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, 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. Many of the bands from this movement went on to influence later black metal musicians in the 1990s, particularly in Norway. Since the band's inception in 1981, Mercyful Fate have released seven studio albums, two extended plays and four compilations.
Don't Break the Oath is the second studio album by Danish heavy metal band Mercyful Fate, released in 1984.
High 'n' Dry is the second studio album by the English rock band Def Leppard, released on July 11, 1981. High 'n' Dry was Pete Willis' last full-time album with Def Leppard. It charted at No. 38 on the Billboard 200 and No. 26 on the UK Albums Chart. "High 'n' Dry ", ranked No. 33 on VH1's 40 Greatest Metal Songs. Following the success of Pyromania, the album re-entered in the US chart and reached No. 72 in 1983.
9 is the seventh and final studio album by Danish heavy metal band Mercyful Fate. 9 was recorded during February and March 1999, and was released on June 15, 1999, on Metal Blade Records. This album continues the heavier sound that was introduced in their previous album Dead Again, and also marks the return of the Satanic- and occult-based lyrical themes which were prevalent during the band's first incarnation, as the primary lyrical focus.
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.
Mercyful Fate is the first official release of 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.
The Bell Witch is a short, promotional EP released by Mercyful Fate to herald the band's 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 Mercyful Fate, released by Metal Blade Records in 1996.
Dead Again is the sixth studio album by 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.
Mechanix is the tenth studio album by the British hard rock band UFO; it was released in 1982. The contemporary music-press adverts on the album's release carried the tag-line 'Mechanix: it will tighten your nuts'. Immediately after the completion of the tour in support of the album, founding member and bassist Pete Way left the band to join former Motörhead guitarist "Fast" Eddie Clarke in Fastway.
Rock until You Drop is the first full-length album by British heavy metal band Raven, released in 1981. The album was the first of many heavy metal studio albums issued by British independent label Neat Records. It reached position No. 63 in the UK Albums Chart.
Spell of Iron is the first album by Finnish metal band Tarot, released in 1986 by Flamingo Music. Spell of Iron has been released on CD in 1994 by Bluelight Records, and a remastered version was released in 2006 by Spinefarm Records.
Spellbound is the second album by British heavy metal band Tygers of Pan Tang, produced in 1981 on MCA. Spellbound is the first of two full length Tygers of Pan Tang albums to feature as second guitarist John Sykes, who later joined Thin Lizzy and Whitesnake. It is also the first album with vocalist Jon Deverill. The album was re-issued in 1989 in a double-LP package with Wild Cat and on CD in 1997 with bonus tracks.
Fate is a Danish melodic rock band originally formed in 1984. They released four albums between 1984-1990 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 brand new album Ghosts from the Past was released on AOR Heaven in EU and Rubicon in Japan.
A Matter of Attitude is the second album by Danish heavy metal band Fate, released in 1986.
Rock Goddess is the debut studio album by the English all-female heavy metal band Rock Goddess. It was originally released in February 1983, on the label A&M. It was produced by experienced sound engineer Vic Maile.
Inishmore is the tenth studio album by American heavy metal band Riot. It was released in Japan only on November 11, 1997 two months before it was eventually released in the USA on January 27, 1998. The album is based on conceptual sagas of Celtic & Irish myths.
Sons of Society is the eleventh studio album by American heavy metal band Riot, released in Japan on July 15, 1999 and in the USA on September 7, 1999 with a missing track.
In the Shadows is the third full-length studio album by Mercyful Fate. It is also the first offering of the band since their reunion in 1992. It was released in 1993 on 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 final album, 9, released in 1999.
