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.
Fear
Mercyful Fate Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And he scares me
The creature, behind the mask I wear
I know his name is FEAR
In the mirror, He's looking back at me
I have to face him every day
And I know him not so well, his name is FEAR
So deep within, yet so far away
I, wonder, will he always stay
Stay so deep within, deep within my soul
And I know him not so well, his name is FEAR
The man, in the mirror, he scares me
For I know him not so well
The creature, behind the mask I wear
I know his name is FEAR
In the mirror, it's not my eyes I see
But they are always there
I cannot let it show. NO ONE must ever know
The horror that lies so deep within
Tucked away beneath my skin
And it scares me, yes it scares me
So deep within, yet so far away
I, wonder, will he always stay
Stay so deep within, deep within my soul
And I know him not so well, his name is FEAR
No man, nor any book, will ever teach me
What I need to know
No man, nor any book, will ever teach me
What I'm longing for
Only the creature, living inside of me
Could show me the meaning of life
I cannot let it show. NO ONE must ever know
The horror that lies so deep within
Tucked away beneath my skin
And it scares me, yes it scares me
The song "Fear" by Mercyful Fate is a haunting exploration of the deep-seated fear that lies within the human psyche. The lyrics describe the singer's encounter with his own fear, personified as a terrifying creature living deep within his soul. In the mirror, he sees the creature looking back at him, and although he tries to hide it from the world, the fear is always with him.
The singer's fear is a constant presence in his life, and he knows it not so well. He's afraid it will always stay deep within his soul, no matter how hard he tries to suppress it. He recognizes that what he needs to know about his fear cannot be taught by any man or book. Only the creature inside of him can show him the meaning of life. But he cannot let anyone see the horror that lies beneath his skin.
The song's chorus is a powerful expression of the singer's fear: "And it scares me, yes it scares me." The lyrics drip with a sense of dread and unease, and the music perfectly complements the mood of the song. "Fear" is a deeply personal and introspective work that explores the darker corners of the human mind.
Line by Line Meaning
In the mirror, I have seen HIM
I have seen my inner demon.
And he scares me
My inner demon scares me.
The creature, behind the mask I wear
My inner demon is the source of my fear and insecurity.
I know his name is FEAR
I recognize that FEAR is a manifestation of my inner demon.
In the mirror, He's looking back at me
My inner demon is always present, even when I'm not directly facing it.
I have to face him every day
I am constantly struggling with my inner demon.
So deep within, yet so far away
My inner demon is deeply ingrained within me, even though I don't fully understand it.
I, wonder, will he always stay
I'm unsure if I'll ever be able to overcome my inner demon.
Stay so deep within, deep within my soul
My inner demon is a part of my core being.
The man, in the mirror, he scares me
I am frightened by my own reflection, as it is a reminder of my inner demon.
For I know him not so well
I am not entirely familiar with my own inner demon.
In the mirror, it's not my eyes I see
When I look in the mirror, I'm not just seeing my physical appearance, but also my inner demon.
But they are always there
My inner demon is always present, even if I can't physically see it.
I cannot let it show. NO ONE must ever know
I keep my inner demon hidden from the outside world, out of fear of being exposed.
The horror that lies so deep within
My inner demon is the source of my deepest fears and insecurities.
Tucked away beneath my skin
My inner demon is deeply ingrained within me, and although it's not physically visible, it's always present.
No man, nor any book, will ever teach me
I can't rely on external sources to help me overcome my inner demon.
What I need to know
I need to discover the solution to my inner struggle on my own.
What I'm longing for
I am still searching for a way to overcome my inner demon.
Only the creature, living inside of me
I am the only one who can truly understand my inner demon, as it's a part of me.
Could show me the meaning of life
By understanding and overcoming my inner demon, I can discover the true meaning of life.
And it scares me, yes it scares me
The thought of facing my inner demon is terrifying, but I know I must confront it in order to find true peace.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ana Carolina Pinheiro
Musica da minha adolescência 😮😮😮😍😍😍😍
Eric Flavio 13
Fudido demais.
fucking awesome.
haillllllllllllllllllll to the King
radiotomi tomiradio
Mejor tema de Mercyful Fate.
M͎e͎t͎a͎l͎u͎n͎a͎
look forward to doing my chores, just to blast this album again
Polinésio de Magareva
... So deep within, yet so far away
I...wonder, will he always stay
Stay so deep within, deep within my soul
And I know him not so well, his name is FEAR!
Louis Csanko
Hail King Diamond. HAIL Mercyful Fate. Timi Hansen ( RIP) Never To Be Forgotten. 🤘🤘🤘🤘
riina tiihonen
so great to see this great song here!!!thanx
THE SECRET ✨ POLYGLOT✨
Absofuckinglutely awesome
Javier Castaneda
Woooooo \m/
Polinésio de Magareva
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