unless anyone says that I shouldn't?

vinyl re-issues, BTW

the other day another dad told me my kid's facepaint looked like King Diamond

Yeah, it's King Diamond solo and not Mercyful Fate, but I think this is classic:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmweKy-RCMI

For some reason, I decided to listen to Don't Break the Oath for the first time a few minutes ago. It's hilarious. I was going to come here and dump all over it, but I see how happy this band makes people, so I'll refrain.

\m/

you kinda just did anyway but w/e

Are you saying King Diamond's voice is hilarious? Because that record is riff city. Even if you might not dig the King (it took me a long time to warm to him), the band is hot fire.

i appreciated Johnny's restraint enough to have a minute's silence as i FP'd him

yeah no shit. I get that King's voice is an acquired taste (I love it) but Shermann/Denner are hard to find fault w/ throughout that album. for god's sake, A Dangerous Meeting!

i respect ppls opinions and all but let's just say any family member who utters a word of disdain towards the King or MF is out of my will and also will be fired upon by firing squad upon my death

No you guys. It's the voice, and I was listening to it and thinking "oh, I've GOT TO shit on this" and then I found the thread and found out the immense joy the band brings you guys and it warmed my heart. Really. We all have our things.

i couldn't stand king diamond's voice for a long time, but for whatever reason it clicked recently. it's not just his voice, the music is great. it's fun, kick ass riffs, and they have this spooky vibe that's more party in the graveyard than burning down churches. guess i had to lighten up a little to appreciate it.

My only exposure to the King is one of the videos that got heavily played on Headbanger's Ball at the end of the 80s—don't remember which one—but he's haunted me since (no pun intended).

the key to enjoying King's voice is realizing that it is ok to think it's simultaneously hilarious and also skullfuckingly awesome.

like I giggle when I hear "granddddmAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA" but when he sings "I am the Bell WITTTTTTTTTTTTTTCH" man that shit is just the bee's knees

So great.

sasd to see the KD tour pretty much sold out in minutes :(. stubhub I guess.

it's the next level up from Bruce Dickinson and Rob Halford.

Mercyful Fate to me is like, idk, death opera. Those crazy high notes make you feel all the feels and it's exciting as hell and it fucking RULES.

I WAS BORN OF THE CEMETERY
UNDER THE SIGN OF THE MAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIOOOOOOONNN

otm

See? Pure joy. I can't dump all over that.

but you so want to

the fact that you want to but you don't think you should is bummertown usa

dumping shouldn't even cross your mind

you are in metal heaven

I hated King's voice back when Oath came out. Hated it. Riff-wise, though, those records (and Abigail & Them as well) were so tantalizingly up my alley as a kid. Flamboyant, theatrical, all that, but that voice was always the sticking point. It wasn't until the late-'90s that I finally, finally came around. I don't know what won me over, I just bought into King's awesomeness completely.

The voice was actually part of the initial attraction for me.

yeah i don't get the issue, KD's voice is the essence of Metal imo

i mean I can see where the witchy Bee Gees falsetto might be offputting to some (not me of course), but even then people forget that was only part of his bag of tricks. His low vocals were unique and bellowy and served as a great compliment.

they have this spooky vibe that's more party in the graveyard than burning down churches. guess i had to lighten up a little to appreciate it.
― Spectrum, Wednesday, August 13, 2014 4:33 PM (4 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

yeah I think the key to Mercyful Fate is realizing that it's meant to be fun

*mixed-gender D&D (xp)

His low vocals were unique and bellowy and served as a great compliment.

Hell yes! I love "A Corpse Without Soul" for the interplay between the two styles:

Now I was walking down among the graves
I heard a CRYYYYYYYYYY
My SHADOWWW WAS GONNNEEEE
Emptiness in my body, I felt so alone
SMAAAAALLLLL black wings on my naked BAAAAAAACKKKK

Now guess what I saw on one of the stones
I saw my SSOOUUUULLLL, in a MAAAAGICALLL HAZZEE
It was all dressed up
It was a corpse in a wedding dress
SMAAAALLLLLL black wings on my naked BAAAAACCKKKK-AAGH!

The little extra-high shriek at the very end is so great.

80s mercyful fate & king diamond = some of my favorite shit ever, maybe not a template for metal but certainly an ideal. KD's vocals, lyrics and style are a big part of that, though it did take me quite a while to come around. at the time, i couldn't relate at all, so i can understand why JF might recoil on initial exposure. you just gotta come, come to the sabbath, johnny...

going to put on Melissa in honour of this thread and ROCK OUT

Don't Break the Oath is the absolute best.

listening to Oath on headphones for once and boy were Timi Hansen's bass contributions underrated. everybody goes on about Shermann/Denner (rightfully so) but Timi's pretty monstrous on this album himself

Is there any drawbacks to those Mercyful Fate double packs? They're far cheaper than most of the other options for sure. Not sure why I didn't get the double pack when I went for Don't Break The Oath.

The main two problems with those Two From the Vault deals are 1) no rhyme, reason, or indication as to which mastering you get -- and MF/KD have had some remastering catastrophes over the years, esp. Don't Break the Oath and Abigail; and 2) somewhat related, a lack of complete liner notes. In all cases you do still get a full page of the booklet devoted to the original album cover, but that's about it.

I just deleted two paragraphs of my whining about remasterings haha. Since I'm not at the Hoffman Forums, I'll leave it this: YMMV.

I do have several of those TFTV deals, I should add, just not the MF ones. King Diamond, yes, among a few death metal classics.

Thanks. I'm going for the double packs.

Don't know why King Diamond individual albums are so cheap but not the first run of Mercyful Fate except Don't Break The Oath.

One good thing about the DBTO TFTV is that it comes with Return of the Vampire, the demo comp. Those early versions of the songs are so good, and "Burning the Cross," which never made it onto an album proper, is maybe my favorite Fate song. It's ridiculous that that song isn't up there with their other classics.

yknow what's a little frustrating, there is just no singing along with this dude

― j., Monday, March 17, 2014 7:04 PM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

lol man you ain't lived until you've squealed "Grandmaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa" at a King Diamond show with thousands of other fans

that said, the new Denner/Shermann release is really solid. I pretty much tune out the vocalist cos he's decent but as many may say, he doesn't really fit what they're going for, too power metally.

but this is some of the most inspired, melodic heavy metal riffing I've heard in eons, esp from Denner/Shermann, who had really kinda tapped out of ideas in MF by the late 90s.

now if they can just kick out this vocalist and have auditions for another, I hear this guy Kim Bendix Petersen might be a good replacement.

did anybody else get into these guys solely due to seeing them on Beavis and Butthead btw

If like me you're either disinterested in or disappointed by any of the bands that get tagged with Mercyful Fate comparisons, you might want to look to Norway's Magister Templi. I think one reason I never checked them out was the Candlemass comparison, and I definitely hear that, but there's something in their music that takes me right back to hearing Fate for the first time, little guitar runs here and there, ghostly clanging cymbals, song shifts that catch you by surprise, a production that actually sounds alive. I just burned through several songs on their bandcamp and have bumped their two albums to the top of my ACQUIRE NOW list. (The vox are nothing like King's, though.)

They're on Cruz del Sur.

http://magistertempli.bandcamp.com/

And

did anybody else get into these guys solely due to seeing them on Beavis and Butthead btw

When I saw the "Family Ghost" video in 1987 I knew then and there I was seeing and hearing one of the the most insanely talented heavy metal bands in history. I still believe that. What a lineup, what innovation and flamboyance they brought to the genre.

I had weird, malformed metal tastes in the early-going, but the first time I heard MF I was like "THIS, THIS, MORE OF THIS!". Just sounded so sinister, yet ear-catching, badass and occult. the 30 seconds I got to hear of whatever song it was were a delight.

the only reason I didn't start listening to them right away was I was still a Fundie and the Satanic lyrics put me off. the day I left that life behind I went and bought Melissa.

"Evil" is probably still my favorite metal song of all time.

it's weird that I didn't immediately love King Diamond as much, and yet nowadays probably listen to them more than MF, mostly because they have a bigger catalog.

WANT

http://67.media.tumblr.com/5e3472ddf7c5483c0c326994a64e11ca/tumblr_nt3qyvOdgn1uqx9h3o1_1280.jpg

Dont bweak it

http://i66.tinypic.com/s3kqko.jpg

That's awesome. I'm wearing my Don't Break The Oath shirt tonight to a show.

I have the title in the album font on my left forearm, high five Neanderthal

That album was one of the first of many i bought with financial aid that was meant for college

damn great tat neanderthal

^^ excellent work

thx guys. it hurt a lot more than my other 4, but been wanting that one for eons.

so, Mercyful Fate POX time? here's mine...

1) Evil (probably the only band where my #1 song has p much never changed)
2) A Dangerous Meeting
3) The Bell Witch
4) The Oath
5) Nightmare Be Thy Name (this is a late addition - I love Time more than I used to now)
6) Black Funeral
7) Satan's Fall
8) Nightmare
9) Melissa
10) Torture (1629) (this is one from Dead Again, which while not a great album...this is a killer opening track)

Oh god.

Evil
Nuns Have No Fun
Devil Eyes
Melissa
Time
Desecration of Souls
Nightmare
Curse of the Pharoahs
Is That You, Melissa?
Into the Coven

In the Shadows tonight. god I still love this one. helluva comeback album.

Evil*
Nightmare
A Corpse Without Soul
Into the Coven
Time
A Dangerous Meeting
Devil Eyes
Melissa
The Oath
Return of the Vampire

* wanted to put something else at #1, but…

I should have had Corpse Without Soul in mine. So many moments in that song.

Can we all agree that "Welcome Princess of Hell" is a better title than "Welcome Princes of Hell," the correct one?

(Also, Neanderthal, that fucking tattoo is amazing.)

it will always be "princess" to me and I have always thought this

Amen.

princess of hell otm

nothing but respect for MY princess

ALL HAIL SATAN

🙌 and do the 🤘

The Lost in Vegas dudes tackled "Melissa" on the weekend: blown away by the music, tried to figure out what to do with the voice

if they don't announce a US tour for the MF reunion next year, I may fly overseas to catch it.

still bums me the fuck out that whatever issue exists between King and Denner can't be resolved, cos the Denner/Shermann albums ripped, but 2/5ths of Fate is better than 0/5ths of Fate, I guess....plus it's not like Wead is bad.

they also claim to have written new material.

RIP Timi Hansen :(

Very sad. Hansen anchored two of the most ridiculously talented metal bands of our generation, Fate and King Diamond's band circa 1987.

King just posted a very touching tribute message to him on FB.

I went from loving Dead Again to hating it and haven't played it since 1999.

Threw it on today.... it's actually quite good! Not really any all-time classics on it, but mega consistent.

"Banshee" is my fav

cannot stop listening to them lately. I remember loving the last album, 9, when it came out, then later souring on it when I felt it was too 'modernized trend hopping" MF. I listened to it again last night and I don't think that's fair.

there's a LITTLE bit of that in "Sold My Soul", and the song structures are mega-simplified, but they'd even done that on Time with much success. there's definitely some really good material on there, like "Last Rites", "Burn in Hell", "Church of St Anne". some forgettable, but it's listenable!

Into the Unknown is the one I barely know whatsoever. It was actually the album that delayed my MF-dom by 3 years, because I had gotten excited by the MF music I heard them play on Beavis and Butthead....only to hear the opening track be a Satanic invocation ("our father, who art in Hell!"), and me being a Fundamentalist, that snapped the door shut.

I don't think a niche thread is worth it, but what's everybody's POV for Mercyful Fate?

Mine is...

"Evil"
"Bell Witch"
"A Dangerous Meeting"
"The Oath"
"Nightmare Be Thy Name"

Don't Break the Oath MOSTLY works as a continuous album for me, but those two tracks mentioned are ones I can listen standalone.

I do love Melissa a lot but I wanted to be inclusive of other albums.

I WAS BORN ON THE CEMETERY
UNDER THE SIGN OF THE MOOOOOOOOON

Best song ever. I can never grow tired of discussing Fate

yeah I just got the CD reissues from last year and they’re totally kicking my ass.

OH, THEY SHOULD HAVE KNOWN
NOT TO PLAY WITH THE POWERS OF HELL

Quoth some RYM rando:

Half a star lower than it deserves due to insanely evil lyrics, espicially off of "The Oath", which is obviously the worst track off the album cause of the evil lyrics, but still pretty great album overall.

WTF???

Can't believe a metal fan had silly opinions

Ok but you gotta admit that a metal fan docking off a star because the lyrics are too 'insanely evil' is something else.

*half a star

lol the evil lyrics are one of the selling points.

I FORBID THEE ENTRANCE HEREEE, YOU STAND ON HALLOWED GROUNNNNDD

I once saw a RYM reviewer downgrade an album because the lyrics scared him. It wasn't even metal or sinister at all (Cairo - Conflict & Dreams). Review is gone now.

THE DUDE HAS ACTUAL BONES ON HIS MIC STAND YOU GOTTA EMBRACE THE GLORIOUS SATANIC EVIL! HOWL LIKE A WOLF AND A WITCH WILL OPEN THE DOOR!!

This is how the boomers must have felt when people started docking points for too many guitar solos.

This is how the boomers must have felt when people started docking points for too many guitar solos.

excessive guitar solos + micstand bones-level evil = my shit

Eh, I knew Christian kids in the 80s and 90s who loved the sound of Led Zeppelin or Marilyn Manson but were terrified of the occult or Satanic content. There's a reason Christian rock existed. Really don't think it's generational. If anything, I imagine it's less common now.

Lol Marilyn Manson basically tore my church apart. The youth group leader demanded one of our members "break" their Manson CD when she found out she owned one. They did!

One of those rare occasions where I fully stand behind the church.

there's like a live stream going on about the show in Berlin tonight?

https://www.twitch.tv/kingdiamondofficial

They sound great in the new live clips coming out.

Wish I could go to the Norway date (with Candlemass, Tribulation, and Unto Others)

holy fuck the new song whips ASS.

I gotta make it to Vegas to see em dammit

I have to work on the 19th but I had been considering it before that got confirmed

Haha, King's Twitch emotes are awesome

https://static-cdn.jtvnw.net/emoticons/v2/emotesv2_23bbdd5ae02945dba650f08700fd255c/default/dark/2.0

US Tour announced!!!

with KREATOR.

10/25/2022 Dallas, TX – The Factory
10/27/2022 Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Financial Theatre
10/29/2022 Inglewood, CA – Youtube Theater
10/30/2022 Wheatland, CA – Hard Rock Live Sacramento
11/01/2022 Denver, CO – Fillmore Auditorium
11/03/2022 Gary, IN – Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana
11/04/2022 Cincinnati, OH – The Andrew J. Brady Music Center
11/05/2022 Detroit, MI – Masonic
11/08/2022 Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore Silver Spring
11/10/2022 Brooklyn, NY – Kings Theater
11/11/2022 Laval, QC – Place Bell
11/13/2022 Boston, MA – MGM Music Hall At Fenway
11/14/2022 Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore Philadelphia
11/16/2022 Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle

DON'T TOUCH
NEVER EVER STEAL

otm

Under 90 minutes til showtime and I can't believe this is finally happening.

My life is complete