Mercyful Fate
In the Shadows

THE REVIEW

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..."