MERCYFUL FATE

MySpace

The official KING DIAMOND @ myspace is now open : www.myspace.com/kingdiamond

albums:

3 Demo - 1981

Nuns Have No Fun /EP - 1982
Melissa - 1983
Dont Break The Oath - 1984
The Beginning - 1987
Return Of The Vampire - 1992
In The Shadows - 1993
The Bell Witch - 1994
Time - 1994
Into The Unknown - 1996
Dead Again - 1998
9 - 1999

Evil /single - 2009

V/A - Tribute To MERCYFUL FATE 1997
V/A - The Unholy Sounds Of The Demon Bell - A Tribute To Mercyful Fate 1999

MERCYFUL FATE-Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA 1995 (Video)

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Смотреть также :

KING DIAMOND

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Посмотреть ВИДЕО /Look VIDEO

В конце 70-х гитаристы Ханк Шерманн и Майкл Деннер играли в
малоизвестной в Европе, но довольно известной у себя дома в Дании
панковской команде "Brats". Когда группа успешно развалилась они
организовали другой проект "Danger zone". Помимо них туда также вошли
вокалист Кинг Даймонд (Ким Петерсон), басист Тими Граббер и ударник Ким
Разз. Даймонд к тому времени уже прославился своими "кровавыми" шоу в
"Black rose". Он же со своим вокалом определил направление новой
команды, далеко отличное от панка. Записав свою первую демку группа
решила поменять вывеску на "Mercyful fate". "Love Criminals" была
запущена в тяжелую ротацию на датском радио, благодаря чему о
коллективе заговорили. Далее последовали еще две демоленты, причем
последняя оказалась настолько сильной, что группой заинтересовались
солидные дядьки из английской "Ebony Records". С их помощью композиция
"Black Funeral" попала на металлический сборник "Metallic Storm".

Чуть позже интерес к "Mercyful fate" проявила голландская
фирма "Rave On", на которой в 1982 году вышел первый мини-альбом
"Corpse Without A Soul". Теперь команду заметили и за океаном и
американский журнал "Metal Mania" обозвал пластинку "EP года".

Зарулив с концертами весной 1983 года в Англию группа заодно
записала несколько треков ("Evil", "Satans Fall", "Curse Of The
Pharoahs") для радио BBC. Дальнейшим ходом стало заключение контрактов
с европейской "Roadrunner" и британской "Music For Nations". В 1983
году на прилавках появился альбом "Melissa", названный так в честь
датской средневековой ведьмы. Вкупе с живыми шоу пластинка имела
неплохой успех. "Mercyful fate" устроили диску должный промоушен
выступая с концертами вместе с Гилланом, "Uriah heep" и "Girlschool". В
1984-м вышел второй альбом "Don't Break The Oath", имевший гораздо
больший успех, чем его предшественник. Впервые группа отправилась за
океан, где поиграв на разогреве у "Motorhead" сама выступила в качестве
хедлайнеров.

В общем все шло хорошо, как вдруг в 1985-м году команду
оставил Шерманн, решивший основать более коммерческий проект, "Fate".
Кинг, почесав репу, прихватил с собой Деннера и Граббера (взявшего
псевдоним Тими Хансен) и организовал "King Diamond".

Спустя восемь лет ему пришла в голову идея возродить "Mercyful
fate", на что Шерманн, Деннер и Хансен ответили согласием. Вместо Кима
Разза, подавшегося в почтальоны за ударные посадили Мортена Нельсона.
Возвращение группы состоялось на легендарном фестивале "Dynamo" в
Эйндховене в июне 1993-го. На камбэке того же года "In The Shadows" в
качестве гостя принял участие Ларс Ульрих из "Металлики". Несмотря на
то что прошло много лет, музыка коллектива практически не изменилась.
Хотя все думали, что возрожденный проект будет недолгим, музыкантам
понравилось играть вместе и они продолжили совместную работу. В начале
1996-го за ударную установку сел Бьорн Ти Холм, а чуть позже в команде
появился новый басист Шарли Д'Анжело.

Пока в 1997 году большинство музыкантов "Mercyful fate" было
занято в сторонних проектах "Roadrunner Records" отремастерила ранние
работы группы и добавив туда бонусные треки выпустила их в свет.
Тенденция к сайд-проектам продолжилась и дальше, хотя группа выпускала
пластинки и выступала с концертами. Сам же Кинг Даймонд успевал
работать и в "Mercyful fate" и в своем "King Diamond".// http://people.h15.ru/

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История King Diamond в 9 главах

Из специального выпуска журнала ROCK-CITY

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english wikipedia

Mercyful Fate is an influential Danish First Wave of Black Metal
group who are often cited among the influences in the black metal,
thrash metal, power metal, and progressive metal genres. They are also
credited as a pioneering band of the first wave of black metal.

The band was founded in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1980 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.

In early 1982, the band contributed to the Ebony Records
sampler Metallic Storm. Later on in the year, Mercyful Fate recorded
their first material, Nuns Have No Fun, 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 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.

In July of 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 have released
four more 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, King
Diamond disbanded Mercyful Fate and continued his solo career.
Following the split, 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 an interview with Metal Israel in 2005, King Diamond
elaborated on the band's split and the possibility of a new album,
claiming that "it's impossible for me to live off Mercyful Fate... I
can still live from King Diamond." Diamond claims that Mercyful Fate
still has a contract and could record another record, but it would have
to be done only as a hobby and when he is not touring, because he
cannot make any money off the Mercyful Fate record and has to support
himself through his solo venture

"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.