Mercyful Fate – Melissa
Mercyful Fate – Melissa
Metal Blade
Release Date: 30/10/23
Running Time: 40:16
Review by Rick Eaglestone
10/10
To coincide with the 40th anniversary of their debut album “Melissa” the coven that is Mercyful Fate, released for the first time in digital format the 2005 remaster from Ted Jansen.
Now as this my all time favourite Mercyful Fate album I went and listened to the original 1983 version and after trying to find my copy of the 2005 cd version that has a ton of bonus tracks to no avail to then learn this was just the remaster of the studio album, I immediately threw the headphones on and practically put up a mental do not disturb sign and to treat this as a first time listen, which is quite an impossible task as I listen to album a lot.
Right from the outset and the opening riff to ‘Evil’ comes through I have a good feeling that I am going to enjoy this as it already feels very well crafted and a labour of love rather than just a cash cow.
‘Curse of the Pharaohs’ effortlessly glides into the melodies and solos of ‘Into the Coven’ which I can confirm is still one of my favourite guitar pieces, the intro still gives me goosebumps, so it’s already achieved its objective.
The trio of ‘At the Sound of the Demon Bell’ ‘Black Funeral’ and ‘Satan’s Fall’ (all eleven and half minutes) really highlight the album’s endearing qualities and now what has become the signature vocal delivery from King Diamond himself.
All that is left is the album’s title track which is not only the best track on the album but is also one of my all time favourite tracks ever. This is the big moment and quite honestly there isn’t a moment on this remaster where this doesn’t solely encapsulate everything I adored about this band for easily 3 quarters of my life! The balance of vocal isolation and subtle highlights have only made this a great experience which I have no issue with visiting again and again…
‘Evil’ Official video
TRACKLISTING:
01. Evil
02. Curse Of The Pharaohs
03. Into The Coven
04. At the Sound of the Demon Bell
05. Black Funeral
06. Satan’s Fall
07. Melissa
LINE-UP:
King Diamond – Vocals
Michael Denner– Guitar
Hank Shermann– Guitar
Timi Grabber – Bass
Kim Ruzz – Drums
LINKS:
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