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.
Melissa
Mercyful Fate Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm kneeling in front of the altar
Satan's cross upon the wall
Strange emptiness, a crystal ball between two candles
Melissa, you were mine
Melissa, you were the light
She was a witch
Why did they take you away?
Melissa, you were the queen of the night
Melissa, you were my light
I swear revenge on the priest
The priest my die
He must die in the name of Hell
Melissa, can you hear me?
Melissa, are you there?
Nothing is left outside at the stake
They're taken her away from me
The lyrics of Mercyful Fate's "Melissa" paint a somber picture of loss and vengeance. The song opens with the singer kneeling before an altar, facing a Satanic cross on the wall, and noticing an eerie emptiness in the space, marked only by a crystal ball and two candles. The singer then directly addresses Melissa, seemingly his former lover or partner, who has been taken away from him. He pines for her, calling her "the queen of the night" and "my light," and laments the fact that she was accused of being a witch, which led to her forced removal.
The grief and longing in the singer's words turn to anger as the song progresses. He swears revenge on the priest responsible for persecuting Melissa, declaring that he "must die in the name of Hell." The song ends on a plaintive note as the singer asks if Melissa can hear him and if she is still out there, all while knowing that she has been taken away, likely to be burned at the stake for her supposed crimes.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm kneeling in front of the altar
I am humbly submitting myself to the higher powers
Satan's cross upon the wall
A symbol of Satanism engraved onto the wall
Strange emptiness, a crystal ball between two candles
A mysterious feeling of emptiness induced by the ambiance created by a crystal ball sitting upon an altar between candles
Melissa, you were mine
Addressing the deceased named Melissa, admitting to possessing them at some point
Melissa, you were the light
Referring to Melissa as a beacon of hope or inspiration
She was a witch
Revealing the true nature of Melissa as a witch
Why did they take you away?
Questioning the reason behind Melissa's departure
Melissa, you were the queen of the night
Praising Melissa as the ruler of the darkness
Melissa, you were my light
Acknowledging Melissa as a source of guidance
I swear revenge on the priest
Making a vow to seek retaliation against a clergyman
The priest may die
Threatening the clergyman's life
He must die in the name of Hell
Declaring that the clergyman must be condemned and penalized in the name of Hell
Melissa, can you hear me?
Asking if Melissa's spirit can hear the message being conveyed
Melissa, are you there?
Inquiring if Melissa's spirit is present in the surrounding area
Nothing is left outside at the stake
Implying that nothing remains outside following the burning of witches at the stake
They're taken her away from me
Stating that Melissa was taken from the artist
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: HANK SHERMANN, KIM BENDIX PETERSEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Christopher Potter
Happy 40th Anniversary to the very first Mercyful Fate album, Melissa! ROCK ON!!!!! 🤘🎸💀🇩🇰
1983: Being released for the first time
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988: 5th Anniversary
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993: 10th Anniversary
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998: 15th Anniversary
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003: 20th Anniversary
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008: 25th Anniversary
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013: 30th Anniversary
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018: 35th Anniversary
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023: 40th Anniversary
Dante Onkhu
I was listening to this album when I was 15. Now I'm 53 and still worshipping it.
No mom, it wasn't just a phase.
Helga Zimmerman
No because this was amazing music 🎶
Andrey Simeonov
Dude, Heavy Fuckin' Metal definitely cannot be a phase!
ChuckAudio
I'm right there with you, bro. If you play, lets jam!
chris depp
Me also! King Diamond is God!
Robin Bolton
Absolutely stunning guitar duo.
This is a must have.
Pamela diez
Yeah I am gonna buy this lp again.what happened to my first one.who knows with the rest of my stuff.🤘💡👍🖐️☕
Robin Bolton
@Pamela diez
100% happened to me too!
Once you hear this....your hooked!
Dischordalchorous
It just wasn't the same w/0 Hank Shermann. KD's solo stuff is great on occasion, but nothing beats Fate.
Ron
This album is officially my #1 heavy metal record on my list since I discovered it on 1984.