Mercyful Fate
Mercyful Fate is an influential heavy metal band that formed in Copenhagen,… Read Full Bio ↴Mercyful Fate is an influential heavy metal band that formed in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1981 from the remaining members of Hank Shermann's band Brats and King Diamond's band Black Rose. In early 1981 they helped out Michael Denner with demos for his band Danger Zone. Soon, Shermann, Denner, Diamond, and Denner's bass player Timi Grabber realized their potential as a unit and started performing as Mercyful Fate. The band experienced the usual member changes for a new band, as Denner left (and later returned). In addition, the drummer position was a revolving door, but Kim Ruzz finally established himself as the drummer.
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.
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.
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Mercyful Fate Lyrics
02. Church of Saint Anne Oh Father, did you speak to God? Oh Father, did he…
03- Since Forever On this cold and windy Sunday I'm sitting here alone, it's…
03. Sold my Soul I sold my soul to you, I sold my soul…
9 In Hell Are we all in Hell? Are we in Heaven? Heaven...…
A Corpse Without a Soul Listen, I'm a corpse, I'm a corpse I'm a corpse without…
A Dangerous Meeting Tonight the circle is meeting again Who will be the first…
A Gruesome Time Everything is so strange in here And as I look through…
Angel Of Light I have seen Him there Master of Light, Master of the…
At The Sound Of The Demon Bell [SOLO: MICHAEL] Halloween is the night The legend says the …
Banshee I heard it, in my sleep last night I heard it,…
Black Funeral Bring the black box to the altar Now raise your hands…
Black Masses Come and join, my black masses Bring along, your iron axes N…
Buried Alive The poison is still in your veins The poison I slipped…
Burn In Hell All your sins are forgiven In the name of Jesus in…
Burning the Cross Riding out and summed up for they know their destination Dem…
Castillo Del Mortes Somewhere in ancient Spain, close to what was baecula There …
Church Of Saint Anne Oh Father, did you speak to God? Oh Father, did he…
Come To The Sabbath Come, come to the Sabbath Down by the ruined bridge Witches …
Corpse Without Soul Listen, I'm a corpse, I'm a corpse I'm a corpse without…
Crossroads You are Selene, the moon in heaven You are Persephone, Queen…
Curse Of The Pharaohs Away out in Egypt in the Valley of Kings Where the…
Curse of the Pharaos Away out in Egypt in the Valley of Kings Where the…
Dangerous Meeting Tonight the circle is meeting again Who will be the first…
Dead Again Why do I keep on doing this? It's not for…
dead time "Lie down in your dead little baby You know it's getting…
Deadtime "Lie down in your dead little baby You know it's getting…
Death Kiss Dark lady coming out at night Still glory Let's those legs o…
Death Kiss * Dark lady coming out at night Still glory Let's those legs…
Desecration Of Souls Stay away white magician Young lovers and mourning wife You'…
Devil Eyes Angel, lady in white, stay away, you know my forces,…
Doomed by a Living Dead I'm back again, back in the evil night And you're waiting,…
Doomed By The Living Dead I'm back again, back in the evil night And you're waiting,…
Egypt Ahh... Egypt... Ahh O Thou of countless names Who are one a…
Evil Evil I was born on the cemetery Under the sign of the…
Fear In the mirror, I have seen HIM And he scares me The…
Fifteen Men (music: denner/lyrics: diamond) 1640. the caribbean sea, th…
Gypsy This magic winter night I see a light Again I hear…
Holy Water (music: diamond/lyrics: diamond) I don't want that holy wat…
House On The Hill Let's go to the house on the hill Let's go to…
In to the Unknown Darkness we are here tonight to select who's gonna die Has…
Insane I see little demons, are they in my head? I see…
Into The Coven [SOLO: MICHAEL] Howl like a wolf And a witch will open the…
Into The Unknown [Music: Shermann/Lyrics: Diamond] Darkness we are here toni…
Is That You Melissa Oh...melissa, you're in my dreams You're with me every day …
Kiss The Demon Kiss the little Demon, hanging on my wall Kiss the little…
Kutulu Someone better come and save my life Someone better kill tho…
kutulu (the mad arab pt2 Someone better come and save my life Someone better kill th…
Lady In Black On a magical misty morning I was standing in the Autumn…
Last Rites I'm surrounded by darkness, I'm dying in my bed I don't…
Leave My Soul Alone Oh, yeah oh yeah Now hear my song Sirens calling, people lea…
Legend of the Headless Rider (Music by Hank Shermann Lyrics by King Diamond) "The Rise" I…
Listen To The Bell Up in the hills where the sun goes down There's an…
Lucifer Our father who art in Hell Hallowed be thy name Thy kingdom…
M.D.A Satan's veil, the night so red Another creature sighted Th…
M.D.A. Satan's veil, the night so red Another creature sighted The …
Mandrake Poisonous Mandrake, you dangerous root One of the three fare…
Melissa Melissa I'm kneeling in front of the altar Satan's cross up…
Mirror The girl in the mirror, she's not really there Only I…
My Demon This house is full of hate, this house is full…
Night Of The Unborn I forbid you entrance here You step on hollow ground Don't y…
Nightmare Am I awake or is this just a dream? I had…
Nightmare Be Thy Name Master, you know I never pray Master, nothing can keep you…
Nuns Have No Fun Upon a cross a nun will be hanged She will be…
Oath By the symbols of the creator I swear henceforth to be A…
On A Night Of Full Moon Stay away I am evil Or you will die by tomorrow Copulatio…
Return Of The Vampire And so I saw it The birth of a vampire Fresh in…
Satan They're walking by the night The Moon has frozen blue Long b…
Shadows When the darkness eats away the day And the moon bears…
Since Forever On this cold and windy Sunday I'm sitting here alone, it's…
Sold My Soul I sold my soul to you, I sold my soul…
Sucking Your Blood I can see it in your mystery eyes I can feel…
The Afterlife Why am I here, in a quiet mortuary A lady and…
The Bell Witch Back in Tennessee, I saw a Family haunted by an entity It…
The Ghost Of Change Walking, on a cold and white December night I hear, the…
The Grave There is a cemetary just East of here That's where they…
The Grave ** There is a cemetary just East of here That's where they…
The Lady Who Cries Many have seen the statue that cries But only I have…
The Mad Arab The son of a shepherd, Abdul Alhazred Traveling in the mount…
The Night Old Nick is by my side, I hear no evil As…
The Oath By the symbols of the creator I swear henceforth to be A…
The Old Oak Do you remember the bridge? The bridge that was standing in…
The Preacher You believe in Heaven You believe the Devil is here When you…
The Ripper You're in for surprise You're in for a shock In London town…
The Uninvited Guest There's a little old man,standing by my window There's a li…
Thirteen Invitations The mansion was right on the shore Down by the lake Nobody…
Time Minutes and seconds are passing us by Minutes and seconds a…
To One Far Away [Instrumental]…
Torture Anna...was praying to a God She had betrayed, so they said S…
Under The Spell There is something out there waiting for me With an evil…
Welcome Princes Of Hell I turn off the lights, we like darkness Now you call…
Welcome Princess of Hell I turn off the lights, we like darkness Now you call…
Witches' Dance Just like a demon's eye The moon was dancing on…
You Asked For It Oh, I'll tell you everything I do We're going to talk…
Ben - Moderator
on A Dangerous Meeting
Hi Chris, There were 2 interviews in particular which suggested this. (Unfortunately both the references below have since been taken down so the links below are broken)
Firstly in an interview with Loudwire, King Diamond discussed the inspiration behind "A Dangerous Meeting" and stated, "It's a song about a meeting that happened in Denmark, where I'm from, with some people who were into the darker side of things. They had a lot of things with them that I didn't want to have anything to do with. They had skulls, and there was a snake there, and all kinds of stuff that really freaked me out."
Loudwire - "King Diamond Talks Paranormal, Mysterious Fires + New Album 'The Institute'" (February 6, 2020)
https://loudwire.com/king-diamond-the-institute-album-interview/
Secondly in an interview with Metal Hammer, King Diamond stated that the lyrics to "A Dangerous Meeting" were based on his personal experiences, saying, "I have seen things that are unexplainable, and there's no way that science can prove some of the things that I have seen. It's just unexplainable. It's a very, very small percentage of the population that gets to see these things, and it's been with me since I was a child."
Metal Hammer - "King Diamond: The Real Story Behind 'Abigail'" (October 24, 2017)
https://www.loudersound.com/features/king-diamond-the-real-story-behind-abigail
Let me know if I've misunderstood what you've said or if you still think the above information is misleading.
Chris
on A Dangerous Meeting
I'd like to request a fact check on the above information.
"The lyrics to "A Dangerous Meeting" are based on King Diamond's experiences with the occult and paranormal."
King Diamond has actually said that the songs he wrote for Mercyful Fate are myths and legends, and that if anything the stuff he's written is more based on folktales and myths and that King Diamond the band is more based on personal experiences with the occult (though there are exceptions like Nightmare)