Year : 1984 (Japan Edition 1990)
Style : Heavy Metal
Country : Denmark
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 105 mb
Bio:
Mercyful Fate is a Danish heavy metal band from Copenhagen, formed in 1981 by vocalist King Diamond and guitarist Hank Shermann.Influenced by progressive rock and hard rock,with lyrics dealing with Satan and the occult,Mercyful Fate were part of the first wave of black metal in the early to mid-1980s.[8] Many of the bands from this movement went on to influence later black metal musicians in the 1990s, particularly in Norway.Since the band's inception in 1981, Mercyful Fate have released seven studio albums, two extended plays and four compilations.After several line-up changes and self-made demos, Mercyful Fate released their self-titled EP in 1982, with the line-up of King Diamond (vocals), Hank Shermann (guitar), Michael Denner (guitar), Timi Hansen (bass) and Kim Ruzz (drums). With this line-up the group recorded their first two studio albums (1983's Melissa and 1984's Don't Break the Oath), until 1985 when the band broke up due to musical differences. In 1993, four out of the five members of Mercyful Fate reunited to record the album In the Shadows, which was released the same year. During the 1990s, the band released four more studio albums and went through several line-up changes. Since 1999, Mercyful Fate have been on hiatus, but have reunited on occasion during the 2000s.
Album:
I actually used to think that when I was a young foolish Catholic lad, reading metal mags with interviews that seemed to push the idea that the King and his band, straight from the bowels of Hell, had the power to make tables levitate and summon the forces of hell to do their bidding. This scared me and for that reason I never listened to Mercyful Fate or King Diamond until 1999 when I won a NFL bet and got this album as a prize. Praise Satan did I ever miss out as a kid! This record is amazing and while some give Melissa the nod as Fate's best I think this one takes the cake.The first thing you notice on this album is the guitar tone. Its not super thick like 90's and later metal production, its sharp. Razor sharp, Like the edge of a straight razor that you are about to be skinned with. This is an old school metal tone and I love it. It is perfect for the tight shredding metal riffs that Sherman and Denner are laying down here. The riffs are were its at on this record, well construction and just intricate enough to keep one coming back for more and more. The music is packed with leads and solos, the two guitarists trade them back and forth all over this record. Songs like Night of the Unborn just rip right into lead work from the get go before the band kicks in and the ass starts to be kicked. For pure lead work this is up there with the best of Murray and Smith, Downing and Tipton, or any of the classic 80's guitar duos. The bass playing of Timi Hanson is another delight, high enough in the mix but not Steve Harris high in the mix. It thunders and snakes along below the guitars giving heft to the razors being spit out by the guitarists and making this a total package of musical excellence. He shines on the aforementioned Night of the Unborne, creating an interesting bass line that I often find myself focusing on instead of the amazing guitars. His great work lifts all these songs up to new highs. Kim Ruzz's drums pound away under it all, not a flashy performance or a double bass extravaganza just rock solid and working to support these songs. As for the King...well he's the King. His falsetto is all over this record and it sounds amazing, like a banshee from Hell wailing. He drops into his lower register to give accents to the evil lyrics when necessary but spends most of his time as high as he can go. If you don't like his vocals this will be a problem, but if you don't like the King's vocals you need to pull your head loose anyway.Lyrically the songs tell tales of Hell, séances, the souls of the dead, black masses, and a straight up oath of allegiance to the Morning Star himself in the aptly titled masterpiece, The Oath. This song starts out with an eerie organ, the sounds of thunder and rain, and the tolling of the bell before the voice of the King states his oath to Satan...then the band hits like a ton of bricks. Fast and intricate with the unholy wail of King Diamond over the top denouncing Jesus and praising his dark master. More excellent bass and drum work here along with seemingly endless leads and solos. A true classic in the Mercyful Fate discography of classics. Songs like the bouncing Gypsy, and the pure classic Come to the Sabbath cement this as an all time classic record. The only thing that may be considered filler by some is a short instrumental track, though I find it fits just fine with the rest.This is classic 80's metal played with exceptional skill and attention to detail. While its black as the blackest depths of Hell, and dripping with evil, its still so much fun despite never crossing the line to goofiness and camp. Now days this would be a big metal cliché but at the time they were still creating the themes and styles that would create the clichés. If you want amazing song writing and lyrics about Satan this is really as good as it gets.
Line-Up:
King Diamond Vocals, Keyboards
Hank Shermann Guitars (lead)
Michael Denner Guitars (lead)
Timi "Grabber" Hansen Bass
Kim Ruzz Drums
Tracklist:
01. A Dangerous Meeting 05:10
02. Nightmare 06:19
03. Desecration of Souls 04:54
04. Night of the Unborn 04:59
05. The Oath 07:31
06. Gypsy 03:08
07. Welcome Princess of Hell 04:03
08. To One Far Away 01:31 instrumental
09. Come to the Sabbath 05:19
Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/
