Several demos and live shows survive from 1981, including their infamous first concert "Sabbath of all witches" held in early/mid 1981.
In early 1982, the band contributed to the Ebony Records sampler Metallic Storm. Later on in the year, Mercyful Fate recorded its first official release, Mercyful Fate, on vinyl for the Dutch label Rave On. The release included heavy and evil material that would later inspire the black metal genre (although Venom and Bathory are as equally considered as the forefathers of black metal).
Following the EP, the band released Melissa in 1983 and Don't Break the Oath in 1984, which are now considered by many to be classics in both the power metal and black metal genres. Following the tour (which saw them play in the United States for the first time) in support of Don't Break the Oath, Diamond split ways with Mercyful Fate in April 1985 as a result of frustration over creative differences with Hank Shermann. With him, Diamond brought band mates Hansen and Denner to found a new band under his own name. Diamond's new venture continued the tradition of Mercyful Fate, but with a more progressive, conceptual twist to it. In response, Hank Shermann formed the band Fate, which pursued a more AOR direction.
Reunion
In July 1992, the band reformed and signed a contract with Brian Slagel's Metal Blade Records. All the original members without Kim Ruzz (replaced by Morten Nielsen) reformed and released In the Shadows in 1993. The album featured a re-recording of "Return of the Vampire", with Metallica drummer and Mercyful Fate enthusiast Lars Ulrich playing on the track. In the years since, the band has released four other albums, with the last being 9. Similar to the band's first run, members have left and been replaced; Michael Denner left and was replaced by Mike Wead, Drummer Nielsen was later replaced by Snowy Shaw who was then replaced by Bjarne Holm, Bassist Timi Hansen left quickly and was replaced by Sharlee D'Angelo. Following the release of 9 (1999), King Diamond put Mercyful Fate on hold and continued his solo career. Shermann, Denner, Holm and (King Diamond Bass player) Hal Patino formed Force of Evil, which incorporates many of the themes of the original Mercyful Fate.
In a March, 2008 interview, King Diamond stated that Mercyful Fate is currently "hibernating", but had never split up. Though he does not know when the band will become active again, he said "It's definitely not finished, at least in my book.". With the Re-union in 1993, the same lineup returned for the album and European tour, with the exception of Drummer Kim Ruzz, who was replaced by Snowy Shaw. Bassist Timi Hansen also left after the European leg of the tour, and was replaced by Sharlee D'Angelo.
The Lineup remained the same for "Time" and "Into the Unknown". Snowy Shaw was then replaced by Bjarne Holm on drums.
Unfortunatley, Michael Denner had also parted ways with the band at this point, to stay with his wife and family. His replacement was Mike Wead, who recorded with the band for "Dead Again" As well as "9" and has proven to be a sufficient replacement for Michael Denner.
Melissa
"Melissa" is the name of a skull King Diamond used to carry on stage, and also a fictional deceased witch that appears in three songs. Before the recordings of the album Melissa, King Diamond had acquired a human skeleton that he named "Melissa". He used the femur bones to make his trademark microphone handle. The skull was apparently stolen during a show in the Netherlands.
The skull was inspiration behind the album Melissa, and the title track of the album is very different from the rest of the album, as it is much slower than the other songs (which are speedier and more aggressive). The lyrics tell of a male protagonist (usually identified as King Diamond himself by fans) who lost the love of his life, who was a witch who was burnt at the stake by a Catholic priest. The story builds itself up around the emotions of the protagonist, who first feels sadness and uncertainty, hope for her to still be alive, and then rage over his loss. He swears revenge on the priest who burnt her, proclaiming that he must die in the name of hell. The song ends with a whisper that hints Melissa's spirit is still with the protagonist.
The second song Melissa appears on is on the album Don't Break the Oath in the song "Come to the Sabbath", once again at the climax of the album. The lyrics tell about a Satanic coven holding a sabbath, in which the protagonist emerges to perform a ritual to "put an evil curse on the priest who took the life of Melissa". Though she is not the focus of the lyrics this time, because of her mention the song is known as a "Melissa song". Additionally, one of the main characters on the King Diamond's album Them was named "Missy", which is a common diminutive of Melissa.
The final song Melissa appears in is on Mercyful Fate's reunion album In the Shadows on the song "Is That You, Melissa?". The lyrics tell of the protagonist once again in sorrow about the loss of his love. He begins to hear her voice and goes to the coven to have them perform a ritual to speak with her ghost. The coven objects, saying that it is against the rules. The protagonist is visited by Melissa's spirit who shares a kiss with the protagonist. The subject of the song is argued by some; one side says the lyrics are not a continuation of the Melissa story but a tribute by the band to their past, while the other side sees it as the end of the Melissa story. It is widely accepted that she is the girl on the album cover of "In the Shadows" facing the old oak tree. After In the Shadows, Melissa has not been mentioned any more in both lyrics and artwork.
On August 1, 2019, it was announced that Mercyful Fate would be performing an unspecified number of concerts throughout Europe in the summer of 2020. The band's line-up consists of King Diamond on vocals, Hank Shermann on guitar, Bjarne T. Holm on drums, Mike Wead on guitar and Joey Vera on bass, the latter of whom was filling in for Timi Hansen, who was battling cancer; Vera then became their full-time bass player after Hansen died on November 4, 2019, shortly after his 61st birthday. Aside from previously released material, the band was also going to perform new songs over the course of the summer.
In a May 2020 interview with Heavy magazine, Shermann said that he had "written six or seven songs" for the band's new album. On June 2, 2022, Mercyful Fate performed their first live show since 1999 in Hanover as part of a European tour, where they debuted a brand new song titled "The Jackal of Salzburg"
IN 2022, Becky Baldwin, a British musician who has previously played with Fury, Triaxisand Control The Storm. filled in for regular bassist Joey Vera, who had scheduling conflicts with his longtime band Armored Saint.
Castillo del Mortes
Mercyful Fate Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There lay Castillo Del Mortes
To be known as "House Of The Dead"
Oh no
Oh not here
A fool was playing with magic, magic he did not understand
He opened the unholy gates
Letting out The Ancient Ones from Hell
600 people standing on the castle walls
Screaming for mercy, someone must have heard their calls
600 wondering what's going on
Two armies in the sky, forming and in battle line
Hear the battle cries...
7 cohorts of angels, fighting for The Elders to win
7 cohorts of angels, fighting for the people within
The "House Of The Dead" soon to be buried in sin
9 units of demons, The Ancient Ones command
9 units of demons, The Ancient Ones will stand
For the "House Of The Dead" will soon be buried in sin
600 were watching in horror as they began to fight
None of the armies were using a weapon
As it is known to man
Demons and Angels were falling in numbers
Out of the burning sky
The burning sky
"Retreat, retreat", Oh the angels flee, "Defeat, defeat"
The battle's over, it's done
Somewhere in ancient Spain, close to what was baecula
There lay the battleground where many an angel was slain
9 units of demons bringing unbearable sin
9 units of demons coming for the people within
The "House Of The Dead" will soon live up to its name
600 people running deep inside
600 people trying to hide
From the Ancient Ones
But there's nowhere to run on this day
There is no need to speak of the horrible fate
Bestowed upon the 600 from baecula
The lyrics of Mercyful Fate's song "Castillo Del Mortes" describe a legendary occurrence in ancient Spain where a castle, known as "House of the Dead," was seized by demonic forces after a fool unleashed them by playing with magic he did not comprehend. The castle's occupants, who numbered 600, witnessed a battle between seven cohorts of angels, who fought for the elders and people inside the castle, and nine units of demons who were commanded by the ancient ones. The battle resulted in both armies suffering heavy casualties, and the house of the dead lived up to its name, as the demonic forces buried it in sin.
The lyrics' narrative structure makes it very engaging, with each verse detailing a crucial event that occurred during the battle. The imagery in the lyrics paints a vivid and macabre picture of the events, with demons and angels falling from the sky and the castle's occupants running and trying to hide in a hopeless situation. The lyrics' chorus is catchy and adds to the haunting ambiance, with the repetition of the line, "The House of the Dead will soon be buried in sin."
Line by Line Meaning
Somewhere in ancient Spain, close to what was baecula
In the past, near a place called baecula in Spain,
There lay Castillo Del Mortes
there was a castle called Castillo Del Mortes
To be known as "House Of The Dead"
which was also called 'House of the Dead'
Oh no
This is an expression of alarm.
Oh not here
This is another expression of alarm.
A fool was playing with magic, magic he did not understand
Someone foolishly tampered with magic they did not comprehend
He opened the unholy gates
and as a result, opened the gates of hell
Letting out The Ancient Ones from Hell
releasing 'The Ancient Ones' from hell
600 people standing on the castle walls
600 individuals were situated on the walls of the castle
Screaming for mercy, someone must have heard their calls
They were bellowing for mercy, in the expectation that someone would hear their pleas.
600 wondering what's going on
The 600 were perplexed about the situation
Two armies in the sky, forming and in battle line
Two armies were forming and preparing for battle in the sky
Hear the battle cries...
There were battle cries being heard all around.
7 cohorts of angels, fighting for The Elders to win
Seven groups of angels were engaged in fighting to assist The Elders to win the battle.
7 cohorts of angels, fighting for the people within
Seven groups of angels were fighting for the people who were within the castle.
The "House Of The Dead" soon to be buried in sin
The 'House of the Dead' was destined to be immersed in sin
9 units of demons, The Ancient Ones command
Nine groups of demons had been commanded by The Ancient Ones
9 units of demons, The Ancient Ones will stand
Nine groups of demons would hold their ground on behalf of The Ancient Ones
For the "House Of The Dead" will soon be buried in sin
Because of the sin, the 'House of the Dead' was going to be destroyed soon
600 were watching in horror as they began to fight
The 600 were watching a battle unfold with terror
None of the armies were using a weapon
Neither of the armies were utilising conventional weaponry
As it is known to man
Methods of warfare known to humans were not employed.
Demons and Angels were falling in numbers
Angels and Demons were perishing in substantial numbers.
Out of the burning sky
This battle, being otherworldly or divine seemed to have transcended the earthly plane.
"Retreat, retreat", Oh the angels flee, "Defeat, defeat"
The Angels eventually retreated and admitted defeat in the end.
The battle's over, it's done
The battle was concluded.
Somewhere in ancient Spain, close to what was baecula
Once more, near baecula in Spain during a former time,
There lay the battleground where many an angel was slain
There was the battlefield where many angels were killed
9 units of demons bringing unbearable sin
The nine groups of demons brought intolerable sin
9 units of demons coming for the people within
The nine groups of demons were coming for those inside the castle.
The "House Of The Dead" will soon live up to its name
As The Ancient Ones were closing in, the titular 'House of the Dead' was going to fulfil its name's prophecy.
600 people running deep inside
The 600 were running deeply inwards
600 people trying to hide
They were also attempting to conceal themselves
From the Ancient Ones
They were urgently attempting to hide from The Ancient Ones
But there's nowhere to run on this day
Unfortunately for them, there was nowhere else to flee on that specific day.
There is no need to speak of the horrible fate
It is unnecessary to delve into the awful fate
Bestowed upon the 600 from baecula
That was inflicted on the 600 in baecula.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Fintage House Publishing
Written by: KIM BENDIX PETERSEN, HANK SHERMANN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
John Mason
michael denner and hank sherman are a duo to be rekoned with !!
ce15645's Kingdom of the Ephemeral
"Retreat, retreat", Oh the FUCKING angels flee, "Defeat, defeat" The battle's over, it's done. ALL HAIL THE KING
Derek Rodriguez
They like Murray n Adrian Smith just better
lunchboxwhmpa
This is such a good song
PAPIJUAN25
muy buen disco. es que solo king sabe hacer este tipo de liricas
Ghanima Galach Music
Excellent song from an excellent album. One of my MF favorites of all time...
ce15645's Kingdom of the Ephemeral
600 people standing on the castle walls Screaming for mercy, someone must have heard their calls600 wondering what's going onTwo armies in the sky, forming and in battle line Hear the battle cries... 7 cohorts of angels, fighting for The Elders to win 7 cohorst of angels, fighting for the people within The "House Of The Dead" soon to be buried in sin 9 units of demons, The Ancient Ones command 9 units of demons, The Ancient Ones will stand For the "House Of The Dead" will soon be buried in sin
Claudemir Silveira
This is eternal song .
88mpny
hank sherman is fucking awesome.
KxK96
3:14 that riff is fking... CATCHY :D HAIL THE KING !