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Rating: Far from the more "dirty" attitude of Venom and Hellhammer, or from being able to span multiple genres with frightening ease as Celtic Frost managed to do, Mercyful Fate was a band that, despite not bringing many novelties to the genre, managed to create its own identity. They continued to base their music on themes that were decidedly not well-received at the time, with exceptional musicianship and an undisputed vocal style from their singer.
Of course, I am the last person who would defend a band at all costs, even if they are one of my favorites, justifying every move and statement they make. However, questioning the quality of albums like "Melissa" (1983) and "Don't Break The Oath" (1984) would be quite senseless. A voice like King Diamond's, one that can be instantly loved or hated upon the first listen, contributed greatly to the fame of Mercyful Fate, and obviously also to his own persona.
A separation came perhaps too early for this band, occurring in December 1984, because guitarist Hank Shermann wanted to change musical genres, moving towards the Glam Metal trend of the time, while Diamond wanted to continue in the style of their previous albums. For the first, there weren't great opportunities after the disbandment. Occasional collaborations with underground bands, some solo bands here and there, but unfortunately never anything capable of taking him to the next level.
For King Diamond, it was different. Not even two years later, he formed his eponymous solo project, and thanks to the contribution of guitarist Andy Laroque, he managed to release albums year after year that were increasingly acclaimed by critics and fans, such as "Abigail" (1987) and "Them" (1988). In 1990, after the release of "The Eye", perhaps due to the poor production of the album by Roadrunner, or perhaps for other reasons, Shermann and Diamond decided to reform what was, at the time, one of the most iconic bands of the genre, both in Heavy and Black Metal, Mercyful Fate.
Thus, in 1993, the first album in eight years of silence was released, "In The Shadows", which musically did not differ much from its two predecessors, but lost that sort of magic, or atmosphere, that characterized the latter. The lineup, remaining faithful to the past, proves that they have absolutely not lost any of the luster of their beginnings, and the production could not be better.
"In The Shadows", however, presents a substantial difference in that almost every song narrates a story, sometimes based on the occult like "Shadows", absolutely chilling in the central break, or "Egypt", with Diamond perfectly immersing himself in the role of a narrator, carrying with him the influence of his solo project that had seen him, as in this case, telling horror stories. "The Bell Witch", for example, refers to a real event, according to the vocalist, which sees a spirit from hell torturing a girl and her father to madness, then killing them. Or again, "The Old Oak", a giant oak, which every autumn must satisfy its thirst for blood by hypnotizing and killing anyone who stares at it, letting their blood flow into its roots. Obviously to be mentioned is the extraordinary performance of the band, with Shermann and Michael Denner constantly exchanging solos, rhythms, playing on Diamond's falsetto and hoarse tones, not just telling the listener the facts, but almost making them a participant in each piece. Based on acoustic and electronic intervals, and well-achieved, is "Room Of The Golden Air", while the trilogy that saw Melissa, a witch unjustly condemned to the stake, invade a man's mind and drive him mad comes to an end with "Is That You, Melissa?", with a performance behind the drums by Morten Nielsen absolutely worth mentioning.
As mentioned, "In The Shadows" loses in terms of some songs being less dark, if you will, compared to others, and in not managing to build around itself that sense of mystery that was felt when listening to "Melissa", but this is really splitting hairs. Mercyful Fate remained active until 1999, then disbanded definitively, releasing a best-of only in 2003. But as King Diamond stated in an interview a couple of years ago:
"A reunion of Mercyful Fate? I could never say no..."
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
06 Thirteen Invitations (05:17)
(Music & Lyrics by King Diamond)
The mansion was right on the shore
Down by the lake
Nobody had lived here before
But the Devil himself
Thirteen invitations
Sent out through the night
Thirteen invitations
They would all arrive in time
Solo: Shermann
They gathered around the mansion
Thirteen in all
They had the same intention
Never to fall
Thirteen invitations
Sent out through the night
Thirteen invitations
Promising eternal life
So you want to be alive forevermore
I will turn the wheel of time
None of you will ever have to die
I will turn the wheel of time
Turning the wheel
Turning the wheel of time
But first we must play a game
The game of souls
Sit down! Don't move around!
Deal those cards!
They played all night 'till the morning
light
And the Devil, he smiled on his own
They played all night for eternal life
Or the chance of losing their souls
High will win, low is the sin
They played all night in the burning
light
The thirteen were sharing a nine
High will win, low is the sin
The final card was in the Devil's hand
The King of Diamonds would win
Solo: Denner
Solo: Shermann
They could never leave the mansion
Forever inside
They had lost their souls of creation
But they were alive
Thirteen invitations
Sent out through the night
Thirteen invitations
And the mansion was mine
08 Legend of the Headless Rider (07:43)
(Music by Hank Shermann Lyrics by
King Diamond)
"The Rise"
I'm an undertaker
I'm a ghost in the night
I'm a coffin shaker
This graveyard site is mine
Take a look at the sky, see that evil eye
Tonight the moon is cold as ice
Oh yeah...cold as ice...oh yeah
There's a black horse waiting
Will HE be on time?
The graveyard's shaking
Should I turn my eyes and walk away
Take a look at the sky, see that evil eye
Tonight the Headless Rider rides
Midnight...let the churchbell ring
It's midnight, All Hallows Eve
It's midnight, All Hallows Eve
I see him rising from his grave
I see him rising from his grave.......
"The Chase"
On All Hallows Eve, Never to forget
He rides the open field
In search of his head
My GOD, he's so grotesque
Should I stay?
My GOD, a scythe in his hand
NO WAY
He's coming...I'm running
He's coming...I'm running
Deep inside I know I'm the one
He's coming...I'm running
Deep inside I know this is wrong
Help me, I'm falling down
Solo: Shermann
I'm falling down...
I'm looking up...I'm in a grave
"Doomed"
In this hollow grave
I can smell that he's near
Will I ever never make it
Will I shed a tear
Oh it's strange how everything's
changing
Now my life is fading away
In this hollow grave
I see a bony hand
Don't you ever never take it
It's the key to his land
Oh it's strange how everything's
changing
Now my life is fading away
Solo: Denner
Oh it's strange how everything's
changing
Now my life is fading away
NO!
"Epilogue"
The mind in my headless body
Seems to be chained to the inside
I cannot move towards the light...
And as he rides away
Leaving me with this curse
I hear his laughter in the distance
Actually it's my laughter, he stole my head
Does this mean I'll be The One next year???
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