I believe that King's best voice is the mournful, normal tenor range. Sure, his falsetto is great, but it's when he does that melancholic, yearning tenor voice that the pinnacle of their music appears for me. That combined with the 1981-1982 riffs, which had one foot somehow left in regular hard rock music but with that newfound evil touch, makes for such a magic whole.
I agree his norm range bounces well of the falsetto, too much falsetto it becomes grating on the nerves, been a fan since 1980 the ceremonial feel of Mercyful Fate is what really remains unique
@Awesome Welles Yeah, like that. And when he uses that voice to carry a song like in Nuns Have No Fun, Leave my Soul Alone etc, it creates something special that goes beyond what another singer would have done in the same key. It's like KIng's voice is inherently melancholic and/or evil and he doesn't need to distort it.
@@michaelmclaughlin6440 - That's exactly why I like Mercyful Fate better than the King Diamond stuff as he uses too much falsetto on those later albums...
@@Noorduif I Love both bands but neither band is just a pick up an album band I remember seeing their albums as a kid back in the early 80's going What is this! You got to appreciate them first.
Melissa is without a doubt one of the best metal albums ever released . Saying it is a masterpiece is an understatement. Great job with this band . Can't fault you on your ranking
Its a shame that MF were rushed to finish the first EP without being able to add the vocal layers as it would have really enhanced the sound, but I do love the rawness of the first EP
@@michaelmclaughlin6440 Corpse Without a Soul is a masterpiece, I prefer it raw, it shows how the King has progressed over the years while still retaining his range and power.
In the Shadows was the first album I heard from Mercyful Fate. King Diamond is so underrated he always sounds awesome live. I also love Don't Break the Oath, Melissa and Into the Unknown. Your ranking is spot on.
Your comments about all those bands in the 90's trying to sound like Pantera is so spot-on. It made me sick back then. Pantera are so over-rated but hey,they were popular so lets just copy them. Nobody will notice! Mercyful Fate are perhaps the most consistent band of all time. I cannot rank their albums. They are all number 1 at different times. Keep up the good work my friend! Cheers!
Amazing to remember that “Egypt” was the lead-off to their comeback reunion album, just a stone-cold classic right out the gate after spending nearly a decade apart 🤯 Really one of the bands that you have to measure all others against
Going to see MF on that reunion tour was THE TOP concert experience of all time, front row getting crushed by the crowd, sweating profusely, King just wailing, Hank and Michael going crazy seeing Timi play the bass so expertly it was amazing man MF are the tops
I almost think of Melissa and Don’t Break The Oath as one album, they’re such a powerful and amazing one-two punch. If I start listening to either one, I start wanting to hear the other one too, and pretty soon I’ve listened to every song on both records AGAIN! Also worth mentioning that the replay value on those 2 records is infinite. I bought DBTO the week it came out, and I still listen to it multiple times a year. Not sure I can think of 2 other records, or any other band, that I can say that about. I didn’t follow their later releases much, but those 2 records are truly special.
Mercyful fate is the greatest metal band in my opinion and nothing will top the original lineup with Kim ruzz on drums 🔥🔥🔥 love your videos sir everything you said is what I’ve been saying for years!!!! Keep it up
Mellisa and Don't Break The Oath - best metal albums of all time. I remember when I first heard Don't Break The Oath back in 1999, it struck me. Melissa and Don't Break The Oath are releases beyond time. They are eternal! All Hail Mercyful Fate 🤘
In 1983/4 On a school trip to France for the day, me and a friend popped into the local record store. He bought Melissa on LP. I was still fairly new to metal at that point. I could not believe what I was hearing when I got to listen to it on a visit to his house that weekend. Not sure I even liked it too much then! Absolutely love it now, nearly 40 years later!
Yeeees Mercyful Fate fucking rules! One of my fav metal bands ever Everytime I just think about or say the name of the band "Mercyful Fate", I just got a big smile on my face Great rank Great video Keep going, bro 🍻🍻
Classic debate about no.1 in their discography between Don't Break the Oath & Melissa. Personally I rate Don't Break the Oath as their best. Both albums have some of the best artwork in metal, though.
I've seen your channel a couple of times and I've decided to subscribe to you due to your views here. Mercyful Fate is one of my favorite bands I own the DBTO shoes and a hand made hoodie of the cover, I also have plenty of KD merch. Mercyful Fate is a amazing and their new album should be fantastic. I think Mercyful Fate should also be talked about as the best band ever. Epic, progressive, dark, heavy, haunting.. Long Live the King! 🤘
On the In The Shadows album. I love the way King’s voice sounds with the guitar on the chorus line of the song Legend Of The Headless Rider. It’s one of my favorite parts of any song. Devil Eyes is my favorite song of theirs. For the most part. I agree with your ranking
This is the only ranking you've done that I pretty much agree with. I would only have switched 'In the Shadows' & 'Time'. I think 'Time' is criminally underrated in their discography. 🤘
I have been following this band since late 1982 and no one has even come close taking the top spot as my favorite band in the world. If you actually read this, what would be the ranking of the EP in your top Mercyful Fate list?
@@RuthlessMetalYT yeah....If I HAD to decide..it would be third behind Melissa and Don't Break The Oath. Thanks for making my day. Mercyful Fate FOREVER \M/
Great ranking of one of my favorite bands. Bought the bootleg album, "Live From the Depths of Hell" in the mid 80's because the cover was cool been a huge fan since.
I agree, they have great discography with no fillers or stinkers. My first three albums are: 1. DBTO 2. Melissa 3. 9. I suggest that next ranking should be King Diamond's catalogue. Greetings from Poland
Thanks for covering mercyful and king !!! Hank is killer, his riffs n leads sound soo sinister ranking him up there with iommi in my books !!!!! saw them in Nov in Quebec!!!!!🤟🤟 I like dead again over time btw imho 1....don't break the oath 2....Melissa 3....in the shadows 4....into the unknown 5....dead again 6....time 7....9 🤟🤟🤟🤟
I agree with U. I like the don't break the Oath album a little bit more than Melissa. Love the shadows album, time and into the unknown. Thanks for the video. Please do King Diamond next.
great video! … took me years to appreciate mercyful fate… mainly cause of the voice… finally got over it not too long ago. swedish "in solitude“ surely helped to get into mercyful fate… even start to love the voice. cheers
Yes, his voice is so unusual so a lot of people miss out on the greatness of this band just because of it and it's a shame. everyone should love Mercyful Fate. Cheers!
I first discovered Them when Don't Break The Oath was first released. It was then and still is One of the greatest Metal albums ever released in history in my opinion. So there far it is my #1 album followed by the incredible In The Shadows and Time and then Melissa. Truly one of the most talented and greatest Metal groups in history without a doubt. I've always loved them. Verygood video.🤘
I like your ranking. I really got into Mercyful Fate after I heard Nuns have no fun from the album Mercyful Fate from 82 i believe. I liked all songs on that album. I like Don't break the oath album, but honestly I need to check out their stuff from 90s.
To me Oath is my favorite and Time is my second favorite. Nightmare from DBTO and the title track from Time are my two favorite songs from Mercyful Fate. I love every song from Fate and I also love the lengthy Dead Again track. Great rankings of part 1 of my favorite band.
I remember trading a friend Fatal Portrait for To Mega Therion when it came out. Not because I didn't like Fatal Portrait...just because I had already worn the grooves down.
I admit my fav is Shadows. I think that one, Oath, and Time have such a dark shroud that really hooks the listener in for the albums entirety. I know Melissa was a epic milestone in metal, but great list man, keep it up!! \m/ Maybe some black metal next? 🍻
I was lucky to get into MF from a young age, when I was 13, more or less around the same time as you did in 1998, and was lucky to see them during the 9 tour which was actually my first actual metal concert (before that I had seen only Deep Purple). I look forward to hear their new material, it's just a real shame that Michael Denner was left out of the reunion!
Damn man! Your final words about Mercyful Fate menbers in Melissa álbuns Will echoes in eternity rsrs Mercyful Fate? Will never forget It! 1 Melissa 2 Don't Break the Oath 3 The Begining 4 Return The Vampire 5 In The Shadows 6 Time 7 9 8 Dead Again There's no worst álbum in Mercyful Fate history...King Diamond came from the other side sure 🤘🏿🤘🏾🤘🏽🤘🏼🤘
Mercyful Fate are the best band ever! I got Melissa when I was 18 and it will be with me the rest of my life. You are right. My list 9 Dead Again Into the Unknown In the Shadows Time Don't Break the Oath Melissa
I can remember seeing King Diamond records in music stores and hearing about Mercyful Fate when I was a kid, but the first time I ever heard any music by Mercyful Fate was when King Diamond appeared on the Headbanger's Ball, and they premiered the video for "Egypt" from the comeback album. I was blown away! It was creepy, and it was heavy and thrashy, and it was melodic in a dark, creepy way. "Egypt" is still one of my favorite all time metal songs.
My all time favourite band! Great list and video man! Here’s my ranking… 7. Into The Unknown (1996) 6. Dead Again (1998) 5. Time (1994) 4. In The Shadows (1993) 3. 9 (1999) 2. Don’t Break The Oath (1984) 1. Melissa (1983)
Well done Mr. Ruthless, Mellissa is their best, Oath is good but it ain't near Mellissa, i would have the debut mini-lp at No.2, i remember a mate of mine buying it in 82' when it was released, he was 12 i was 13 (we thought we were pretty cool being into these sort of bands at our age especially when you consider most kids here in Australia were into Adam and the ants and Duran Duran at the time) he had to hide it from his grandparents who he lived with at the time, some of the language was a bit colorful for a 12 year old back in 82'
Legendary band, one of my all-time favourites. I agree with your top 3 and the debut ep & "Return of the Vampire" would be right up there too. I first heard Fate when the late, great Tommy Vance (RIP), played "Doomed by the Living Dead" on his Friday Rock Show back in '82. Needless to say I was hugely impressed and sought to find out more about the band, which I was able to do via the "Armed and Ready" pages of Kerrang!, which included a UK contact address for more information. The BBC Rock Show session, from Tommy's show was also a major highlight and "The Beginning" album was excellent too. Rest in peace Timi Hansen.
@@RuthlessMetalYT a friend of mine is actually longtime acquaintances with King Diamond and the Mercyful Fate guys. He had their demos in the early 80s and even went over and visited them in Denmark in 82 before the first EP dropped. Pretty amazing! He’s even listed on the Thank You section of the album.
I always wanted to name a horse Nightmare Be Thy Name. And oddly enough, it was through horses that I learned about Mercyful Fate. When I was 13-14 yrs old, my riding instructor and I were talking about music and I told her that I liked Metallica and Guns N Roses. So she lent me some Mercyful Fate cassettes and I was hooked, lol
Mercyful fate has never put out an album that I did not love. As I said in my last comment, Fate, Diamond solo, all songs, all albums, I fukkin' love them!
My first exposure to Mercyful Fate was when Black Funeral appeared on a various artist compilation called Metal For Breakfast in 1984. It was released on Canadian label Attic Records. I was hooked immediately. Sought out the album containing Black Funeral (which of course was Melissa) and it just continued from there.
I think most hardcore Mercyful Fate fans would rank the albums in a similar way - obviously the first two records and the reunion album have to come first, and most fans would agree that "Dead Again" is the low point, though as you mentioned, it's not an awful album by any means, it's just the weakest when they're all weighed against one another. I think the most common disagreement between Mercyful Fate fans is the debate about whether "Melissa" or "Don't Break the Oath" ought to be considered the band's masterpiece. Personally, my vote goes to "Melissa" because I think it has a better sense of direction, a more consistent feel, and simply because I think the songs are better and sound better due to a production quality that better suited the band. Hank Shermann wrote all of the music for the first record, and while there are a couple of moments that seem like they may have been an afterthought in terms of the arrangements (notably the glam-metal style riff in "Satan's Fall" that comes in at around the 4:20 mark), all of the songs have a similar feel despite them all sounding different and having so many different riffs in them. I think the guitar sound on "Melissa" is sufficiently dark, and the songs work perfectly without anything besides the basics - there are no effects (like the sound of rain), and no organ or harpsichord. It's just raw, in-your-face, really dark atmospheric metal and "Melissa" still sounds fresh 38 years after it was recorded. Definitely one of the greatest if not THE greatest metal album of all time. "Don't Break the Oath" is fantastic, but I don't think it's as good as the first one. Firstly, the writing process for the second album was very different. Shermann wrote some songs, Denner wrote a couple of songs, and King wrote some songs. That definitely led to a difference in the overall tone and feel of the music. Some of the riffs on "Don't Break the Oath" go back to the very early days of Shermann, Denner, and King playing together - "A Dangerous Meeting" is probably the oldest song on there and it wasn't even a Mercyful fate song originally. Musically it's a really strong record, but the songs don't sound as fleshed out as they do on the first one. To be fair, the album set the new standard for how Shermann, Denner, and King would approach songwriting going forward, with Shermann and King writing 4 songs each or so and Denner contributing two. "The Oath" and "Come to the Sabbath" are arguably the best Mercyful Fate songs King has to his credit. But the production on the album is really bright. To me, that detracts from how much more evil those riffs might have sounded. Sure, they're different live without that crispness, but that makes them sound so different that it's just not the same as when they play stuff from "Melissa" or the mini-album. Still fantastic, but I think "Melissa" edges it out in a contest. Completely agree about "In the Shadows" being the best reunion album of all time. The songs are great, but again, I think the record sounds TOO perfect, it's got this very clear and very bright sound and the distortion on the guitars sounds a bit synthetic to me. It's just a minor complaint because musically it's glorious. The songs are packed with riffs, it shows a huge jump in the band's maturity as songwriters, but it still sounds authentic and it makes you wonder what a third record might have sounded like if they'd recorded one back in 1985 instead of 1993. "Time" is a lot more of a minimalistic effort in some ways. There are some more complex songs on there, but the majority are pretty simple and straightforward. I like the production a lot. Everything sounds really clear, but really dark at the same time. It's not as accomplished an album as "In the Shadows", but it's still a great album. My biggest peeve is that King's vocals are too loud and too prominent in the mix on some tracks and the riffs aren't as in-your-face as they should be. I like "Into the Unknown" but it's the first Mercyful Fate album to feature filler songs. The band had just released a couple of albums back to back, and when they started getting songs ready for the next album a couple of years later, the material wasn't of the same standard. And, as it was mentioned in the video, there's a definite strain of very King-Diamond sounding songs on there. Keep in mind that the King Diamond band had just released "The Spider's Lullabye" and "The Graveyard" back to back - and "Into the Unknown" and "The Graveyard" were only released about a month apart, meaning that the songwriting sessions and recording sessions occurred really close together, probably sometimes overlapping. Honestly, King's offerings on "Into the Unknown" are not his best, but Shermann and Denner's songs are much stronger. I also think the title track is one of the best songs they ever released that isn't on the first three records. What to say about "Dead Again" that hasn't been said already? It's got character, but it's just a subpar record. Lyrically it's by far the weakest Mercyful Fate album. It's packed with filler - each and every song could have been improved upon before the recording. I think Mike Wead has been an excellent replacement for Denner, but without Denner's contributions King had to pick up some of the slack, and again, his songs were not the greatest he's ever written by any means. Honestly, I think the record is only half as good as it could have been - they should have waited another year. Not that there's any guarantee that might have made a difference - the King Diamond band took a five year hiatus before recording "The Spider's Lullabye" and it didn't do them any good, that album is a lame duck compared to the classic first five. I like "9" and I definitely rank it above "Dead Again", but I think they were going for a more modern sound that didn't entirely work. Some of the songs sound as though they could have been written by another band and they don't have that signature stamp on them. There are too many faster tracks on there that work fine for King Diamond, but not so much for Mercyful Fate. I understand that bands need to grow and evolve, there's got to be progression and development over time, but I just think "9" was a leap the band didn't have to make. They should have concentrated on sculpting some songs to make everyone forget about "Dead Again" and not been worried about sounding like a proper 90s band. Thanks for reading, if you bothered.
I remember the chilling to the soul effect Melissa and Don't Break The Oath had on me my freshman and sophomore years of high school. Like you say, these albums were just on their own level of darkness, originality, and arrangement... Anyone who listened to these and didn't feel both a sense of warmth and icy chill in their soul at the same time doesn't have one! 🤘😉
@@leandromaciel4009 Denner, Sherman and LaRoque are 3 of my 5 all time favorite metal players, but current state of technical prowess Wead is the man. Just go Iron Maiden + with the Mercyful Fate/King Diamond Ensemble and all 4 dudes rotating up there with Wead holding down the fort and playing the difficult solos. He really is incredible, like Jeff Loomis incredible. Id pay to see that.
Don't Rank the Oath: But You can Rank Mercyful Fate 8 - In the Shadows 7 - Dead again 6 - Time 5 - 9 4 - Into the Unknown 3 - Mercyful Fate EP 2 - Don't break the Oath 1 - Melissa Nice Dude, I'm not the only one that Loves Melissa... Ok, there might be a lot of People out there that Loves Melissa.
I discovered Mercyful Fate after Metallica's compilation cover on Garage Inc. Then seeing the live video of them preforming the compilation song with King Diamond on vocals. Awesomeness breeds awesomeness.
I believe that King's best voice is the mournful, normal tenor range. Sure, his falsetto is great, but it's when he does that melancholic, yearning tenor voice that the pinnacle of their music appears for me. That combined with the 1981-1982 riffs, which had one foot somehow left in regular hard rock music but with that newfound evil touch, makes for such a magic whole.
I agree his norm range bounces well of the falsetto, too much falsetto it becomes grating on the nerves, been a fan since 1980 the ceremonial feel of Mercyful Fate is what really remains unique
@Awesome Welles Yeah, like that. And when he uses that voice to carry a song like in Nuns Have No Fun, Leave my Soul Alone etc, it creates something special that goes beyond what another singer would have done in the same key. It's like KIng's voice is inherently melancholic and/or evil and he doesn't need to distort it.
I agree!
@@michaelmclaughlin6440 - That's exactly why I like Mercyful Fate better than the King Diamond stuff as he uses too much falsetto on those later albums...
@@dennis8309 Yeah in later years he has come to rely mostly on falsetto or a growly voice. But it's fine since he sounds so great live nowadays.
Dont break the oath is just a damn killer album!!!
Cheers!
The best one by far
Mercyful fate is such an awesome band, on every aspect
true!
Aye wtf I thought I commented this for a sec
@@coletrain3599 at least this profile photo proves we both have a good taste in music
@@Noorduif very true
@@Noorduif I Love both bands but neither band is just a pick up an album band I remember seeing their albums as a kid back in the early 80's going What is this! You got to appreciate them first.
Melissa is without a doubt one of the best metal albums ever released . Saying it is a masterpiece is an understatement.
Great job with this band . Can't fault you on your ranking
Thanks boss 🤘
I must’ve listened to “Satans Fall” about 5000x already.
1. Don't Break the Oath
2. Melissa
3. In the Shadows
4. Into the Unknown
5. Time
6. Dead Again
7. 9
This is the first time, ever, that I agree 100% with a ranking and also with the sayings of the narrator. Superb, tremendous band.
Cheers!
The vocal layering on The Lady In Black gives me the chills every time I hear it. Fantastic band! Thanks for this one Ruthless!!
Thanks!
That tune is the perfect song for autumn. I always play that as I walk down the street and watch the leaves tumble about.
Its a shame that MF were rushed to finish the first EP without being able to add the vocal layers as it would have really enhanced the sound, but I do love the rawness of the first EP
@@michaelmclaughlin6440 Corpse Without a Soul is a masterpiece, I prefer it raw, it shows how the King has progressed over the years while still retaining his range and power.
In the Shadows was the first album I heard from Mercyful Fate. King Diamond is so underrated he always sounds awesome live. I also love Don't Break the Oath, Melissa and Into the Unknown. Your ranking is spot on.
Cheers!🤘🏼💀🔥
Yes!!!
🔥🤘🔥
Great list! I only got really into Mercyful Fate and King Diamond recently, but our lists are very similar. Melissa is a metal masterpiece!
Your comments about all those bands in the 90's trying to sound like Pantera is so spot-on. It made me sick back then. Pantera are so over-rated but hey,they were popular so lets just copy them. Nobody will notice! Mercyful Fate are perhaps the most consistent band of all time. I cannot rank their albums. They are all number 1 at different times. Keep up the good work my friend! Cheers!
Yes, so good. Cheers!
Pantera bore me to death, but Mercyful Fate are awesome and very consistent other than Overkill and Saxon.
@@crazyking1896 Agreed!
Pantera was a pitiful glam band that ripped off Exhorder, so I don't even consider them metal.
Amazing to remember that “Egypt” was the lead-off to their comeback reunion album, just a stone-cold classic right out the gate after spending nearly a decade apart 🤯 Really one of the bands that you have to measure all others against
Yeah, they came back and delivered better music than most other bands in their prime. :) so effortless. Cheers!
Going to see MF on that reunion tour was THE TOP concert experience of all time, front row getting crushed by the crowd, sweating profusely, King just wailing, Hank and Michael going crazy seeing Timi play the bass so expertly it was amazing man MF are the tops
This is such a great band, can't get much better.
true
I almost think of Melissa and Don’t Break The Oath as one album, they’re such a powerful and amazing one-two punch. If I start listening to either one, I start wanting to hear the other one too, and pretty soon I’ve listened to every song on both records AGAIN! Also worth mentioning that the replay value on those 2 records is infinite. I bought DBTO the week it came out, and I still listen to it multiple times a year. Not sure I can think of 2 other records, or any other band, that I can say that about. I didn’t follow their later releases much, but those 2 records are truly special.
I was anxiously waiting for this one. Keep up the great work, man! Stay heavy!
thanks boss!
Mercyful fate is the greatest metal band in my opinion and nothing will top the original lineup with Kim ruzz on drums 🔥🔥🔥 love your videos sir everything you said is what I’ve been saying for years!!!! Keep it up
Thanks boss! 🔥🔥
Mellisa and Don't Break The Oath - best metal albums of all time. I remember when I first heard Don't Break The Oath back in 1999, it struck me. Melissa and Don't Break The Oath are releases beyond time. They are eternal! All Hail Mercyful Fate
🤘
Cheers!
@@RuthlessMetalYT , Cheers, Brother!
I fucking LOVE Mercyful Fate!!!
One of the all-time greats. 🤘🏼💀🔥
Mercyful Fate!!! Thanksss.
Perfect, I totally agree with the list, I'm just in doubt between Dont Break and Melissa sometimes.
me too, and the 90s albums are pretty close to each other in terms of quality. 🤘🏼💀🔥
I get to see mercyful fate tomorrow in LA
I’m excited
Nice, have fun! I'm so jealous.
The ABSOLUTE GREATEST BAND EVER. Kim Ruzz was sorely missed on later albums
Cheers!
Thank You for put Melissa at first place really Is my favorite of all albums 🤘
In 1983/4 On a school trip to France for the day, me and a friend popped into the local record store. He bought Melissa on LP. I was still fairly new to metal at that point. I could not believe what I was hearing when I got to listen to it on a visit to his house that weekend.
Not sure I even liked it too much then! Absolutely love it now, nearly 40 years later!
Yes, It was a bit too strange for me as well the first time I heard them.
For me it was “Corpse without a Soul”, the first song I heard, circa 1982-83, and was hooked.
Great ranking, maybe Venom or Bathory next?
Some day.. 🤘🏼💀🔥
1) Melissa
2) oath
3) EP
4) In the Shadows
5) Time
6) 9
7) Into the Unknown
8) Dead Again
🤘🤘
All hail Mercyful Fate 🤘🏼💀🔥
🤘🏼
Another great ranking list RM. I wouldn't change it. Thank you again fellow Earthdog!
Thanks boss!
Yeeees
Mercyful Fate fucking rules! One of my fav metal bands ever
Everytime I just think about or say the name of the band "Mercyful Fate", I just got a big smile on my face
Great rank
Great video
Keep going, bro
🍻🍻
Thank you 🤘🏼💀🔥
This made my day after a long work shift. Thank you.
thanks boss!
@@RuthlessMetalYT You're the best, dude.
Wow - your ranking and explanations here are like you read my mind LOL - 110% spot on in every way 😁
Hehe, Thank you Sir! :)
Right on, man. This band is very important to me. I think you nailed it. Cheers.
thanks boss!
Classic debate about no.1 in their discography between Don't Break the Oath & Melissa. Personally I rate Don't Break the Oath as their best. Both albums have some of the best artwork in metal, though.
9:02 - When I first heard "Melissa" I thought my head was being nailed to the floor!!
You ranked them in exactly the same order I do; this is the first time I'm in complete agreement with you. Lysande!
🤘
Ha, ha I posted exactly the same words!
My exact order as well!! First self titled is as good as Melissa and Oath. Gotta love that cover too!!
@@alexandrosmantas3453 \m/
@@larsnilsson4716 \m/
I've seen your channel a couple of times and I've decided to subscribe to you due to your views here. Mercyful Fate is one of my favorite bands I own the DBTO shoes and a hand made hoodie of the cover, I also have plenty of KD merch. Mercyful Fate is a amazing and their new album should be fantastic. I think Mercyful Fate should also be talked about as the best band ever. Epic, progressive, dark, heavy, haunting.. Long Live the King! 🤘
thanks boss and welcome!
Mercyful fate is something you can't ignore in metal. Melissa and DBtO are true masterpieces. My love to "Come to the Sabbath" is eternal!!!
On the In The Shadows album. I love the way King’s voice sounds with the guitar on the chorus line of the song Legend Of The Headless Rider. It’s one of my favorite parts of any song. Devil Eyes is my favorite song of theirs. For the most part. I agree with your ranking
🤘🤘
1) Don't break the oath
2) Melissa
3) 9
Cheers from México!
Cheers!
This is the only ranking you've done that I pretty much agree with. I would only have switched 'In the Shadows' & 'Time'. I think 'Time' is criminally underrated in their discography. 🤘
I agree, it's one of the best albums of the decade!
I have been following this band since late 1982 and no one has even come close taking the top spot as my favorite band in the world. If you actually read this, what would be the ranking of the EP in your top Mercyful Fate list?
I really love the EP but it's hard to compare it to the full-length albums but top 3 I think.
@@RuthlessMetalYT yeah....If I HAD to decide..it would be third behind Melissa and Don't Break The Oath. Thanks for making my day. Mercyful Fate FOREVER \M/
Me too! I had Melissa imported it was not available in America at the time it was released.
the EP would be number one for me, because it sounds so raw
@@Bananenbennie same here my number 1 favorite by mercyful Fate and number 2 don't Break The Oath and number 3 melissa.🤘🔥😈🔥🤘
I agree 100%... You've gotta do King Diamond now
The invisible guests is still my favourite song by the king \m/
A mansion in darkness
Love the Melissa album. Bought it while I was in high school back in 89
Cheers!
In the Shadows in the Top 3 Yes !!! 🔥🤘🔥
Great Rank em All !!!
Thanks
Great ranking of one of my favorite bands. Bought the bootleg album, "Live From the Depths of Hell" in the mid 80's because the cover was cool been a huge fan since.
🤘🏼💀🔥
Good choice..Mellisa is absolutly perfect for me.keep going thx..
🤘🏼💀🔥
I usually put DBTO over Melissa, but that varies. Great list sir.
thanks boss
I agree, they have great discography with no fillers or stinkers. My first three albums are: 1. DBTO 2. Melissa 3. 9. I suggest that next ranking should be King Diamond's catalogue. Greetings from Poland
Cheers! 🤘🏼💀🔥
Thanks for covering mercyful and king !!! Hank is killer, his riffs n leads sound soo sinister ranking him up there with iommi in my books !!!!! saw them in Nov in Quebec!!!!!🤟🤟 I like dead again over time btw imho
1....don't break the oath
2....Melissa
3....in the shadows
4....into the unknown
5....dead again
6....time
7....9
🤟🤟🤟🤟
Cheers!
Una de mis bandas favoritas. Un saludo.
Saludos
I agree with U. I like the don't break the Oath album a little bit more than Melissa. Love the shadows album, time and into the unknown.
Thanks for the video.
Please do King Diamond next.
It's coming! 🤘
@@RuthlessMetalYT hail to the King.
Check out: Cage with King Diamond 🤘🏻🎃
great video! … took me years to appreciate mercyful fate… mainly cause of the voice… finally got over it not too long ago. swedish "in solitude“ surely helped to get into mercyful fate… even start to love the voice. cheers
Yes, his voice is so unusual so a lot of people miss out on the greatness of this band just because of it and it's a shame. everyone should love Mercyful Fate. Cheers!
EXCELLENT RANKING AGREED ON ALL PICKS !!!
thanks! cheers!
Nice content, as always! Suggestions: King Diamond, obviously, and other Heavy Metal bands, like Saxon, Judas Priest, Def Leppard... 🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷
Some of those are definitely coming... Cheers!
King Diamond’s vocals are strangely soothing. It’s fairly bizarre. . .but they do soothe
Cheers!
Solid breakdown of one of the greatest bands in the history of metal. Horns high! \m/
thanks boss! Cheers!
Same order as my ranking video lol , good work 🤘
Ah, you know what you're talking about then. ;) hehe Cheers!
@@RuthlessMetalYT Always 😉 Stay Heavy
I saw the last show on the 9 tour, experience I’ll never forgot
I first discovered Them when Don't Break The Oath was first released. It was then and still is One of the greatest Metal albums ever released in history in my opinion. So there far it is my #1 album followed by the incredible In The Shadows and Time and then Melissa. Truly one of the most talented and greatest Metal groups in history without a doubt. I've always loved them. Verygood video.🤘
Thank you! Cheers!
Good ranking😃👍🤘🤘
🤘🏼💀🔥
I know your lists before you talk: oldest=best. Then each year chronologically next. I love your videos! Keep it up!
yeah, that's often the case. things turned for the worse. with production, trends and recording budgets.
I like your ranking. I really got into Mercyful Fate after I heard Nuns have no fun from the album Mercyful Fate from 82 i believe. I liked all songs on that album. I like Don't break the oath album, but honestly I need to check out their stuff from 90s.
To me Oath is my favorite and Time is my second favorite. Nightmare from DBTO and the title track from Time are my two favorite songs from Mercyful Fate. I love every song from Fate and I also love the lengthy Dead Again track. Great rankings of part 1 of my favorite band.
Thanks, Cheers!
I remember trading a friend Fatal Portrait for To Mega Therion when it came out. Not because I didn't like Fatal Portrait...just because I had already worn the grooves down.
two great albums.
To Mega Therion is one of my favorite albums ever. Came out just before I was born.
I admit my fav is Shadows. I think that one, Oath, and Time have such a dark shroud that really hooks the listener in for the albums entirety. I know Melissa was a epic milestone in metal, but great list man, keep it up!! \m/ Maybe some black metal next? 🍻
Cheers!
I think Melissa and DBTO must be in the same place... 🤘 pure magic
🤘
Hey, you made me want to listen to Don't Break the Oath (for the 1st time) :)
congrats! you're life is now forever changed. Cheers! 🤘🏻
I was lucky to get into MF from a young age, when I was 13, more or less around the same time as you did in 1998, and was lucky to see them during the 9 tour which was actually my first actual metal concert (before that I had seen only Deep Purple). I look forward to hear their new material, it's just a real shame that Michael Denner was left out of the reunion!
yeah he should have been there.
Damn man! Your final words about Mercyful Fate menbers in Melissa álbuns Will echoes in eternity rsrs
Mercyful Fate? Will never forget It!
1 Melissa
2 Don't Break the Oath
3 The Begining
4 Return The Vampire
5 In The Shadows
6 Time
7 9
8 Dead Again
There's no worst álbum in Mercyful Fate history...King Diamond came from the other side sure 🤘🏿🤘🏾🤘🏽🤘🏼🤘
they are just too good! :) Cheers!
Mercyful Fate are the best band ever! I got Melissa when I was 18 and it will be with me the rest of my life. You are right.
My list
9
Dead Again
Into the Unknown
In the Shadows
Time
Don't Break the Oath
Melissa
Cheers!
I can remember seeing King Diamond records in music stores and hearing about Mercyful Fate when I was a kid, but the first time I ever heard any music by Mercyful Fate was when King Diamond appeared on the Headbanger's Ball, and they premiered the video for "Egypt" from the comeback album. I was blown away! It was creepy, and it was heavy and thrashy, and it was melodic in a dark, creepy way. "Egypt" is still one of my favorite all time metal songs.
Egypt is great! love it! Cheers!
Definitely Melissa and Don't break the oath are among the best metal records of all time.
Please rank Motorhead albums next.
Cheers!
My all time favourite band! Great list and video man! Here’s my ranking…
7. Into The Unknown (1996)
6. Dead Again (1998)
5. Time (1994)
4. In The Shadows (1993)
3. 9 (1999)
2. Don’t Break The Oath (1984)
1. Melissa (1983)
Cheers!
Now King Diamond band, please.
Yes!
Cool Video!
Thanks boss!
Well done Mr. Ruthless, Mellissa is their best, Oath is good but it ain't near Mellissa, i would have the debut mini-lp at No.2, i remember a mate of mine buying it in 82' when it was released, he was 12 i was 13 (we thought we were pretty cool being into these sort of bands at our age especially when you consider most kids here in Australia were into Adam and the ants and Duran Duran at the time) he had to hide it from his grandparents who he lived with at the time, some of the language was a bit colorful for a 12 year old back in 82'
Cheers!
I got into Mercyfull fate and King diamond becase of you, and im very thankfull for that.
Nice, two of the absolute greatest bands of all time. :)
@@RuthlessMetalYT I might get a chance to se mercyfull fate this summer.
My ranking: 1. DBTO 2. Melissa 3. In the Shadows 4. Time 5. Dead Again 6. Into the Unknown 7. 9
1. Melissa
2. Don't Break the Oath
3. EP/The Beginning
4. In the Shadows
Cheers!
Legendary band, one of my all-time favourites. I agree with your top 3 and the debut ep & "Return of the Vampire" would be right up there too. I first heard Fate when the late, great Tommy Vance (RIP), played "Doomed by the Living Dead" on his Friday Rock Show back in '82. Needless to say I was hugely impressed and sought to find out more about the band, which I was able to do via the "Armed and Ready" pages of Kerrang!, which included a UK contact address for more information. The BBC Rock Show session, from Tommy's show was also a major highlight and "The Beginning" album was excellent too.
Rest in peace Timi Hansen.
yes. ah, he did? that Tommy Vance guy knew his shit before everyone else did. Cheers!
Hard to argue with that list!!! Melissa is one of my top favorite albums ever and DBTO is very very close.
Cheers!
@@RuthlessMetalYT a friend of mine is actually longtime acquaintances with King Diamond and the Mercyful Fate guys. He had their demos in the early 80s and even went over and visited them in Denmark in 82 before the first EP dropped. Pretty amazing! He’s even listed on the Thank You section of the album.
@@seanz1115 Damn that's cool. :) Tell him to take me with him the next time. ;) hehe
You've made a great job to ranking whole discographys
Can you make a rank of bands like candlemass and solitude aeturnus ?
I might.
Melissa is definitely one of Mercyful Fate's best album! The title track is my favorite song of theirs!
'Into the Coven' is a masterpiece of guitar and vocal
One of the best metal bands ever, hopefully they have a new album soon as it's been rumored for a while.
Cheers!
Don't Break The Oath is the best for me.
🤘🏼💀🔥
I always wanted to name a horse Nightmare Be Thy Name. And oddly enough, it was through horses that I learned about Mercyful Fate. When I was 13-14 yrs old, my riding instructor and I were talking about music and I told her that I liked Metallica and Guns N Roses. So she lent me some Mercyful Fate cassettes and I was hooked, lol
Nice. :) Cheers!
Mercyful fate has never put out an album that I did not love. As I said in my last comment, Fate, Diamond solo, all songs, all albums, I fukkin' love them!
Cheers!
Dang...this Brings Me Back.
Don't Break the Oath..was My first Album by them. I remember when it came out. Then I went back and Got Melissa 👍😁👍
My first exposure to Mercyful Fate was when Black Funeral appeared on a various artist compilation called Metal For Breakfast in 1984. It was released on Canadian label Attic Records.
I was hooked immediately. Sought out the album containing Black Funeral (which of course was Melissa) and it just continued from there.
Great stuff! Cheers!
Honorable mention to the first Ep
yes, it's great!
I think most hardcore Mercyful Fate fans would rank the albums in a similar way - obviously the first two records and the reunion album have to come first, and most fans would agree that "Dead Again" is the low point, though as you mentioned, it's not an awful album by any means, it's just the weakest when they're all weighed against one another.
I think the most common disagreement between Mercyful Fate fans is the debate about whether "Melissa" or "Don't Break the Oath" ought to be considered the band's masterpiece. Personally, my vote goes to "Melissa" because I think it has a better sense of direction, a more consistent feel, and simply because I think the songs are better and sound better due to a production quality that better suited the band. Hank Shermann wrote all of the music for the first record, and while there are a couple of moments that seem like they may have been an afterthought in terms of the arrangements (notably the glam-metal style riff in "Satan's Fall" that comes in at around the 4:20 mark), all of the songs have a similar feel despite them all sounding different and having so many different riffs in them. I think the guitar sound on "Melissa" is sufficiently dark, and the songs work perfectly without anything besides the basics - there are no effects (like the sound of rain), and no organ or harpsichord. It's just raw, in-your-face, really dark atmospheric metal and "Melissa" still sounds fresh 38 years after it was recorded. Definitely one of the greatest if not THE greatest metal album of all time.
"Don't Break the Oath" is fantastic, but I don't think it's as good as the first one. Firstly, the writing process for the second album was very different. Shermann wrote some songs, Denner wrote a couple of songs, and King wrote some songs. That definitely led to a difference in the overall tone and feel of the music. Some of the riffs on "Don't Break the Oath" go back to the very early days of Shermann, Denner, and King playing together - "A Dangerous Meeting" is probably the oldest song on there and it wasn't even a Mercyful fate song originally. Musically it's a really strong record, but the songs don't sound as fleshed out as they do on the first one. To be fair, the album set the new standard for how Shermann, Denner, and King would approach songwriting going forward, with Shermann and King writing 4 songs each or so and Denner contributing two. "The Oath" and "Come to the Sabbath" are arguably the best Mercyful Fate songs King has to his credit. But the production on the album is really bright. To me, that detracts from how much more evil those riffs might have sounded. Sure, they're different live without that crispness, but that makes them sound so different that it's just not the same as when they play stuff from "Melissa" or the mini-album. Still fantastic, but I think "Melissa" edges it out in a contest.
Completely agree about "In the Shadows" being the best reunion album of all time. The songs are great, but again, I think the record sounds TOO perfect, it's got this very clear and very bright sound and the distortion on the guitars sounds a bit synthetic to me. It's just a minor complaint because musically it's glorious. The songs are packed with riffs, it shows a huge jump in the band's maturity as songwriters, but it still sounds authentic and it makes you wonder what a third record might have sounded like if they'd recorded one back in 1985 instead of 1993.
"Time" is a lot more of a minimalistic effort in some ways. There are some more complex songs on there, but the majority are pretty simple and straightforward. I like the production a lot. Everything sounds really clear, but really dark at the same time. It's not as accomplished an album as "In the Shadows", but it's still a great album. My biggest peeve is that King's vocals are too loud and too prominent in the mix on some tracks and the riffs aren't as in-your-face as they should be.
I like "Into the Unknown" but it's the first Mercyful Fate album to feature filler songs. The band had just released a couple of albums back to back, and when they started getting songs ready for the next album a couple of years later, the material wasn't of the same standard. And, as it was mentioned in the video, there's a definite strain of very King-Diamond sounding songs on there. Keep in mind that the King Diamond band had just released "The Spider's Lullabye" and "The Graveyard" back to back - and "Into the Unknown" and "The Graveyard" were only released about a month apart, meaning that the songwriting sessions and recording sessions occurred really close together, probably sometimes overlapping. Honestly, King's offerings on "Into the Unknown" are not his best, but Shermann and Denner's songs are much stronger. I also think the title track is one of the best songs they ever released that isn't on the first three records.
What to say about "Dead Again" that hasn't been said already? It's got character, but it's just a subpar record. Lyrically it's by far the weakest Mercyful Fate album. It's packed with filler - each and every song could have been improved upon before the recording. I think Mike Wead has been an excellent replacement for Denner, but without Denner's contributions King had to pick up some of the slack, and again, his songs were not the greatest he's ever written by any means. Honestly, I think the record is only half as good as it could have been - they should have waited another year. Not that there's any guarantee that might have made a difference - the King Diamond band took a five year hiatus before recording "The Spider's Lullabye" and it didn't do them any good, that album is a lame duck compared to the classic first five.
I like "9" and I definitely rank it above "Dead Again", but I think they were going for a more modern sound that didn't entirely work. Some of the songs sound as though they could have been written by another band and they don't have that signature stamp on them. There are too many faster tracks on there that work fine for King Diamond, but not so much for Mercyful Fate. I understand that bands need to grow and evolve, there's got to be progression and development over time, but I just think "9" was a leap the band didn't have to make. They should have concentrated on sculpting some songs to make everyone forget about "Dead Again" and not been worried about sounding like a proper 90s band.
Thanks for reading, if you bothered.
Thanks boss! Superb disco for sure! Cheers!
I remember the chilling to the soul effect Melissa and Don't Break The Oath had on me my freshman and sophomore years of high school. Like you say, these albums were just on their own level of darkness, originality, and arrangement... Anyone who listened to these and didn't feel both a sense of warmth and icy chill in their soul at the same time doesn't have one! 🤘😉
Cheers! 🍺
Totally agree eccept 9 for me in fourth position, bye. King Diamond next?
it's coming!
8:40 evil laugh 1
9:00 evil laugh 2
9:32 evil laugh 3
I love ruthless metal 🤘😂😂
moahahaha
I agree with 80% of The List, Dont break The oath is The First and Time is Better than In The shadows in my opinion 🙂
yeah, they are all great. 🤘🏼💀🔥
@@RuthlessMetalYT and I wish to return of Michael Denner to The Band (I like Michael Wead too) but Denner is the soul of M.F with King and Shermann.
@@leandromaciel4009 Denner, Sherman and LaRoque are 3 of my 5 all time favorite metal players, but current state of technical prowess Wead is the man. Just go Iron Maiden + with the Mercyful Fate/King Diamond Ensemble and all 4 dudes rotating up there with Wead holding down the fort and playing the difficult solos. He really is incredible, like Jeff Loomis incredible. Id pay to see that.
@@toddwilliamson8557 yeah ! Michael Wead is phenomeal, I Like The older Band of him, Hexenhaus...technical and awesome...
Melissa and Don't Break The Oath are true classics, and In The Shadows is awesome as well, my favorite song on that album is The Bell Witch
Cheers!
The Bell Witch riff is pure genius
I mostly agree with your ranking, but I'd swap Melissa and Don't Break the Oath. Now I'm gonna see how you did on the KD ranking lol
hehe, do it! Cheers!
MF is one of the greatest groundbreaking bands in history. Their contribution is widely underrated in my opinion
For sure! Cheers!
Martin Popoff has a book out “ Black Funeral “ ( Into The Coven ).
The Mercyful Fate story. Odd things. Weird things. Covers everything.
Don't Rank the Oath:
But You can Rank Mercyful Fate
8 - In the Shadows
7 - Dead again
6 - Time
5 - 9
4 - Into the Unknown
3 - Mercyful Fate EP
2 - Don't break the Oath
1 - Melissa
Nice Dude, I'm not the only one that Loves Melissa...
Ok, there might be a lot of People out there that Loves Melissa.
🤘
I discovered Mercyful Fate after Metallica's compilation cover on Garage Inc. Then seeing the live video of them preforming the compilation song with King Diamond on vocals. Awesomeness breeds awesomeness.
yeah I think a lot of people discovered the band through Garage Inc. :) Cheers!