MERCYFUL FATE - Melissa CD review

MERCYFUL FATE - Melissa CD
label: Roadrunner Records
released: 1983
track listing:
1. Evil
2. Curse of the Pharaohs
3. Into the Coven
4. At the Sound of the Demon Bell
5. Black Funeral
6. Satan's Fall
7. Melissa

COMMENTS:

Can you say "Heavy Metal Scream"? Yeah we all know Rob Halford of JUDAS PRIEST perfected that one. But King Diamond, vocalist/lyricist for Denmark's MERCYFUL FATE made the "scream" evil. Plus Hank Sherman and Michael Denner took the twin guitar line-up perfected by PRIEST and MAIDEN to the next level. The song "Evil" is an almost flawless piece of music. The guitar work is excellent. If you were to list twenty of the greatest Metal songs of all time then it would be on it. And I'm not talking about those VH-1 bullshit lists either people. MERCYFUL FATE was real Metal that took the NWOBHM style to another level which would go onto influence Black Metal. "Into the Coven" starts out as a cool melodic piece but then explodes into a Metal riff which decapitates. "Satan's Fall" is eleven minutes of Hell and suitable for poisoning the minds of unsuspecting children.

MERCYFUL FATE didn't just slam you up against the wall with pentagrams and goat heads. Their music was very intricate at times going beyond the musicianship of their more famous mainstream counterparts. But the band would never equal their success. MERCYFUL FATE would always be kings of the underground realm of Metal. At least for their short time in existence. Personally I don't have a problem with that. King Diamond was not a phony when it came to his belief in LaVeyan brand of Satanism. Although their imagery was in place to shock, their music was intelligently written.


RECOMMENDATIONS:

In 2005 Roadrunner Records released a remastered 25th anniversary edition CD and DVD package. The CD has seven more tracks (demo versions and BBC sessions) and the DVD has some cool concert footage. If you claim to like Metal at all then MERCYFUL FATE's Melissa should be in your music collection along with the follow-up release, Don't Break The Oath.

WEBSITES:

http://www.covenworldwide.org/