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.
Mirror
Mercyful Fate Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Only I can see her, in all her misery
[Chorus]
The girl in the mirror, she's caught in a spell
The girl in the mirror, between Heaven and Hell
Can't you feel it, those haunting eyes
She's so devine, could be magic of a kind
[Chorus]
Take a look in the mirror
Deep inside there's a world of its own
Take a look in the mirror
See what you might find
Try to reach my hand
Try to reach through the glass
Try...
Try...
'Cause the longest journey is the one on your own
If we break the mirror, do you think they'll let you go
[Chorus]
The song "Mirror" by Mercyful Fate is a haunting ballad that revolves around the concept of looking through a mirror to see something that is not really there. The lyrics describe a girl trapped within a spell and the only person who can see her is the singer himself. The girl is in a state of misery, and the singer is trying to reach out to her. He urges the listener to take a look in the mirror to see what lies beneath the surface.
The song also talks about the idea of breaking through the mirror and escaping the spell. The lyrics suggest that the journey to self-discovery is the longest of all, and it is necessary to break free from the confines of the mirror to achieve it. Although the song is about the girl in the mirror, it has a deeper meaning that can be applied to anyone who might be trapped in their own misery.
In summary, "Mirror" is a beautifully crafted song that delves into the human psyche and explores the idea of self-discovery. It highlights the importance of looking beyond the facade we present to society and seeking out the underlying truth buried deep within ourselves.
Line by Line Meaning
The girl in the mirror, she's not really there
There's no actual person in the mirror, only a reflection
Only I can see her, in all her misery
The reflection is only visible to the observer and is depicted in a state of sadness
The girl in the mirror, she's caught in a spell
The reflection seems to be under a supernatural enchantment
The girl in the mirror, between Heaven and Hell
Perhaps due to the spell, the reflection is rendered stuck between two opposing forces
Can't you feel it, those haunting eyes
The reflection's eyes seem to possess a ghostly quality that's hard to ignore
She's so devine, could be magic of a kind
Despite the eeriness, the reflection is bewitchingly beautiful and seems to be imbued with a form of mystical power
Take a look in the mirror
A suggestion to observe one's own reflection
Deep inside there's a world of its own
The reflection's world is entirely different and unique from that of the observer
See what you might find
A recommendation to explore this alternate world
Try to reach my hand
An invitation for the observer to try to make contact with the reflection
Try to reach through the glass
The challenge is to find a way to break through the barrier that separates the observer and the reflection
'Cause the longest journey is the one on your own
Trying to connect with oneself through inner reflection can be a difficult and extended process
If we break the mirror, do you think they'll let you go
Destroying the mirror might free the reflection from its enchanted state, but it could also have unexpected consequences.
Lyrics © Fintage House Publishing
Written by: MICHAEL DENNIS DENNER, KIM BENDIX PETERSEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Unborn Productions
One of the very best records by the mighty Mercyful Fate.
Louis Csanko
MICHAEL DENNER IS A BEAST ON GUITAR// SO SO SO UNDERATED IN THE METAL WORLD// HE IS AWESOME!!!!!!!!
Dan Hammer
This opening lead is so awesome
Don McGlothlin
One of the best MF albums of all times, in fact one of the best albums of all time in general.
michelanos80
Essa banda é d + sem dúvidas a frase correta não morra sem escutar Mercyful Fate.
John Jankowiak
DEEP INSIDE theres a world all its own. you did a great job sending all this audio to us. damn near better than live!
Louis Csanko
KING DIAMOND= GENIUS
Derek Pettys
This SONG could be magic of a kind..!!!!
jim ritzheimer
damm i forgot about these guys. still love it
Jesse Cole
Dammit... all these years later and I still haven't gotten over it... this could have been an absolute masterpiece of an album, but King's voice imploded or something in 1993, and his vocals on "Time" just didn't hold up to previous efforts. It didn't bother me so much on later albums, because after this the writing started to suffer too... but this album... This one should have been a true classic.