Search - Mercyful Fate :: Don't Break the Oath / Return of the Vampire

A long, long time ago, before 18 was 9, there was a band....

Eric H | Chicagoland | 08/17/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"...Called Mercyful Fate. And it was good. Metalheads all over Europed and America reveled in the beefy, distorted goodness. Christians looked away in horror, witches made brews filled with eye of newt and cat hair, and all over the world Michael Jackson was much, much, much more popular then any other musical entity because Pop music is for sissies. But then a fault appeared, and the chimera that was Mercyful Fate tragically was split in two.



But before all that, they made a few albums. Like this one! Then the record company re-released it with a fancy new collection of old demo songs. So without further ado, let's crack open this mummy and have a look see. If I needed a scalpel, this is where I would ask for it!



Don't Break the Oath was Mercyful Fate's sophomore release that had the fairly difficult task of following in the footsteps of Melissa -- known for her prodigiously large feet. Anyway, this album may possibly be one of my favorites to listen to when I feel like wailing to the moon for blood. The riffs are such that my regularly advanced tongue is unable to describe them in any manner other then "awesome", "badass", and "transcendent". The guitar of Mr. Shermann and Mr. Denner both deserve top marks for their leads and rythym's own indepedent qualities. The riffs combine the headbanging goodness of Iron Maiden with the bong-rattling vibes of Judas Priest. No, this isn't Rush, and the songs aren't ultra-complex. But that matters not. The songs are all great nonetheless. I've always believed that you do not need to have fingers of gold to make a great song. If it sounds good, the songs good. And this album sounds like metal silk. The vocals make you think for one second that Rob Halford might have been turned into an even eviler version of Rob Halford, and the rhythm section of drums and bass both do their greatest (and you can actually hear the bass).



I will say that King Diamond's vocals had me flustered at first. I couldn't make heads or tails of it. But once it snuck it's way into my subconscious I was unable to rid it like brain parasites or something. His singing is frankly the eeriest I've heard in a metal band.



I have had this album for nigh on two years, and it still gets heavy play in my CD rotation. It never fails to put me in a good mood and remind me why I love Heavy Metal. Normally I care not for bands concerned with acting evil and pretending to be satanists for show and all that trite (I'm looking in your direction, Glen Benton), but Mercyful Fate is awarded a full pardon for this alleged crime. It's so good I don't care.



Now, onto the second disc, Return of the Vampire. This is simply a collection of songs from the bands early days before they released anything professionally. The songs just have different names, lyrics, structures, and leads. So this means you will recognize riffs and solos and melodies and other parts of songs that were re-worked and tooled around until they settled with the versions on the LP you probably already know and love. Obviously, you don't NEED it, but if you are into the bands history then you will appreciate it.



All in all, this was a purchase I am happy to have made. My only regret is that I can't listen to it for a first time again. If you like Maiden, Priest, Venom, early Metallica, or Heavy Metal in general, then buy this post-haste."