Part: III
Mercyful Fate"Ah, ah, We come from the land of the ice and snow, From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow. How soft your fields so green, Can whisper tales of gore, Of how we calmed the tides of war. We are your overlords."
~ Robert Plant
When is it known that something is a classic? Everyone’s answer would be different of course, but for me, it’s when that something resonates for ages in life. Music, art, books, movies. Anything that’s left a mark; a perfect scar that’s brushed over from time to time, reminding its way back from distant memories into the present.
In the early ‘80s, Denmark produced one of its finest exports in the form of a Heavy Metal band called, Mercyful Fate. Although I wouldn’t discover them until long after their demise; I feel that I carry the torch in a sense for this band, because I’ve been a fan for more than half my life, and most importantly, I still enjoy their music.
The first time I heard about them was on some of Geraldo Rivera’s Satanism specials. On the very first episode Geraldo showed some footage of a King Diamond concert with overd
ubbed commentary by the singer and then a solid debunking by Geraldo claiming that Diamond was full of “bull.” Then on a subsequent episode, Geraldo had a panel of formerly troubled adolescents, that when questioned about their old music habits, one of them said he had listened to King Diamond when he used to be in Mercyful Fate. And that was all I needed to connect the dots. While I’d heard King Diamond on his own and thought that the stuff was okay; the Geraldo show made Mercyful Fate out to be a far more intense and dangerous band. This of course piqued my curiosity and drove me to find out more about this relatively obscure band.
So I went out and bought their first album on tape; 1983’s Melissa, and I remember being simultaneously disappointed and intrigued. Disappointed because the audio was so bad – it sounded like it was recorded in a basement with a cheap ghetto blaster. Yet it was intriguing for the same reason. Melissa is so low-budget sounding that it adds to the already dark demeanor of the band and subject matter. It’s as if they recorded it in a secret dungeon while satanic rituals were taking place. The band sounded fresh, raw, intense; all the characteristics of a young group that’s hungry for success. Often this is the best a band will ever be because their passion is firmly organic. There are no other factors to corrupt the group’s vision like contracts, money, fame; the trappings that dog established acts and sometimes cripple them permanently. Yet band members unanimously support and push each other in the face of poverty, ill relationships, jobs; anything would be sacrificed for the benefit of the band. It’s a rare instance when one can hear the force that drives the collective spirit of individuals in their pursuit of a common goal.
Some Historical Background
Mercyful Fate came together in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1980. They comprised of; King Diamond(Kim Bendix Petersen) on vocals, Michael Denner on guitar, Hank Sherman(Rene Krolmark) on guitar, Timi 'Grabber' Hansen on bass, and Kim Ruzz on drums. Their most distinguishing factor is Diamond’s appearance and vocals. Obviously influenced by Alice Copper and Kiss, Diamond donned black and white face paint in various guises that usually included an inverted crucifix on his forehead. Known as ‘Ghoul Paint’ the style would later be adopted by a new generation of Scandinavian Black Metal bands. Diamond possesses a unique voice in that his vocal range spans from a low growling type of sound, to a mid tenor and most unusually, a high falsetto that’s mostly associated with R&B and Disco – think Barry Gibb from the Bee Gees getting into a brawl with Freddy Kruger.
After Melissa they released, Don’t Break the Oath, in 1984 which had a much needed and improved production quality. 1985 brought the band worldwide attention when they were included in Tipper Gore’s PMRC campaign and subsequent list of “the filthy fifteen” artists with songs that the campaign found especially insidious. Their song, Into The Coven was included for references to the occult and Satanism. Also in that year, internal tensions in the band drove them to break up, with Diamond, Hansen, and Denner going on to play in the King Diamond solo act. Hank Sherman started a pop-rock band called Fate and Kim Ruzz retired from music and became a postal worker. Two really good posthumous releases came in later years; The Beginning in ’87 and Return Of The Vampire in ’92. These albums contain odd rarities like demos, bootlegs, and b
-sides from ’80 to ’82; and like Melissa they have that horrendous audio quality that adds to the mystique of the band. In 1993 the band decided to try it again and reformed with everyone except Kim Ruzz. Since then they’ve released five albums; In The Shadows in ’93, Time in ’94, Into The Unknown in ’96, Dead Again in ’98, and 9 in ’99. Along the way Hansen and Denner left, leaving Diamond and Sherman as the only original members. Since 2000 Mercyful Fate has been on an indefinite hiatus because strangely, they have no financial backing to record or tour.
The Lawnmower Boy
A Mercyful Fate tape was never far from my walkman. As a teenager, I mowed lawns for cash like many do, and always had a clunky cassette player strapped to my hip. I was a confirmed teenage Heavy Metal Warrior, and I definitely fought the good fight for the cause. A fan of what’s called the Golden Age of Metal, I gravitated toward Metal that someone 10 years older than I would like. I virtually listened to no contemporary music in the early ‘90s and would cringe or step up to the soapbox and preach about today’s music when some poor soul would mention or even allude to Grunge or Alternative. While my friends were listening to Pantera and Metallica, I was happily at home listening to my Iron Maiden and Judas Priest. And even today, if it’s going to be Metal, for me it’s going to be Metal that was produced or made by a band that’s
been firmly established before 1985. Nowadays I’ve long since retired my Metal armor – as it’s definitely a genre that caters to the minds and hearts of adolescent males – although every now and then, I’ll don the battle gear and reminisce about the times of yore while I mow my own lawn even though no one pays me.
Song & Dance Men
From my point of view, Mercyful Fate is not an evil entity. They’re musical performers that earn their dinner with song and dance. Listening to them is like watching an old black and white horror movie on Halloween; harmless and fun. It makes me chuckle when people take it seriously because they and Geraldo are entertainers in every sense, capitalizing on their niche. And the fad of Satanism in the ‘80s was good for many, whether it be bands singing about the depths of Hell or mock investigative reporters doing specials on the topic. Everyone was out to make a profit and business was good.
In the early ‘80s, Denmark produced one of its finest exports in the form of a Heavy Metal band called, Mercyful Fate. Although I wouldn’t discover them until long after their demise; I feel that I carry the torch in a sense for this band, because I’ve been a fan for more than half my life, and most importantly, I still enjoy their music.
The first time I heard about them was on some of Geraldo Rivera’s Satanism specials. On the very first episode Geraldo showed some footage of a King Diamond concert with overd
ubbed commentary by the singer and then a solid debunking by Geraldo claiming that Diamond was full of “bull.” Then on a subsequent episode, Geraldo had a panel of formerly troubled adolescents, that when questioned about their old music habits, one of them said he had listened to King Diamond when he used to be in Mercyful Fate. And that was all I needed to connect the dots. While I’d heard King Diamond on his own and thought that the stuff was okay; the Geraldo show made Mercyful Fate out to be a far more intense and dangerous band. This of course piqued my curiosity and drove me to find out more about this relatively obscure band. So I went out and bought their first album on tape; 1983’s Melissa, and I remember being simultaneously disappointed and intrigued. Disappointed because the audio was so bad – it sounded like it was recorded in a basement with a cheap ghetto blaster. Yet it was intriguing for the same reason. Melissa is so low-budget sounding that it adds to the already dark demeanor of the band and subject matter. It’s as if they recorded it in a secret dungeon while satanic rituals were taking place. The band sounded fresh, raw, intense; all the characteristics of a young group that’s hungry for success. Often this is the best a band will ever be because their passion is firmly organic. There are no other factors to corrupt the group’s vision like contracts, money, fame; the trappings that dog established acts and sometimes cripple them permanently. Yet band members unanimously support and push each other in the face of poverty, ill relationships, jobs; anything would be sacrificed for the benefit of the band. It’s a rare instance when one can hear the force that drives the collective spirit of individuals in their pursuit of a common goal.
Some Historical Background
Mercyful Fate came together in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1980. They comprised of; King Diamond(Kim Bendix Petersen) on vocals, Michael Denner on guitar, Hank Sherman(Rene Krolmark) on guitar, Timi 'Grabber' Hansen on bass, and Kim Ruzz on drums. Their most distinguishing factor is Diamond’s appearance and vocals. Obviously influenced by Alice Copper and Kiss, Diamond donned black and white face paint in various guises that usually included an inverted crucifix on his forehead. Known as ‘Ghoul Paint’ the style would later be adopted by a new generation of Scandinavian Black Metal bands. Diamond possesses a unique voice in that his vocal range spans from a low growling type of sound, to a mid tenor and most unusually, a high falsetto that’s mostly associated with R&B and Disco – think Barry Gibb from the Bee Gees getting into a brawl with Freddy Kruger.
"Evil" from Melissa
-sides from ’80 to ’82; and like Melissa they have that horrendous audio quality that adds to the mystique of the band. In 1993 the band decided to try it again and reformed with everyone except Kim Ruzz. Since then they’ve released five albums; In The Shadows in ’93, Time in ’94, Into The Unknown in ’96, Dead Again in ’98, and 9 in ’99. Along the way Hansen and Denner left, leaving Diamond and Sherman as the only original members. Since 2000 Mercyful Fate has been on an indefinite hiatus because strangely, they have no financial backing to record or tour.A recent TV spot with former guitarist, Michael Denner
The Lawnmower Boy
A Mercyful Fate tape was never far from my walkman. As a teenager, I mowed lawns for cash like many do, and always had a clunky cassette player strapped to my hip. I was a confirmed teenage Heavy Metal Warrior, and I definitely fought the good fight for the cause. A fan of what’s called the Golden Age of Metal, I gravitated toward Metal that someone 10 years older than I would like. I virtually listened to no contemporary music in the early ‘90s and would cringe or step up to the soapbox and preach about today’s music when some poor soul would mention or even allude to Grunge or Alternative. While my friends were listening to Pantera and Metallica, I was happily at home listening to my Iron Maiden and Judas Priest. And even today, if it’s going to be Metal, for me it’s going to be Metal that was produced or made by a band that’s
been firmly established before 1985. Nowadays I’ve long since retired my Metal armor – as it’s definitely a genre that caters to the minds and hearts of adolescent males – although every now and then, I’ll don the battle gear and reminisce about the times of yore while I mow my own lawn even though no one pays me.Song & Dance Men
From my point of view, Mercyful Fate is not an evil entity. They’re musical performers that earn their dinner with song and dance. Listening to them is like watching an old black and white horror movie on Halloween; harmless and fun. It makes me chuckle when people take it seriously because they and Geraldo are entertainers in every sense, capitalizing on their niche. And the fad of Satanism in the ‘80s was good for many, whether it be bands singing about the depths of Hell or mock investigative reporters doing specials on the topic. Everyone was out to make a profit and business was good.
"A Dangerous Meeting" from Don't Break The Oath
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4 comments:
I like how you ended it with that song. It all flows beautifully in what you are trying to convey. Rock on beast! : )
"While my friends were listening to Pantera and Metallica..."
I know you were talking about me! Nooooooooo!!!
Give me ONE Mercyful Fate track I must hear. Then we'll see what happens.
...yes but you were more of a Zeppelin and Sepultura fan.
You must listen to Evil, from Melissa - then you shall be converted...
OMG, I just read your recommendation... And I'm on it.
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