Mercyful Fate - "9"
(Metal Blade)

After the release of the great album "Dead Again", Mercyful Fate return with another masterpiece, which is entitled, simply and symbolically, "9". This album, which is doomed to remain in our CD player for quite some time, is characterised by Mercyful Fate's known and unique style, with just few experimentations. There are some slow tracks ("Church of Saint Anne", "Kiss The Demon"), as well as speedy ones ("Insane"), whereas their common characteristic is the correct structure... The guitars play the leading part and they create all the extraordinary melodies, like the ones Mercyful Fate have created throughout the years. King Diamond's vocals are the one element that makes the tracks different from those by any other band. Sherman and wead play equal number of solos, and they give guitar recitals. Wead, in his effort to make us forget about Denner, becomes a composer, besides being a great guitarist. "9" track is one of his compositions. The rhythm section (Sharlee D'Angelo and T. Holm) make the tracks sound even more heavy. Last, but not least, we should mention the excellent production. Combine all the things mentioned above and you can get an idea about the album. It's hard for me to say what tracks are the best. I would mention "Sold my soul" "(it contains one of the best riffs I've heard lately), "House On The Hill", "Burn In Hell", "Insane" and "Buried Alive" (another great track under this title). The lyrics are evil as always close to the known and interesting King Diamond style.

Wake up
You are still alive
Wake up and die!

Giannis "Thrasher" Psaltakis