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Mercyful Fate > In the Shadows > Reviews
Mercyful Fate - In the Shadows

The postman sucks - 76%

Felix 1666, November 24th, 2018

Some soft guitar tones introduce the album, but it does not take much time until the King's falsetto sets in. Mercyful Fate open their comeback with their most characteristic feature. Back in 1993, it felt good to have them back even though one thing was clear right from the beginning: their early works would remain hardly beatable monuments. The powerful yet mystic aura of "Melissa" and "Don't Break the Oath" was and still is inextricably linked with the enigmatic spirit of the very early years of more or less extreme metal and roughly ten years later there was no chance to reproduce such an atmosphere. Given this situation, Mercyful Fate can be ranked among those formations whose first works are both a curse and a blessing. However, the band that catapulted Denmark on the European metal map did not think too much about this and begun to record a new album.

"In the Shadows" refers to the legendary outputs from the eighties without becoming an embarrassing self-quotation. "Is That You, Melissa?" speaks volumes and "Egypt" is not too far away from the "Curse of the Pharaohs", but it is a matter of course that the trailblazers of occult metal have no reason to disown their past. Hence follows that the lyrics are still full of spooky creatures like a headless rider, a hangman, a bell witch and a handful of Egyptian Gods. The latter appear in the strong opener with its memorable chorus. It's the first of many well designed tracks that integrates successfully catchy sequences in a complex structure. Sometimes I wish that they would have rejected some of the pretty soft parts, but it goes without saying that these sequences have always been an important element of Fate's compositions. It is therefore just my personal remark that I would have even more enjoyed a full-length with a higher degree of harshness. I also miss the very demonic touch of the highlights of "Don't Break the Oath", but this is not to say that the compositions are mediocre or even bad.

"The Headless Rider" with a length of nearly eight minutes bundles the strengths of the album and of Fate's art in general, too. The band has put so many ideas into this song - other formations offer less riffs on an entire full-length. Thousands of twists and turns do not hurt the coherence of the composition, the different degrees of heaviness and the different pitches of the King give rise to the impression that one listens to five songs in one. Nevertheless, at the end everything fits together. The following "Is That You, Melissa?" with its chamber music-wise beginning marks the final highlight. Its dominating chorus with the "ohohohohoho" vocal line sends the ultimate showers down my spine. In contrast to the majority of the material, the homage to the debut flows smoothly and can be understood as the pop song of the Danish unit. No doubt, "In the Shadows" houses many good tracks, only the lines of "The Bell Witch" are going nowhere and "Return of the Vampire...1993" also cannot compete with the rest. But to my big surprise, this is not the guilt of a completely unknown amateur called Lars Ulrich who plays the drums on this track.

To sum up, this comeback scored with both a pretty powerful, clean production and typical songs that did not bring shame to the awe-inspiring name of Mercyful Fate. The second period of the pioneers had begun promisingly and their further works also offered some highlights. Thus, it is a little bit sad that Melissa seemingly sees no reason to return once again. But wait a moment, there is someone knocking at my door. "Is that you, Melissa?"... no, it was just the postman who brought me new invoices. I really miss you, Melissa.

Black Funerals and Skull Gazing Under the Old Oak - 100%

bayern, June 7th, 2017

In 1993 the groove/alternative/post-thrashy vogues had settled in comfortably on the scene, having dealt with the more rebellious fractions from the classic metal movement. They certainly showed their more democratic, more tolerable side as the old school was left breathing more or less freely. Classic heavy metal was a very rare breed with both Judas Priest and Iron Maiden losing their frontmen to the strives for more individual, more independent expression. On the opposite side, the metal world saw Ronnie James Dio (R.I.P.) reuniting with his old colleagues from Back Sabbath for an isolated stunt (“Dehumanizer”, 1992), Scorpions releasing their last good album (“Face the Heat”, 1993) before their retirement from the metal arena, and US veterans like Savatage and Metal Church producing some really noteworthy opuses (“Edge of Thorns” and “Hanging in the Balance” respectively). So not all was dark and pessimistic, albeit hardly propitious and stimulating for young budding newcomers to appear and become most avid defenders of the old school faith.

So things didn’t look that bad, after all, for some 80’s veterans to attempt a comeback and reunite with their lost frontmen, but when two sheer behemoths arrive at the same year, that’s already too much to bear, especially when those two are none other than Accept and Mercyful Fate. Yeah, no kidding; Kim Petersen decides to reform the legends as a wise commercial step in the midst of the groove/aggro/grunge craze… I guess the man had calculated this enterprise carefully, with the appropriate marketing and all, cause the album reviewed here was a stunning success, nearly matching the sensation the band produced ten years back. The battle of the dinosaurs between Accept and the Fates didn’t quite take place since the interest in the latter’s reunion was way bigger than the one of the Germans, from both a commercial and a critical aspect. My guess is that Accept’s humiliating swansong “Eat the Heat” and Udo’s short, not particularly striking, solo career contributed to the not very lucrative returns in their camp.

Still, the job done on the album reviewed here was also better although I did feel a bit apprehensive about this new coming; with the new vogues on the field and with so many old school practitioners falling prey to them… no mistakes of the kind as the King reunites with his old comrades save for the drummer Kim Ruzz, with the Hank Shermann/Michael Denner guitar duo as spellbinding as ever. The quiet intro of “Egypt” is nothing like the explosive riff cavalcade from “Evil” (the “Melissa” opener), but once Petersen’s falcetto hits in all its glass-shattering grandeur followed by the superb virtuoso lead section the listener will safely pack up all his/her worries, and will sit comfortably to enjoy the next chapter from the Mercyful Fate saga which inauguration is a glorious power/speed metal hammer. “The Bell Witch” has a creepy minimalistic beginning, but the galloping tornado commences reminding of the best moments from the US power/speed metal scene with the swirling solos, the infernal vocal duels, and the sinister dramatic accumulations. “The Old Oak” is a grandiose 9-min progressive opus nearly matching the magnanimity of “Satan’s Fall” (from "Melissa" again), the guys mixing melodic strokes with their staple speed metal histrionics also adding more introspective, mellower passages including the recurrent eerie balladic theme. It’s amazing how the band are capable of retaining the suspense and the interest throughout such long periods of playing time without sounding redundant and repetitive…

“Shadows”, the supposed title-track, is a more laid-back, but utterly enchanting, heavy metal hymn emphasizing on the atmosphere and the lyricism the King pulling out standout performance behind the mike, not to mention the great tempo shifts and the surprising speedy finale. “A Gruesome Time” follows a similar path with the inventive melodic fretwork, the great chorus, the dark doomy/balladic romanticism, and the brilliant lead interaction. “Thirteen Invitations” speeds up accelerating bit by bit until the gallops reach full bloom, the more varied rhythmic layouts giving this number a more intricate, progressive colouring, the latter also coming from the several macabre riff-patterns and the cool mellow interlude. “Room of Golden Air” is a superb instrumental cut where breath-taking acoustics intertwine with alluring melodic undercurrents, the gorgeous classical leads playing the role of the mediator. “Legend of the Headless Rider” is the other more elaborate behemoth the guys giving enough room for the opening dark intimidating riffs to develop more fully before the fast-paced rifforama carries on with Timmy Hansen’s reverberating bass leading the show for a while as well alongside intriguing semi-technical rhythmic sections in the second half. “Is That You Melissa”, the final cut, is a tribute to the guys’ magnum opus with the balladic intro crossing acoustic guitars with marvellous leads, the more dynamic moments never going beyond the mid-paced parametres, but the wide gamut of riffs and the spellbinding versatile vocal feats ensure another grand scale entertainment. The actual closer, though, is a remastered version of one of the band's oldest songs, “Return of the Vampire”, a doomy brooder with a nice catchy chorus and the obligatory speedy escapade, the main difference from the original being the boosted, more expressive lead sections.

Mercyful Fate were back, and they delivered in the most convincing manner imaginable, and then some. They showed only too well that they could single-handedly keep the groovy/grunge/post-thrashy trends at bay leaving plenty of space for the classic metal purveyors to do additional damage. The perfect score given here reflects the reviewer’s exhilaration upon hearing this album the first time, hearing his all-time favourite band delivering the goods with awesomeness to spare during such difficult for the old school times. To these ears this was the biggest indication throughout the whole decade that not much had changed on the scene, and that classic heavy metal would be what it had always been if left in the hands of its rightful masters, and would have no problems surviving much bigger disasters than a few alternative, numetal dissipations along the way.

Mentioning the masters, we should bring Accept back to the fore as they also participated in this campaign although their infectious sing-alongers couldn’t possibly be a match to this immaculately woven, multi-layered symphony (of horror). We certainly have different approaches to the genre in these two cases so objection… sorry, objective comparisons can’t really be made, but again it was Kim Petersen’s gang that swept the arena in 1993 setting the scene for a few more instalments, some of them coming close to the excellence exuded here. With the King bringing his own band back to the spotlight in 1995, it was a matter of time before he had to make a decision which formation to lose as it wouldn’t have been possible for the man to keep the level that high in both camps. He did manage that for a few showings, but his heart was pulling him more towards the more autocratic outfit thus terminating one of his strongest competitors. A competitor that remains fearsome and threatening even in its dormant state...

Another great album - 86%

gasmask_colostomy, May 11th, 2015

To be honest, I'm not really sure if Mercyful Fate have ever bought into their legacy in the same way that many metal fans do. I mean, yeah, when Metallica keep telling you that you're cool, it might leave some impression, but these guys don't seem particularly phased by any criticism or praise. For starters, they didn't really have a legacy until after they first broke up and they haven't changed that much on any of their full-lengths. All this means that there is a distinctive Mercyful Fate sound, which to be honest is a little hard to put your finger on. It's not miles away from Iron Maiden's sound, or Judas Priest's, or any of the more obscure NWOBHM bands, but it's their own. If this makes sense, Mercyful Fate don't just look occult and have occult lyrics - they sound occult. There's a particular angle or something to their riffing and their leads and their rhythms, and of course their vocals set them apart too.

Those vocals are not as exceptional on In the Shadows as they are on other albums that King Diamond has put his name to. He stamped his mark all over the earlier Mercyful Fate releases, and even his early solo work bore more of his trademark screeching, yelling, shrieking, howling, growling, and yowling. There are still many, many different vocal styles on this album, but the King appears to have lost some of his range and a little power is missing, though that could be the mix more than anything. There are a few limp parts where he just doesn't sound convincing, such as the end of 'The Old Oak'. However, he uses more harmonies and multi-tracking especially on songs like 'Shadows' and 'Is That You, Melissa?' to create an eerier, more textured sound that is at once catchy and atmospheric. His performances on the latter of those two and on 'The Bell Witch' are absolutely outstanding, even emotional.

His bandmates (all previous Mercyful Fate musicians, except Morten Nielson on drums) do very nice jobs, but - as with Diamond - there is a little something missing. Again, maybe it's the mix or the mildly flat production, but this album doesn't zip along with any real velocity or excite with any real venom. The drums get the worst deal in the mix, which robs them of aggression and bite, although the performance isn’t bad. The bass doesn't do as much as it used to on '80s Fate records: it also isn't a failure, just less of a feature. The guitarists have kept much of their prowess during the long break from the band, and it is they who give the album most of its punch. They really do try to throw everything they can at the songs, with a couple of long epics, some catchy rockers, classic riffs, acoustic parts, an instrumental - it's all going on. The riffs are in fact really well-written and instantly recognizable, with a lot of different parts and changing sections, so songs stay fresh and exciting. The solos, moreover, are practically faultless (how often do we have to say this about Iron Maiden?) and bask in a great tone and a prominent position in the sound. There is so much variation, skill, and detail in this respect that it pulls the album up from being decent but inhibited to a good album in its own right. Whenever a lead appears, the song gains new momentum and purpose, so I'm very grateful for the frequent soloing of both guitarists.

The opening pair of songs have a lot to recommend them: 'Egypt' has a quick pace and many melodic touches that make the song gallop and soar, while 'The Bell Witch' is primarily a story and a song afterwards (in the manner of King Diamond's solo albums), though boasts drama, stomping riffs, and a fevered climax. The 2 longer songs suffer somewhat for their progressive nature, because ideas come and go quickly, leaving the pieces with a stop/start feel and inconsistent quality. Despite its ridiculously simple opening riff, 'Shadows' grows into a monster of light and shade. I'm also a big fan of the closing track proper, which is super-melodic and sprightly, plus harks back delightfully to the earlier material. Nothing is expendable except maybe for the rewrite of ‘Return of the Vampire’ with Lars Ulrich (I just typed Lard Ulrich, but keep that to yourself) on drums: they don’t add much to the song and it falls flat.

It’s difficult to decide whether In the Shadows represents a slight letdown in terms of quality or the start of something slightly different, so I’m going to pitch it somewhere in the middle and say: if you’ve never listened to Mercyful Fate before, this is probably a more accessible place to start (my personal introduction), though if you’ve already heard Melissa and Don’t Break the Oath, expect something a tad more conservative but still very satisfying.

Spectral, swaggering, spooky, and at times, serene - 95%

autothrall, October 28th, 2013

In the Shadows could be considered a righteous 'comeback' record long before metal comeback records became a thing, as the majority of 80s acts hit their midlife crises and decided to give it that last college try. King Diamond and crew weren't leaping back into some trending rebirth of aesthetics in 1993...traditional heavy metal, especially here in the States, was a veritable dead zone. Beyond the touring stability of a few dozen acts, grunge and death metal had all but taken over, and groove metal reaching terminal velocity thanks to Pantera's success. That a defunct Danish staple like Mercyful Fate could return with such a fantastic record as this is a testament to how great they were in the first place, but color me unsurprised...

...because for about 15 years, Kim Bendix Petersen never once let me down on a single full-length. In fact, beginning with Melissa and Don't Break the Oath, up until the time someone lost their marbles and decided to release that riffless, idealess, uninspired creative nadir The Graveyard, King Diamond/Mercyful Fate probably laid claim to the greatest streak in all metal music. Ten full-lengths of quality in that '83-95 era, ranging from just 'great' to utter perfection, and yes I'm including Time and The Spider's Lullabye in that total. So when the King decided to take a short respite from the constant touring and brilliance of his solo group and reunite with his alma mater, with less than a decade since Don't Break the Oath, I had little to no trepidation about the ability of these men to deliver, and not only were my expectations met, but in some departments exceeded. Don't Breath the Oath is, and will likely remain my favorite of the Mercyful Fate records, but without question, I find In the Shadows to be their most creative. The sophomore is the first I'll turn to when nostalgia summons, but this felt far more unique to me in 1993 than Oath did in 1984.

A statement that would likely generate some dissent among various acquaintances who have argued with me that this simply sounds like another King Diamond solo record, but I have to disagree. Apart from the fact the two groups are inexorably linked due to Kim's falsetto shrieking and thematic similarities, I have long found the playing of the Shermann/Denner configuration quite different than Andy LaRocque. These guys had a more workmanlike unity to their playing, where Andy's more like a one man exhibition falling somewhere between Randy Rhoads and Yngwie Malmsteen, regardless of whoever is backing him up. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy all three of these legends (and Mike Wead to boot), and they could easily cover for one another if the need arose; but while there was obviously some influence from the old Fate carried forth into the King Diamond legacy and then back again, it's definitely the rhythm guitars that make all the difference discerning between the two...that and the fact that this particular disc reached a new benchmark in production quality that even renders masterworks like Abigail and The Eye somewhat unwashed (though I wouldn't trade the atmosphere inherent to those recordings for the world).

But In the Shadows has an atmosphere of its own. The record is loaded with these incredibly interesting, eerie and slower lurching riff progressions that are remarkably well-conceived, the sort of planning you're just too rarely going to find in a younger or 'throwback' band more concerned with copying pre-existing patterns of chords and mutes and then juggling them around like lottery balls. Granted, these unique twists did exist on the first two Fate outings, but to a lesser extent, not as fully fleshed out. Fear not: there are still numerous bursts of intense, melodic speed/heavy metal here as found in "Egypt", the spiritual stepchild to "Curse of the Pharaohs". Hank and Michael can certainly eviscerate a fretboard, but without exception, it's the moodier and measured picking patterns on this album that truly excel and stand to memory. By 1993, when many groups had dissembled or were stylistically shifting towards the status quo, Mercyful Fate was polishing and innovating its own brand into crystalline clarity and ear-carving catchiness. And it's not simply limited to the rhythms...the leads and melodies here are spectral, pristine, and just as important as their surroundings, and you also feel a tasteful amount of blues and 70s hard rock inspiration over the entire album.

What's more, the musical decisions here really seem to fit the individual tales of specters, seasons, shadows and other introspective gloom that dominate the lyrics. Unlike King Diamond records, which are more or less metallic-orchestrated novellas following an internal narrative, these read like short stories, though often also from the first-person perspective. Petersen shines throughout, engaging in quite a lot of his mid range to balance off against the shrieks and grooves in cuts like "The Bell Witch" and "The Old Oak", with a few of those blissful, ghostly lower falsettos emphasized with an additional whisper track. By this point, the King might be considered a master composer by any standard, so it's not unexpected that he can so carefully lay down each line, an author aware of every phrase before he dips his pen in the inkwell. The synths strewn across the songs are generally tasteful and supportive, occasionally reminding me of their use on The Eye, especially in the instrumental "Room of Golden Air" which honestly is the one tune that sounds like a leftover from that period. Acoustics are likewise sparse, used only in brief segments (like the intro to "Egypt"), it's ultimately those uncanny and morbid mid-paced rhythm guitars that drive so much of this experience.

Morten Nielsen's beats, while simplistic and rock-oriented rather than intense, have this great mix with just the right amount of resonant to the snares and kicks. No idea why they were credited to Snowy Shaw, but I'd just assume that was an error on the part of the label/graphics team. The one component lacking for me here is the bass playing, which seems really subdued, and not one of Timi Hansen's finer performances alongside the King. I mean, this is a very airy, eloquent mix, like a cold moonlit night with only a few clouds; so a booming or buzzy bass tone might prove distracting, but the volume is such that it only hovers below the rhythm guitar and I don't pick out a lot of interesting or inspired grooves and fills, with a few exceptions like "A Gruesome Time" where the instrument shines a little more than usual. Otherwise, In the Shadows just sounds so timeless and tremendous that I would hardly change a bloody note. Even the 1993 rendition of "Return of the Vampire" sounds dramatically improved thanks to its production...would've been better as a pure bonus track, since it seems mildly redundant, yet in keeping with the various 'sequels' on the album like "Is That You, Melissa" or "Egypt", it makes some sense and is thankfully tacked on as the finale.

Mercyful Fate had such a classy comeback here that it's hard to imagine any long time fans not enjoying it, beyond those easily marginalized louts who seem to joy in clinging to some proscribed period of a band's work and then automatically rejecting everything exterior to that phase. In the Shadows is intelligent, it's intricate, and it's thoroughly innovative despite such a strict adherence to the band's lyrical aesthetics and traditional 80s style. With the exception of "Room of Golden Air" and "Return of the Vampire", it's quite coherent without any of the tunes sounding quite the same, and it's even got that captivating cover image which broaches a number of the album's subjects. Perhaps most impressive, at least to me personally, is that this is one of those rarities which seems to improve with age, despite its minor flaws. I enjoyed this more in 2003 than 1993, and now in 2013 that trend continues, to be reflected in my rating. I simply can't imagine spending a Halloween without throwing this on the deck at least once. I know, the same could be said for anything King put out in the 80s with either vehicle, most of which is mandatory, but In the Shadows is absolutely one of those uncommon gems of that earlier 90s period not to involve death or black metal. If I find myself in the mood for hellfire, leather and burning witch-skin, Don't Break the Oath would still be the defacto Fate disc due to its ferocity and importance, but this is such a great record to kick back to on an autumn New England night with a seasonal brew, to just watch the leaves drift or wallow in the slowly encroaching cold.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

Refreshing to hear the reunion - 85%

outlaw922, March 11th, 2013

From the opening screaming notes by King Diamond, AAAHHHH, EEEEEEGYYYPPT!, you feel a ton of suspense. The band kicks in immediately with an insanely heavy riff with a powerful drum beat and the lyrics describe ancient Egypt and the worship of the gods Anubis and Osiris, lords of the underworld. It's catchy and fast. A really razor sharp guitar riff steps in during the middle of the song, changing direction slightly, yet still in key. Hank Sherman and Michael Denner sound great together, and you can still tell them apart by their unique style(s).

Next comes The Bell Witch. A really weird, winding riff opens a twisting, turning song with abundant time changes and, again, great musicianship abounds. The song tells the story of a witch haunting a family, mostly a little girl in old-time Tennessee. Even though that sounds like it should be a children's book, it's the real deal in metal stylings. It might almost be considered progressive. Even more progressive and complicated is The Old Oak, however it tends to stray into more off-key territory and gets boring in parts. I think they forced it a little too much, but overall it's pretty listenable.

The title track starts off with a really solid maybe 2 chord riff and is pretty standard verse/chorus/verse stuff. I like the steadiness of it since it doesn't try so hard to throw you off guard as some of the other songs do. It's real straight metal.

There is some filler afterward until we get to the instrumental Room of Golden Air. You get to enjoy the guitars more by themselves and it's a decent change of pace until the Legend of the Headless Rider kicks in. Again, this is one of those twisty, turning deals that seems out of key a lot of the time. It's a little too long for me and not real easy to follow.

The closer, Is That You, Melissa?, opens with a harpsichord sounding almost like a funeral. This is another straightforward, solid riff that is NOT complicated. It's a great way for King to really get emotional and it is a simple rocker.

*Bonus Track: Return of the Vampire is just that classic Mercyful Fate that we should all remember from the beginnings of their career.

The up-side(s)? I was really impressed with the production overall. Each instrument is very clearly recorded and the arrangements are complex and catchy. You have the awesome Sherman/Denner combo. King Diamond sounds great and not so much over-the-top as we heard a lot on his solo stuff (I like almost all of his vocals anyway, though). I listen to this album over and over and always have that "fresh" experience. Lot's of heaviness and technical virtuosity.

The down-side(s)? (And the reason I can't give it 100%). It has a lot of boring parts with no direction to go. The chord/tempo changes seem forced to a degree, indicating they probably spent too much time away from each other in the recording studio.

I picked this album up when it was released in '93 and also got to go to the show, which was unbelievable. It's no "Oath" by any means by virtue of losing that raw, visceral edge, but it is definitely an album I will be keeping in my collection forever.

Highlights: Egypt, The Bell Witch, In the Shadows, Is that You, Melissa?

A triumphant return - 93%

natrix, March 10th, 2008

I'd almost be tempted to say that this is better than Don't Break the Oath, but that is because the production and musicianship on here is excellent. Who would have ever thought that a reunion album could be so goddamn good? Seriously, what other band out there has come back with a "reunion" album this strong? Well, I can think that Maiden's Brave New World would be about the closest, but In the Shadows blows that right out of the water. This is material that is as good as the eariler works.

Everything from the early 'Fate days are here: excellent dual lead work, powerful bass, and King's unique vocals. Nothing cheesy as well, even the obviously nostalgic track, "Is that You, Melissa?" with the original Melissa solo played at the end of it. Some of the stuff on here is decidedly heavier, such as "The Old Oak," with killer riffs up the ass, and the title track. But you've still got Sherman and Denner complimenting each other beautifully...even Murray and Smith haven't aged this well!

But the main element that makes this album so great is the atmosphere. Sure, they may have upgraded to better recording technology, but the sound is still fucking eerie as hell. On subsequent releases, they'd lose the atmosphere as well as something else I can't put my finger on, but here...everything fucking works and works like a charm.

Amazingly, my least favourite track on here is "Return of the Vampire." Even though it does feature the "stupendous" Lars Ulrich on drums and it's an old number redone, it doesn't touch any of the new material on the rest of the album. Sorry, Lars!

This is an album that will appeal to Mercyful Fate fans in particular, and metal fans across the board. I surely prefer Melissa and Don't Break the Oath to this, but this is damn nearly as good. And if you don't have their other early stuff, well, then you are a fucking poser.