Mercyful Fate

EPs have always existed in music in some form or fashion, but to my knowledge this is the earliest example of an EP with all original material in heavy metal that would never be re-recorded. Just a standalone package. This is noteworthy of course because quite a few other metal bands (mostly European) would put out EPs in the 80s, presumably to keep the momentum of the first album's success going or to create hype for the upcoming debut. Personally, I'm glad these songs weren't re-recorded for Melissa because I always found Melissa's production to be rather muffling especially when you compare it to this. Go ahead, play the first minute or so of Corpse Without Soul and compare it with the first minute of Evil. The former sounds like the band is screaming right there, painting hexes and pentagrams in your face, whereas Melissa sounds like you are listening to them next door. Both are enjoyable, but it's not quite the same.

We have four songs here, and just about all of them could have been a highlight had they been on either of the first two albums, and would have stood head and shoulders above all else In The Shadows. I imagine most people have heard A Corpse Without Soul, or at least the 30 seconds that Metallica covered in that little medley of theirs (you'd think they've have preferred to do the breakdown sections that are somewhat within James's range), and King Diamond's vocal range will be the one thing most people are not expecting. But those people need to hear the actual near 7 minutes themselves, as they feature of wide cavalcade of riffs, harmonies and unholy screams. This EP features King's rawest and fiercest vocal performances. The scream around 6:43 is particularly shocking and high-pierced.

The next song, Nuns Have No Fun is an oddball. Despite being the most offensive song lyrically (how the hell did Tipper Gore not discover this?), musically this is more or less Living After Midnight (another reason why I don't take the "Mercyful Fate is black metal" argument seriously). Definitely the weakest song on here. While its not wimpy by any stretch, I can't help but wonder how much better this EP would have turned out if the band had recorded Burning The Cross, Return of the Vampire or even Mission: Destroy Aliens for this.

Doomed By The Living Dead is another Priest style scorcher, but it's Devil Eyes that blows the roof off the joint for my money. People are going to either love this song, or hate it, simply because of the chorus and the King's unholy screaming. Hell I was turned off from it for a while, but what brought me back was Hank and Michael's brilliant guitar work (I dare you to not break your neck around 4:44). Devil Eyes is also a career highlight for drummer Kim Ruzz. The intro fill is of course killer, but the way he holds that pocket while maintaining the songs heaviness (with hi-hat sixteenth notes, no less) is probably the most underrated drumming performance in metal.

If you love Melissa and Don't Break The Oath, you'll love this as well. Hell if you love metal you'll love this. From what I recall the best way to get is those 2-for-1 comps that Roadrunner puts out with their catalog (which already has Melissa attached to it anyways, heh). But get it whichever way you can!

Hey....why does that nun have a pentagram on her panties, anyway?

As EPs go, this one has garnered quite a lot of attention. As opening statements go, that is slightly underwhelming, but you may understand my lukewarm tone in a moment, when I try to convince you that this has a few problems rather than being close to perfection as many have suggested in previous reviews. The reason why Mercyful Fate’s first official release has attracted so much interest is basically because it is somewhat of a milestone and the kicking-off point for a band of almost unparalleled reputation in our world. I would like to forgo the history lesson, but it’s necessary: go ahead and compare this to other heavy metal releases from 1982 and tell me that this isn’t a step ahead both in terms of ideas and execution, such as the audacious vocals, the mysterious tone of the riffs, and the darkness of the lyrics, not to mention the glory of the leads.

Essentially, Mercyful Fate was a release that took everything just a step or two further than the likes of Iron Maiden, Angel Witch, and Satan, who were a little safe in comparison to this bunch of Danes. That is empirically evident from the intense screeching of King Diamond’s vocals on the opening song, the dirtier riffing on ‘Doomed by the Living Dead’, plus the excess of the concepts and themes. The four songs on this EP range from good to great, with ‘A Corpse Without Soul’ probably taking the pick due to its excellent structuring and irresistible riffing, while ‘Nuns Have No Fun’ is the weakest effort, not attaining the same distinctive character as the others. Plenty has been written in the other reviews about the riskiness of the style, the memorability of the songs, and the majesty of Hank Shermann and Michael Denner playing leads until your jaw gets gravel burn from its constant contact with the ground. I don’t want to rub in those elements, so please assume those things are already said and let me branch off in another direction.

One of the issues with Mercyful Fate as a historical entity is that they have been associated with the rise of black metal. While it’s true that their prominence has advanced the instances of Satanism in metal and King Diamond’s facepaint rubbed off on the Norwegians, there is much more to tie this release in with power metal or even hard rock. The power metal part isn’t an issue in itself, especially considering that Mercyful Fate actually precedes the European power metal movement, but it’s more the fact that Diamond’s vocals are mostly high-pitched here and occasionally horribly so, such as on ‘Devil Eyes’, where he just keeps screaming the title at dog-whistle level. You could also tie the lead work into power metal, though that is harmonically balanced and doesn’t cause any pain, whereas I just can’t enjoy Diamond’s contribution at times. The reason why I have the words hard rock in this paragraph is because ‘Nuns Have No Fun’ is distinctly not the same style as the rest of the release, using chord-based riffs for part of the time and a fairly typical NWOBHM guitar line for the refrain, operating on a kind of thuggish uptempo Judas Priest strut that can’t offer much until the lead breaks kick in and Diamond sounds like the real deal on the “Nuns have no fun, they just have their fathers and sons” verse.

The end result of those mixed styles is that you are likely to become either distracted, frustrated, or both by the collisions between different ideas, since there are things that don’t mix well at all. That ranges from little things, such as the opposing moods of the backing vocals and the lead vocals at the beginning of ‘A Corpse Without Soul’ to the big things, for example the juxtaposition of the aforementioned opener’s creepy, speedy rush with the tepid hard rock that immediately follows it on ‘Nuns Have No Fun’. It’s up and down in that sense, nor does it add to the drama, though there is the argument that Mercyful Fate were essentially adding to several genres with each new song and each new riff. The part that disappoints me the most is the tendency of the band to overdo some of the great elements, such as that attention-seeking solo that opens the EP and Diamond’s vocals that are sometimes just too much. Just to show I’m not a sour bastard though, I'd like to mention that his scream at the end of ‘A Corpse Without Soul’ is just fucking perfect.

What that leaves us with is a mini-album full of ideas, most of them excellent but some of them misdirected, resulting in an exciting experience though not a fully satisfying one. Some bumps in production and vocal gymnastics would be sorted out before the Melissa full-length the following year, while the awkward meeting of styles would take until Don't Break the Oath to settle down. Some may say that the rawness and unpredictability of Mercyful Fate adds to its cult charm, but for me it undermines the high level of technical prowess and dreamily perfect sections that do exist here. However, even bearing that in mind, it would be stupid not to listen to it, since it really is quite good.

Ya know, being such a big fan of Mercyful Fate, I cannot believe that I have never heard of this EP before I joined this website four months back, and boy am I glad that I discovered this. I've always been a sucker for Melissa and Don't Break The Oath, as I love them both a little too much. But wow, this one is right up there with both of them.

For being one of the very first releases not being a demo, this is truly amazing and complex work, so they certainly have a passion for being great musicians. The guitar work blows my mind, as we are hit with an incredible solo right off the bat in "A Corpse Without A Soul". This one being very lengthy leaves us with no filler and instead shoots us with speed and aggression, although not in a harsh way. The guitars are very fast, and are almost played in a speed metal style. As speedy as this is, you can tell that it was also clearly influenced by earlier classic metal acts, such as Scorpions. With such a combo, we have guitar work that is absolutely flawless, with riffing and solos alike. The instrumentation has a lot of variety, as some parts give off more of a classic rock feel. This is best heard in the beginning of "Devil Eyes", as this one starts off in a more upbeat tone and isn't quite as mystic and dark sounding as the rest of the songs. A lot of them are given an edgy, doom impending feeling to the listener, which is very effective. This one, just doesn't seem to do that, at least not right away. The instrumentation on Mercyful Fate in its entirety has such a wide variety for only four songs, that nobody could possibly get bored with this, as there are classic rock, classic metal, and speed metal hooks to it, with a dark and doomy atmosphere.

Of course, that dark and doomy atmosphere would be nothing without The King's impressive and unique vocal work. Here he probably delivers some of the heaviest vocals I have ever heard coming from him, as he sounds angry in some of the songs. You can tell by the energy given off that he really puts a lot of force into his voice, and the long, extremely high notes, are done in such a masterful way that it's right up there with Halford and Dickinson. And of course, this voice alone adds to the atmosphere of all of the music. It just makes it sound ghostly and hazy, something that could come right out of a horror movie. With all of these elements, it is surprisingly very melodic. At no point does it lose this, and carries a nice beat that anyone could jam to. All of the great vocal and instrumentation makes for amazing song structure, as nothing is really missing anything. There's great riffage in all of the songs, and none of them are repetitive or too simple. The solos are thrown in everywhere, making things unpredictable, and the vocal work to top all of it off and lay out the signature sound Mercyful Fate will continue to carry out in the future. Same thing can be said about the music writing, as the lyrics are very themed towards satanism and evil entities in this world. Sometimes when a band sticks to this, it can sound like a fourteen year old wrote the lyrics, but not here. They are written well and intricately despite the topic being centered mostly around one main theme. This incredible release of an EP was one of the greatest starts to a band's career, and was a great warning to the public of what is yet to come. Written well, entertaining, heavy as fuck, and chilling to the bones.

This isn't bad by any stretch of the imagination. Each of the four songs are well-written and performed to their best of their abilities. For a, at the time, new band this isn't even poor production. It simply does not fit Mercyful Fate, particularly Diamond, or add to anything else. Before I get to that, I'll hit the good parts.

The songs are as capably composed as anything they would do later, which is great, as their compositions are often better and more varied than most prog metal bands. It also contains the energy associated with a band's early work. You can feel a certain enthusiasm underneath it all. The lyrics are also fair, as there's a reasonable diversity between each of the song's topics. My personal favorite is probably Nuns Have No Fun. The chorus is very fun and surprisingly catchy. Every song on here is good is one way or another, but the flaws pretty much hold them to just good.

There are two major problems with this EP. The first is their limited playing ability. There is practically none of the neoclassical flourishes from the guitarists that Mercyful Fate are associated with. The riffing is good, but it doesn't quite stack up to what would be done later. The drumming here is also extremely stock. Ruzz would improve a great deal on the next album, but he's pushing Dave Holland territory on here. Now to the production, Diamond has his full range on display here. The problem is that it sounds bizarre here, as his shrieks sound far weaker than usual, and his vocals as a whole are a good deal thinner than what came out later. Some of this may just be that he hadn't harnessed certain things yet, but the production is still too raw on his vocals. Another problem with the production is that it has no atmospheric properties. The job on Melissa gave me the feeling of residing in a darkened cemetery, and the treble job on Don't Break the Oath reminded me of hell-fire rising and falling to the guitars. This does nothing towards either atmosphere and doesn't substitute a different one in their stead. Much of Mercyful Fate's charm is their atmosphere, so the lack of a strong one is a serious drawback.

In the end, this is a good EP, but I can't give it the kind of praise others do. The technical acumen is not where it would be and the production does nothing for Diamond or the atmosphere. This is iconic though, right down to the artwork. The major bands, especially thrash, that were influenced by this are numerous. The songwriting is strong and the energy's on high, so I would still recommend someone get these songs if they are a big Fate or Diamond fan as it's quality is not bad, but merely closer to good than stellar.

A single, ominous note, then a destructively insane guitar lead – so opens Mercyful Fate’s first ode to indecency and chaos. Behind the haze of early ‘80s hard rock megalomaniacs, a deadly curse lurks, waiting to steal your soul… This is no primitive tongue-in-cheek Venom. No, Mercyful Fate staked out their own territory through their crazed guitarists’ manic shredding and killer riffs – a land where Satan rules supreme, where honesty and saintliness are persecuted. This is the underground of 1982, where a kingdom of evil has begun its quest for domination… where all is black – the sky, the hearts of men, and especially the metal.

Denner and Shermann display a musical athleticism only matched by their unaware precursors in Judas Priest and perhaps London’s street-smart Iron Maiden. They pull diabolic leads and riffs from the netherworld with no regard to the demons within pulling them into the mist. Every riff, every solo – all exude a love, an obsession for the occult. The aforementioned opening sequence in “A Corpse Without Soul” ranks among the top work of Mercyful Fate’s career, and, not content with simply tearing the listener to pieces, the guitarists batter the remains with continuous maniacal musicianship reminiscent of the best Tipton and Downing compositions. Further guitar proficiency, whether it be the oddly “Living After Midnight” styled riffing in the beginning of “Nuns Have No Fun” or the malevolent riffs throughout “Doomed by the Living Dead,” asserts itself throughout the EP’s twenty-two minute duration. A highly competent rhythm section, subtly texturing the music’s demonically organic production with an extra feeling of monstrosity, backs this incredible performance.

And straight out of hell, Kim Bendix Petersen, better known as King Diamond, shrieks, screeches, and growls his way through four Satanic heavy metal classics. That screech at the end of the opening rite is so high-register that it’s likely even Rob Halford in his prime couldn’t reproduce it. Other passages King Diamond shadows with black emotion include his command to “say goodbye to all your holy angels” (which is followed by a melodic but still dark guitar section), his crooning over “long black hair,” and his disturbing falsetto wail of the final track’s title. That’s not even mentioning his vulgar chanting in “Nuns Have No Fun.”

Welcome to Hell had nothing on this. It’s easy to take a simple pentagram and stick it on the cover of an album – and after all, Venom were never quite serious – but it’s another thing entirely to grace the music with a black-and-white image of a virgin sacrifice. There is absolutely nothing holy about Mercyful Fate here, despite what such a name might lead some to believe. Even though the band would release two more majestically evil masterpieces before splitting up the first time, nothing would ever compare to the fury evident on their first EP.

Mercyful Fate's debut release has always felt like metal's best kept secret. While most Mercy fans know and love the EP, I have always felt that it has been overshadowed by Melissa and Don't Break the Oath. Although those two albums will probably remain Mercy's most cited legacy (deservedly so), the black magic began with the legendary EP.

The production is decent, if not raw. I can remember King saying that he felt that the sound on the album was a bit weak. As hard as it is to disagree with King (the man knows his shit), I feel that the production of the album fits Mercy's sound and atmosphere quite well, especially at this early juncture of their career.

The album kicks off with a fucking face melter. A Corpse Without Soul is a metal classic. The solo that starts off the song and the album is one of my favorites in all of metal. The song clocks in at just under seven minutes and has several time changes and a badass main riff, possibly the apotheosis of early Mercyful Fate. As a whole, the album has a definite NWOBHM sound mixed with Mercy's brilliant soloing and proto-thrash riffing. The main riff in Doomed by the Living Dead may not be technically thrash, but it definitely harnesses the thrash "attitude" that would soon be a prominent force in metal. Denner and Sherman's playing is amazing.The guitar riffs, solos, and melodies complement each other perfectly.
Another highlight of the album is King's vocal performance. As mentioned earlier, this album has a raw edge to it, strangely, the production enhances King falsetto. The vocals on this album have a very live feel to them. They aren't as layered as future releases, and it is very easy to imagine a young King in a shitty studio in Denmark screaming like a banshee. The last line in A Corpse Without Soul is absolutely classic, King's piercing scream before the track ends always makes me smile.

The EP's only flaw is that it is an EP. With only four songs it is not hard to figure out why this release is not as popular as the two full length albums that were both released within the next two years. This album may not be quite as important as Melissa or Don't Break the Oath, but it is every bit as good. A brilliant piece of metal, both historically and musically.

Back about a week ago, I reviewed Running Wild's Under Jolly Roger. Near the end of the review, I mentioned that the overall album score is average of each individual song on a 1-10 scale, and that because of this, I would never give a 100%.

Well, slap my ass and call me Barbara, I've found a perfect record.

My friend gave me this a long while ago. He, knowing I was a big Mercyful Fate fan, and also knowing that Melissa is probably one of my top 10 favorite metal albums of all time, told me to listen to the EP that came out before Melissa, it would blow me away. I told him that is like trying to out-nuke something, once you've been hit by one, nothing can ever compare. Melissa is easily one of the most important albums that helped define my taste in music, so much so that another buddy of mine's phone plays Black Funeral when I call him. Seriously, I cannot underestimate how much that album means to me.

I've been wrong before, but I've never felt more stupid than this time. This has been on my computer for a long time, just idly sitting after Melissa on my playlist. Well I was listening to Melissa a few days ago, and instead of switching to something once the title track was done, I absentmindedly let it run. That has fast become one of the most glorious little missteps of my metal listening career. A quick opening chord cut through my speakers, and then a blistering lead grabbed me by the nuts and bashed my face into the computer screen. I won't lie, I was slightly familiar with the opening track, Corpse Without a Soul, because of Metallica's medley of Mercyful Fate songs. Holy SHIT is it intense here. The leads are insane, the riffs are catchy, the bass is audible, and most of all... King fucking Diamond. This EP captures his arguably best performance ever. So raw, unadulterated, and fucking intense. That wail at the end is one of the most breathtaking screeches in the history of heavy metal. Yes, I AM comparing it to the opening of Angel of Death, it's that legendary.

Now, I feel that it deserves special mention that the King is at his absolute best here. I am a huge fan of King Diamond, and absolutely adore his performances on the first two MF records and most of his solo career, he is easily one of the greatest vocalists in heavy metal history... and I made that claim BEFORE I heard Nuns Have No Fun. This may have just put him in the top 3, I just cannot put into words how great it is. Like most youngsters whose ears are only just blossoming into the wonderful world of heavy fucking metal, I couldn't stand his voice at first. But I thought all of the riffs on Melissa were great, so I tolerated them. And again, like most metal neophytes, his voice grew on me like a fungus. But a good fungus, like a fungus that makes your dick grow to mind numbing proportions.

The other three songs on this little slice of perfection are no different. They all completely destroy from beginning to end. Nuns Have No Fun is perfect by Mercyful Fate standards, and Doomed by the Living Dead and Devil Eyes beyond perfect by ANYbody's standards.

I can't stop gushing, so I'll wrap it up here. Riffs are solid, catchy, and infectious. Leads are astounding, bass is great, vocals soar and rank as the most unadulterated and intense that King Diamond has ever recorded. If there is anything I could say could be improved, it's that the drumming is a little typical. But it matches great, so you can't really ask for much more... not everybody can be Gene Hoglan.

In the end, the very first (and probably last) perfect score you'll ever see from me. The shortage of songs may have helped in the perfect score, but that doesn't stop this from being one of the greatest slices of metal I have ever heard. Would I rank it above the much coveted Melissa? Maybe a tie, I don't know if it's above yet though. The only thing that drags Melissa down is the title track.... Oh well, this here is required listening for all metalheads. Get your hands on this NOW.

One chord. That’s all that stands in between the listener and the scorching guitar solo that begins one of the most explosive and memorable debut records in all of metal history, not to mention one of the greatest EP’s ever. Mercyful Fate’s eponymous debut laid the groundwork for their entire subsequent career and set up an artistic peak that they would rarely match in the years and albums and solo offshoots to come. Pay attention kids: rarely will you get to hear an album this evil and this hilarious and this original and this fucking metal with the endless stream of bullshit flooding the scene these days.

The brief chord that opens the album does very little to prepare the listener for the fretboard fireworks that would immediately succeed it in the opening sequence of “A Corpse Without Soul.” Nearly seven minutes of the sweetest non-British NWOBHM you can find, this song is a time-tested classic. Full of spirited leadwork and quality riffage of all kinds, this song also serves as the worldwide introduction to vocalist King Diamond. Newbies be warned: his shrill trademark falsetto is love it or hate it. But luckily, this is a Mercyful Fate album and not one of his solo forays, so he makes sure to utilize his sinister lower register just as much. And it’s not just his unique voice that individualizes this band; his occultic lyrics reach depths previously untouched by anyone but Sabbath and Venom. And with the ultra-heavy proto-thrash riffs that occasionally rearing their nasty heads and Diamond’s trademark facepaint, it’s no wonder this band was oft associated with the first wave of black metal. But anyway, the first track fucking owns. Undisputed highlight of the EP, right from the offset.

By track two, the band are already in completely different territory, exercising their ability to craft rockin’ 80’s style metal. Besides showcasing the awesome, lead-happy guitarwork, sweet harmonized riffage (more reminiscent of Thin Lizzy than Iron Maiden, though there’s plenty of riff progressions that Di’anno-era fans should embrace with open arms), and some more rad basswork, the lyrics to “Nuns Have No Fun” are downright hilarious, in the most morbid way possible of course. But even this glorious track pales in comparison to the ungodly “Doomed by the Living Dead.” Speed up that opening riff a bit and it wouldn’t look the slightest bit out of place on a Kreator album. Hell, don’t speed it up and it’d probably still work. And then the fact that it’s juxtaposed with that melodic chorus demonstrates the high level of compositional genius these boys were at. I changed my mind. THIS is the album’s highlight, hands down.

Finally, “Devil Eyes” wraps this one up with more classic riffage and some unconventionally rock ‘n’ roll drumming. It’s a bit more straightforward than those that came before it, but killer nonetheless, climaxing in a lengthy out-section. I know I’ve said it before, but there ain’t a bad number on this album either. Four out of four classic metal songs. Another thing to consider about this EP is its production; specifically that it’s heavier and rawer (read: better) than their acclaimed debut Melissa. Why they changed up their sound for their full-lengths I’m not aware, because this is about as good as it gets for these boys’ style.

And that’s about all I have to say about that. This is one of the pinnacles of Mercyful Fate, of NWOBHM, and of first wave black metal, so woe to him who cannot overcome their distaste for Diamond’s demonic shrieking to enjoy the badass riffage, abundant guitar solos, and tightly instituted musicianship. Say goodbye to all your fuckin’ angels, this is Mercyful Fate.

“…so just say goodbye to all your fucking angels…”

On any level, Mercyful Fate’s ’82 debut was state-of-the-art metal, an accomplishment short in length but long in gravity and stood dead center in the small, obscure pentagram of the style. Fading cemetery mist reveals the band’s disgust for the commandments of commercialism and the rules of regularity, allowing this distant beam of darkness to burn a hole with a religious belief system that's always been universally feared, frightening, and forbidden. Aye, sonic plots are thickening like a witch’s recipe, and with four odes to everlasting fire the five-piece sculpt metal that’s skillfully expressive and modern in construction, yet in creation is festooned with gothic arches, leering gargoyles, and the alluring balm of brimstone. It was a small, fresh slice of what was to ornament the underground’s bedroom walls.

As more bands outside Britain joined the NWOBHM sound invasion, a lightly used term like Euro metal (sometimes without the space, sans capitalization) enveloped the continent as a whole and suited bands like Heavy Load, Killer (Bel), Overdrive (Swe), Accept, and our heroes here. With this landmark ep, our Scandinavian outfit establishes itself every iota as talented and forthcoming as any of the UK’s preferred stock that had currently led the game. Regardless, England was still the most rototilled land of metal, but this gang of grim-eyed rabble-rousers gazed over a countryside that was speckled with mere dabblers in darkness, oglers of the occult. Mercyful Fate were Satanically parallel to Venom but performed across landscapes that were musically the opposite, and Venom itself was the antipode to (yet considered part of) an entire genre rife with adolescent (sounding) bar bands, clean-shaven rip-snorters trying to sound tough, mainstream nobles getting all the glory, and, more inclined to their heritage, heavy rock bands continuing the stone age path onto a metallic highway. MF was Venom substituting virtuosity for chaos, enlightenment for boorishness, and remained loyal to a hemisphere most southern and infernal.

While ahead of its time, in its natural course of life the ep inhales the dread air of ‘70s metal hesitation (or, if you prefer, rock indecision) and exhales a formula striding with unusual conviction, unexpected polish, and unconfined faith within its black self. One can sense the nocturnal shadow of The Crazy World of Arthur Brown haunting their imagination. One can smell the cryptic candles of Coven and Black Widow illuminating their origin. It was a project of dark horse proportion that a supposedly foreboding band like Witchfynde couldn’t compete with on its best day musically or in religious reverie, and was something encouraging on a still-blooming metal horizon already ablaze with all kinds of vibrant colors.

As far as origins go, Fate’s isn’t so lost to memory anymore, or at least variations of it aren’t. Opening the nutshell, Hank Sherman and Mike Denner (that latter of whom left and returned from the band Danger Zone somewhere in there), at the time members of the CBS Records-claimed and punk-named Brats, tossed their vocalist to hire a 25-year-old King Diamond of unknown Black Rose. Denner integrated Danger Zone members Timi Grabber and Nick Smith into the band newly branded as Mercyful Fate. Drummer Smith would disappear into oblivion as Kim Ruzz appears. Close the nutshell.

Little of MF’s burnt message is poetic in nature or cloaked in metaphoric veils. The blatantly occult cover art, dangerous song titles, and forehead-planted inverted cross on the guy in weird make-up spell nothing but curtains for the moral majority. Front stage center is a character of mystery, this King Diamond, the mortal coil for lungs that are brazen bordering on outlandish, an unholy tenor cum soprano wailing away in his own little diabolical world with a gravitational pull that will eventually rip the band into two camps. A front man’s front man, fright-born theatrics was a pill he swallowed with sinister glee, an unknown Alice Cooper for the eighties with far more Christian bridges to burn.

With not a single known talent in the bunch, five minds joined séance-style and conjured a hamlet of sizzling sonic architecture, looping change-ups and change-overs into imperious “A Corpse Without Soul”, a vat of hell’s fire where near the end King hits such a (probably mistaken) shriek of a note that his throat could only feel like a tattered flag flapping in the wind. Denner and Sherman kick spirited solos back and forth soccer-style while King throws debauchery into lyrics pre-destined to send the masses running. “Nuns Have no Fun” and “Devil Eyes”, both cheekily titled, stir a cauldron of considerate melody, the former darkening as it moves forward while the latter’s chorus is a haven for King’s nosebleed notes. The deliciously devilish “Doomed by the Living Dead” may haunt the dreams of bands like Saxon, Diamond Head and Angel Witch, bands positive of their songwriting strength prior to this ep, yet may have found themselves hesitant of it in its wake.

Collectively, Mercyful Fate demonstrated vital unity, like Maiden with Hell’s agenda under its wing, but the group’s main creative blast was all Hank Sherman and King Diamond (with touches of Denner thrown in here and there), two guys that didn’t always see eye to eye, but gelled when it mattered. This pair will be responsible for some of the most exciting and imaginative metal to scorch Heaven and Earth. The fury of a woman scorned pales to the growing genius of Mercyful Fate, and within the next two years a diminutive, yet mounting gamut of fans will celebrate Hell on Earth.

“…Satan has taken his toll…”

In 1982, the notion of occult or Satanic themed heavy metal was a joke. Very few people were likely to really believe that the members of heavy metal bands were scholars of the religious esoteric, and those that did were usually either the victims of economic fleecing by theatrical preachers and/or bored suburban teens with too much time and LSD on their hands. Even Venom, who’d recently made themselves seem more like bona fide Luciferian subversives than any previous band, were still regarded by the savvy as a bunch of louts using evil imagery to blaze an easy trail to the bank. And while it’s true that more serious purveyors of occult traditions did exist in rock music, they tended to be more towards the odd progressive rock and folk scenes (Black Widow, Coven etc.) than to visit metal’s chapel of amplification.


But unto this scene came Denmark’s Mercyful Fate, and one Kim Bendix Petersen, otherwise known vocalist/composer and dedicated Satanist (note the capitalization…we’re talking the official Church Of Satan here) King Diamond. One of the more unique characters to ever exist in the world of heavy metal, this enigmatic persona wrote complex and heady compositions that were lyrically personal in their embracing of the unknown, as well as adorning his face with greasepaint featuring an inverted cross right in the middle of his forehead. Add to this a debut EP featuring a cartoon-ish but effective sketch of a nubile girl being crucified while hooded beings look on for it’s sleeve illustration, and Mercyful Fate simply could not be ignored or easily explained away.


What is equally inexplicable is how the band’s compositions already had lengthy and fully formed personalities for a debut, as if they’d taken the Goth and grandeur of Judas Priest and their Sad Wings Of Destiny opus into further and more mysterious uncharted waters. Thus tracks like “Doomed By The Living Dead” and “Corpse With No Soul” are marked by shifting tempos, ominous riffs, and above it all, Diamond’s acrobatic voice, capable of both hitch pitched falsetto wails and deep growls, with both ends of his range being arrived at with striking (apparent) ease. And as for the subtle “Nuns Have No Fun,” what can be said about a song armed with an unforgettable riff and lyrics about a Satanist tormenting ladies of the cloth? And in 1982!


Simply put, this record was easily the most notorious and sought after release of its day, and still maintains it’s enigmatic reputation today. Limited in it’s initial pressing, it was quickly sold out and its contents repackaged in other forms, most notably as a collection titled The Beginning. Scariest thing is, this is the slightest of the band’s early work as the next two years will see this band carve their names in metal’s textbooks eternally with their first two full length albums.

Sure, it only has 4 songs but these are 4 KICKASS songs. I mean, it's Mercyful Fate! Early MF to be exact, which is the best era of the band. King and the boys have always been different, not being speed or thrash, but not being glam either. A lot like Iron Maiden, with satanic lyrical content to a higher degree. I mean, just one song on this EP makes 'Number Of The Beast' seem holy! (which also came out this year). Neo-classical riffage, some unique drumming delivered by Kim Ruzz (why the fuck would he become a posteman?!?!) and screechy, banshee like vocals in the vein of Judas Priest.

Doomed By The Living Dead - Raw, mean, and evil, this song holds up the finger to christianity. Pretty aggressive, I could jsut imagine what people though about it at this time in 1982. There isn't much more to say about this one, other than this is heavy fuckin' metal, in your face, raw and untamed. Gotta love the last line "So just say goodbye, to all your fuckin' angels!".

A Corpse Without Soul - King proved to the metal scene with this one that he was no average singer. It's like his message with this song was "Rob Halford can't touch this!" (er..the vox, if you were thinking anything else, then I love your way of thinking). The falsettos here so extream, they would cause any average person to lose their breath in an instant. The aggression in this song is just about on the same level as 'Doomed By The Living Dead', with better guitar work and FAR better vocal work. Purely breathless!

Nuns Have No Fun - What a fun song this is! Gotta love the lyrical content, ESPECIALLY the chorus "C.U.N.T., that's what you are!" Raw, heavy and catchy, nothing more, nothing less. Now one thing that would have just absolutly KILLED, would be if a music video was produced for this song. Imagine that...

Devil Eyes - Breathless! How the fuck does he do that with his voice?! On the later MF albums and the solo material, his vocals are more controlled, but they are purely intense on the first 2 releases, especially this one. Non-stop, not changing tones, just high as fuck falsettos through the entire song. If you really wanna annoy the fuck out of someone who despises high vocals, then crank this one up, and drive them mad.

Great mini EP, if you already own 'The Begining', then this is no longer essential, though it is a rare collector item for die hard KD/MF fans.