Mercyful Fate is a Danish heavy metal band from Copenhagen, formed in 1981 by vocalist King Diamond and guitarist Hank Shermann. Influenced by progressive rock and hard rock, and with lyrics dealing with Satan and the occult, Mercyful Fate were part of the first wave of black metal in the early to mid-1980s, along with Venom and Bathory. Many of the bands from this movement went on to influence later black metal musicians in the 1990s, particularly in Norway. Mercyful Fate has also been acknowledged as a prominent influence on the subsequent heavy metal scene of 1980s and 1990s, including thrash metal bands like Metallica, Slayer, Testament, Exodus and Kreator, and death metal bands such as Death, Morbid Angel, Obituary and Cannibal Corpse.
Don't Break the Oath is the second studio album by Danish heavy metal band Mercyful Fate, released in 1984.
Kim Bendix Petersen, better known by his stage name King Diamond, is a Danish rock musician. As a vocalist, he is known for his powerful and wide-ranging countertenor singing voice, in particular his far-reaching falsetto screams. He is the lead vocalist and lyricist for both Mercyful Fate and the eponymous King Diamond. He also plays keyboards and guitars on studio recordings but uses live shows to focus solely on his vocal performance. Diamond is renowned for his dark lyrical content and his story concepts. He is also known for his distinctive shock stage persona. He has been an influence for other rock and metal artists, including Metallica, Slayer and Cradle of Filth.
9 is the seventh studio album by Danish heavy metal band Mercyful Fate. 9 was recorded during February and March 1999 and was released on 15 June 1999 on Metal Blade Records. This album continues the heavier sound that was introduced in their previous album Dead Again, and also marks the continuation of the Satanic- and occult-based lyrical themes which were prevalent during the band's first incarnation and were reintroduced on the Time (1994) album, as the primary lyrical focus. 9 was Mercyful Fate's last studio album before their twenty-year hiatus from 1999 to 2019.
Bloody Kisses is the third studio album by the American gothic metal band Type O Negative and the last recording with their original lineup as drummer Sal Abruscato left in late 1993. The album includes one of their best known songs, "Black No. 1", which earned the band a considerable cult following. The album further established recurring motifs of the band's music, such as including cover songs recorded in the gothic metal style, sample-heavy soundscapes in between songs, and lyrics replete with dry, satirical humor.
Melissa is the debut studio album by Danish heavy metal band Mercyful Fate, released on 30 October 1983. It was the first album released by Roadrunner Records. This was also the first Mercyful Fate effort to get an official release in the United States through Megaforce Records, as the self-titled EP was a highly sought after import, and the BBC sessions were only available on bootleg tapes. Melissa has been identified as one of the earliest examples of extreme metal, and is often considered to be a major influence on the then-developing thrash metal, black metal and death metal genres.
Mercyful Fate is the first official release by Danish heavy metal band Mercyful Fate. It is also known as Nuns Have No Fun, the "first album" or the "EP". It is a four track, 45rpm effort and was recorded and mixed at Stone Studio in Roosendaal, Netherlands, in two days in September 1982, and released on the independent label Rave-On Records as RMLP-002. The album was produced and mixed by Jac Hustinx and engineered by Willem Steetjes. The cover is drawn by Ole Poulsen. The album in its entirety was later re-issued in 1987 as part of The Beginning compilation.
Return of the Vampire is a compilation album of rare demo tracks by Mercyful Fate recorded before their first, official release in 1982. It was released in 1992 by Roadrunner Records RRD 9184.
The Bell Witch is a short, promotional EP released by Danish heavy metal band Mercyful Fate to herald their reunion album. It features two tracks off In the Shadows, of which one is based on the American legend of the Bell Witch, plus four live tracks. The EP was released in 1994. It was re-released in 2004 on Metal Blade Records.
Time is the fourth studio album by the Danish heavy metal band Mercyful Fate. It was released on 25 October 1994 by Metal Blade Records.
Into the Unknown is the fifth album by Danish heavy metal band Mercyful Fate, released by Metal Blade Records in 1996. It is the most commercially successful Mercyful Fate album to date, peaking at No. 31 in the Finnish charts and remaining for two weeks in the Top 40. It is the only album by the band to appear on the charts.
Dead Again is the sixth studio album by Danish heavy metal band Mercyful Fate, released in 1998 by Metal Blade Records. It marks the first album from Mercyful Fate that Michael Denner is not present on. It also marked a new era for the band, as the production is more muddy and raw, and the guitar tone is more distorted than on the three previous albums. In addition, the album introduced a more complex and arguably progressive sound to several of its tracks.
A Dangerous Meeting is a compilation album of King Diamond and Mercyful Fate songs. The vinyl version included "Satan's Fall", which was omitted from the CD version due to time constrictions.
Walk on Water is the fourteenth album from the British hard rock band UFO, marking the return of German guitarist Michael Schenker to the band, as well as the returns of keyboardist Paul Raymond and founding drummer Andy Parker. The album did not chart. It was recorded at Rumbo Recorders in Canoga Park, California. It was released first and only in Japan on 14 April 1995 with 11 tracks and in 1997 in other countries with only 10 tracks. It has since been re-released on numerous occasions, with a variety of covers.
The Parallel Otherworld is the sixth and final album by metal band Eidolon, released in 2006.
Fate is a Danish arena rock band originally formed in 1984. They released four albums between 1984 and 1990, before disbanding in 1993. However, after a one-off reunion at a German music festival in 2004, Fate was reformed and released a new album, V, in 2006. In 2010 Fate released Best of Fate 25 Years on EMI and, in November 2011, the album Ghosts from the Past was released on AOR Heaven in EU and Rubicon in Japan.
Jens Arnsted, more commonly known as Yenz Leonhardt or Yenz Cheyenne, is a Danish heavy metal musician. He has performed as a vocalist, guitarist and bassist throughout his career, focusing on the latter in recent years.
Before the Storm is the fourth studio album by British hard rock/heavy metal band Samson, released in 1982. It is the band's first album with vocalist Nicky Moore, who was recruited to replace Bruce Dickinson after Dickinson joined Iron Maiden. The drummer Mel Gaynor was also replaced by Pete Jupp, when Gaynor left to join Simple Minds. AllMusic's Eduardo Rivadavia described the album as a "promising start" to the new line-up, with the music moving more toward hard rock and away from heavy metal.
In the Shadows is the third full-length studio album by Danish heavy metal band Mercyful Fate. It is the first offering of the band since their reunion in 1992. This would be the final full-length album Timi Hansen would appear on before his death in 2019. The album was released in 1993 via Metal Blade Records. Unlike previous Mercyful Fate albums, which were entirely centered around lyrical themes of Satanism and the occult, the lyrics on this album are rather focused on more conceptual horror-themes, akin to King Diamond's work with his eponymous band. The band would not return to a primarily occult/Satanic lyrical approach until the band's latest album, 9, released in 1999.
Lava is a Norwegian jazz-rock band, known from a series of recordings in the 1980s.
