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Denner / Shermann > Satan's Tomb > Reviews
Denner / Shermann - Satan's Tomb

The Boys Are Back in Tomb - 77%

autothrall, January 20th, 2022
Written based on this version: 2015, CD, Metal Blade Records

I can't have been the only one excited when this new collaboration between Michael Denner and Hank Shermann was announced. It had been a good 19 years since they worked together on Mercyful Fate's Into the Unknown, and another couple years added to that since their last truly GREAT Fate work on Time, so I think a project such as this was overdue. Add in their fellow alumnus and prolific metal superstar Snowy Shaw on the drums, and some artwork and occult aesthetics which mirror their formative years of Don't Break the Oath, and the frothing of the fandom would reach pure rabies. It was probably too much to ask that they could also hook in one Kim Bendix Petersen, because then it would have to have become a proper Mercyful album, but they did end up with US power metal crooner Sean Peck...

And he's a capable singer, having fronted a lot of the albums his Cage, and other acts, though I can recall a tendency to go a little too overboard. Thankfully, he's rather restrained here, sounding pretty nasty at his mid-range but then keeping his highs in the range of Harry 'Tyrant', who come to think of it, would have also sounded quite nice on this. The only issue is that his presence thrusts the music itself into a little more of a USPM space, which isn't what I expected. Don't get me wrong, lots of the trademark groove and lead harmonies you'd expect from Denner and Shermann are prevalent here, but the voice and the way the tunes are put together don't always mirror that classic Danish vibe. You get a little Painkiller riffing structure (especially in "New Gods"), and then a few of the lower, leaden heavy parts do tread dangerously close into more of a groove metal thing. That said, for the majority of the four tracks and 21 minutes of material, this is pretty damn exciting, with Shaw and the lead guitars in particular giving kickass performances, and Sean getting to flex those pipes with plenty of personality over new territory.

I do feel some of his chorus lines never quite end up where I want to be note-wise, and there's just a fraction of try-hardness, but nowhere near as much as a Tim 'Ripper' Owens-fronted album, and Peck is genuinely, insanely talented. If you direct that voice properly, you've got an intimidating weapon, and I think for the most part, they do here. I even like the few surprises in store that escalating sequence deep into "New Gods" with the backing choir vocals hovering in the mix. Ultimately, Satan's Tomb does play out like a combination of Mercyful Fate and USPM like Cage, Jag Panzer or the Bruce Hall-fronted era of Agent Steel, and I have absolutely no problem with that. Maybe this is what Liege Lord would have sounded had they originated out of Copenhagen? If nothing else, a strong promise of what this project might pull off with a little more effort.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

Blue Balls - 75%

GuntherTheUndying, May 31st, 2016

The inevitable Mercyful Fate reunion is the biggest cocktease I’ve ever experienced. Mercyful Fate is one of my favorite bands, and that’s what makes this so painful. “Satan’s Tomb” is not bad in the slightest, but again, it gets me worked up like your mom after two Long Islands. Consider this: King Diamond sounds better than ever after his brush with death, Michael Denner and Hank Shermann have created a project to play Mercyful Fate-esque heavy metal after decades apart, and Donald Trump might be president. Come on, why not? Even the EP’s artwork was created by the same dude who inked Satan emerging through an explosion of yellow fire on the cover of “Don’t Break the Oath,” which is an all-time classic that requires worship at all hours of the day. The project led by Denner and Shermann, ingeniously named Denner/Shermann, is as close to new music from Mercyful Fate since the so-so “9.” Hold me.

“Satan’s Tomb” resides in the shadow of the straightforward approach of “9” and “Dead Again” with some basic modern heavy metal parts thrown in. The aforementioned records were superbly lame by Mercyful Fate standards, but here the steely tempo and drive help make the approach more appealing. The largest Mercyful Fate motif emerging is the classical lead guitar styles of Denner and Shermann. The opening solo over a somber acoustic lick has the blood of the duo flowing through it, and “Satan’s Tomb” benefits from the familiar tidal wave of one of metal’s finest guitar pairs. Their riffing patterns are direct, creating heavy metal tunes with a crisp edge. The majestic sequences in the vein of “Don’t Break the Oath” and “Melissa” are absent, but these tracks don’t suffer from a more candid direction.

King Diamond isn’t here, of course. Denner and Shermann recruited Sean Peck of Cage to handle the vocals. As fine as Peck sounds, filling the shoes of King Diamond is impossible. This isn’t necessarily the result of having a more straightforward power metal banshee belting out over nostalgic Mercyful Fate formulas, but the lack of the King’s utter dominance. The songs otherwise rise to a standard that is acceptable for running parallel to the Mercyful Fate moniker, though not rivaling the masterful works of the past. These four tunes stick to and resemble some of the more acceptable bits of Mercyful Fate’s post-reunion albums, in and out in twenty-one minutes. Now stop teasing us and let the King return to his throne!

This review was written for: www.Thrashpit.com

Mercyful Cage - 65%

Andromeda_Unchained, November 14th, 2015
Written based on this version: 2015, CD, Metal Blade Records

On first impression I did feel pretty disappointed with this, although let it be said that I had considerable expectations. Coming back around, this is definitely holding up a lot better. I don't think Michael Denner or Hank Shermann need any real introduction, so let's skip all that and dive on in.

I'll be honest in saying I'm not a big fan of Sean Peck. He's undoubtedly a great, gifted vocalist, but much like Tim Owens (another great, gifted vocalist, and one with similarities to Sean) has a style that doesn't really resonate with me. As such there's a considerable wedge of music I struggle to identify with here, further highlighted via some drop-tuned, modern-style guitar parts. Fortunately when Hank and Michael are on the ball, things get pretty sick.

Every song at least has its moments which take you back to Mercyful Fate and the composition throughout feels very conscious in establishing those nostalgic values. The riff and guitar solo trade offs throughout are absolutely satisfying, and I'd say worthy of the legacy surrounding this release. I think King's command on these guys, as well as the songs in general is something sorely missed, although Sean gives it his best shot in "Seven Skulls" which has the strongest strands of the Mercyful Fate DNA.

The end result is essentially a meeting between Cage and Mercyful Fate (Mercyful Cage), and ultimately one I would like to be a little more dangerous. When Hank and Michael are ripping out the eighties metal riffs and shredding leads, I'm absolutely in my element, but when Sean is crooning over generic finger chord riffs any built-up enthusiasm diminishes. I will be interested to see how a potential full-length pans out, but for now I think mileage will vary.

Written for The Metal Crypt

Evil has come back to life - 82%

Felix 1666, November 13th, 2015
Written based on this version: 2015, CD, Metal Blade Records

The story of Mercyful Fate is a tragic one. I confess that I needed a lot of time to realize the magic of "Don't Break the Oath" in view of its complexity. But it goes without saying that this was my personal tragedy. The real problem was that this album marked a milestone and the following ego trip of Mr. Diamond was characterized by a slow but steady loss of quality. Just compare the profound "Fatal Portrait" with the faceless albums that have been released in the 21st century. Fate's contemporary reunion led to properly designed albums, but they could not fully recreate the special flair of the early works. Nevertheless, some very strong tunes saw the light of day, for example "Egypt", "The Mad Arab" or "Time". With the here presented EP, Denner / Shermann start the attempt to revive the spirit of Mercyful Fate once again and indeed they are still capable to develop a nearly unique aura. The songs follow a dimly lit route while revealing occult, cryptic, slightly progressive and occasionally menacing elements. By the way, it is surely no coincidence that the first release of the band has the same format as the debut of Mercyful Fate.

Hank Shermann has written classics such as "Nightmare" and "Welcome Princess of Hell" and he is responsible for the compositions of the new cooperation as well. His penchant for highly diversified, almost labyrinthine tracks is unbroken. He loves bulky leads, piercing riffs, abrupt breaks, dynamic tempo changes, demonic background choirs and fairly melodic solos. From this follows that the four songs last 21 minutes and each and every one shows a different face of the band without neglecting a stringent overall picture. My personal favourite is the opening title track, because it sparkles with a sharp yet catchy chorus that increases the aura of the song. But this track is not outstanding in the narrow sense of the term. It is just the first among equals in view of the constant quality level of the four tracks.

The excellent production has to be mentioned. Clarity meets pressure and the result sounds absolutely powerful. Each instrument makes a strong contribution so that the density of the mix is no surprise at all. But I may not forget Sean Peck. The lead vocalist shines with his extremely vigorous voice while covering a broad spectrum of tones. Due to a wise decision, he does not appear as the reincarnation of the King. Peck has its own style. Do not think that he has to fear the comparison with the seemingly superior Danish legend. His voluminous performance catapults him in the epicentre of the songs and he masters every challenge without any problems.

One final note: despite or exactly because of the fact that the band continues the approach of Mercyful Fate, the songs cannot be dismissed as predictable. Furthermore, I wish to underline that Denner / Shermann are really heavy. I read that Denner loves the style of Michael Schenker, the guy who definitely needed a "Doctor, Doctor". But on "Satan's Tomb", no airy or bright sequences disturb the atmosphere. In point of fact, their sound delivers the necessary degree of assertiveness, at the latest after having listened to the EP three or four times. No doubt, Denner / Shermann are still interested in complex structures. Anyway: you did not yet have your portion of occult metal today? Listen to "Satan's Tomb".

Now Read The Book Aloud - 85%

Twisted_Psychology, October 16th, 2015
Written based on this version: 2015, CD, Metal Blade Records

From the influential Mercyful Fate to the lesser known Force of Evil and Zoser Mez, guitarist Hank Shermann and Michael Denner have a long history of collaboration. Their latest venture aspires to the sound established by their most famous project as the lineup is rounded out by occasional Fate drummer Snowy Shaw, Demonica bassist Marc Grabowski, and Cage vocalist/King Diamond protégé Sean Peck. The results of Denner/Shermann’s debut EP ultimately don’t reach the heights of Mercyful Fate but they do make for solid power metal.

If going by the production and band performances, Satan’s Host lacks the raw darkness that gave Melissa and Don’t Break The Oath their signature character. The tone is noticeably brighter, the guitars are rather polished, the drums are more active, and the vocal delivery has more in common with Rob Halford’s prototype than King Diamond’s sinister hamminess. This is best demonstrated by “War Witch,” which sounds more like a Cage song than anything Denner or Shermann had done anything before.

Fortuunately, the compositions are closer to the spirit than the performances. “New Gods” is a step in the right direction but “Seven Skulls” excels due to the guitars frequently chiming in ghostly melodies and a wider vocal palette fueling the deal with the devil lyrics. One can almost imagine the King himself giving this one a whirl…

Denner/Shermann’s debut EP won’t be making waves in the greater metal community but it’s a promising look at what could be a fun project. The modern production keeps it from hitting the same aesthetic as Mercyful Fate’s best efforts but the songwriting makes it worth checking out for power metal fans. At the very least, it’s good company to keep while you’re holding out hope for that reunion.

Highlights:
“Satan’s Tomb”
“Seven Skulls”