┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │■ ■│ │ .-/ .-. │ │ _.-~ / ___ | ~-._ │ │ \:/ -~| / __/| .\:/ │ │ / || (:/:| \ │ │ / /\/| |:\___\| |\ \ │ │ / /:::|.::/:::/:.|:\ \ │ │ / /:::/ \\/:::/::/:::\ \ │ │ / .::\ \-~~~~-/\/:.. \ │ │ /..:::::\ /:::::..\ │ │ /::::::::- -::::::::\ │ │ \:::::-~ ~-:::::/ │ │ \:-~ ~-:/ │ │ METAL CLASSICS ARCHIVE │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ P R E S E N T S │ │ │ │ │ │ + Mercyful Fate - 9 + │ │ │ │ │ │╔═════════════════════╗ │ │║ Release Information ║ │ │╠═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════╗ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Release Date.nov-17-2013 Encoder......L3.97 -V2 --vbr-new ║ │ │║ Genre........Metal Graber.......EAC ║ │ │║ Year.........1999 Khz/Bitrate..44,1/ Br ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Ripper.......anthem Songs........10 ║ │ │║ Covers.......Yes Url... www.kingdiamondcoven.com ║ │ │║ ║ │ │╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │╔═════════════════════╗ │ │║ Release Notes ║ │ │╠═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════╗ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Artist : Mercyful Fate Rating : You Decide! ║ │ │║ Album : 9 Label : Metal Blade ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ ║ │ │╠════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Description : ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ I am somewhat late in finally coming to terms ║ │ │║ with Mercyful Fate, having only started my ║ │ │║ exploration of their albums in the last year or ║ │ │║ so. But Fate is one of those 'classic' metal ║ │ │║ bands, producing a few works that are suitably ║ │ │║ regarded as masterpieces within the heavy metal ║ │ │║ genre, and they are a band that escapes the ║ │ │║ limitations of time as their melodic gifts ║ │ │║ easily transcend the trappings of 'scenes' or ║ │ │║ 'styles'. What first made me go back and look ║ │ │║ into Fate's first two albums was the constant ║ │ │║ claiming of their influence by modern bands - ║ │ │║ Emperor in particular. 'Why not go check them ║ │ │║ out?' I thought. I was pleasantly surprised by ║ │ │║ what I found. My first taste was 'Don't Break ║ │ │║ The Oath' and I still think that is their best ║ │ │║ album - others will argue or belabor the point, ║ │ │║ but it doesn't really matter. That album is ║ │ │║ essential listening for fans of Metallica's ║ │ │║ earlier work - if you want to know where Kirk ║ │ │║ Hammett got all his ideas. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Mercyful Fate has a style all of their own, and ║ │ │║ that style has followed them to the present day, ║ │ │║ sticking to the band and their albums outside of ║ │ │║ King Diamond's solo work. There is an ║ │ │║ immediately noticeable difference between ║ │ │║ 'Melissa', for example, and 'Abigail', and it ║ │ │║ resides mainly in Fate's esoteric melodicism as ║ │ │║ well as their concentration on progressive song ║ │ │║ structures. This album doesn't break with that ║ │ │║ pattern. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ So what we have here is an update, once again, ║ │ │║ of a classic metal band striving to come to ║ │ │║ terms with what they have in part created or ║ │ │║ influenced. You may have read elsewhere that ║ │ │║ this album owes a large debt to Metallica, in ║ │ │║ that Fate realized they had to 'modernize' their ║ │ │║ sound to appeal to the audience of today, but I ║ │ │║ don't really think that's true. First of all, ║ │ │║ this album is far better than anything Metallica ║ │ │║ have released in the last five years - easily. ║ │ │║ Secondly, this is a band that never really ║ │ │║ needed to update their sound, as they have been ║ │ │║ ahead of the pack all the way. There are melodic ║ │ │║ elements on their albums from the mid-'80s that ║ │ │║ I don't think many bands could touch even now. ║ │ │║ Yes, guitarist Hank Shermann is that good. So ║ │ │║ what has Fate done with this, their last album ║ │ │║ of the twentieth century? Mainly, I think, they ║ │ │║ have escaped the specter of their earlier work, ║ │ │║ and moved out from under the cloud that ║ │ │║ 'Melissa' and 'Don't Break The Oath' spread over ║ │ │║ them - the cloud of 'unrealizable ambition', ║ │ │║ that is to say: the thought that they could ║ │ │║ never equal those classic albums. They have left ║ │ │║ that behind, and climbed to new heights. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ This album is such a breath of fresh air. I ║ │ │║ haven't heard music this melodically gifted in ║ │ │║ at least six or seven years - if not longer. ║ │ │║ Mercyful Fate bring to the table a long history ║ │ │║ of wrenching riffs into catchy and evocative ║ │ │║ patterns, and they steer through these songs ║ │ │║ with unerring precision, putting the right notes ║ │ │║ in the right place, the right accents over the ║ │ │║ right thrusts of rhythmic intensity. What first ║ │ │║ stands out is of course the catchy pop ║ │ │║ sensibility of the melodies, the sing-along ║ │ │║ nature of the choruses and the supposedly easy- ║ │ │║ to-follow riff patterns, but dig a little deeper ║ │ │║ and you will discover that the dark heart of ║ │ │║ Mercyful Fate still beats under the illusory ║ │ │║ accessibility. There are things going on in ║ │ │║ these songs that defy easy categorization - ║ │ │║ listen to the interplay of the guitars, the ║ │ │║ completely bizarre nature of the blistering ║ │ │║ leads, the occult vocal patterns - especially in ║ │ │║ the sixth song 'The Grave', the feelings that ║ │ │║ the music gives rise to outside of the obvious ║ │ │║ lyrics, the constantly-changing main melodies... ║ │ │║ there's a lot here to discover. Also worth ║ │ │║ paying close attention to are the incredibly ║ │ │║ tight, intricate, and crushing rhythms that are ║ │ │║ strummed into your head with the light touch of ║ │ │║ a maestro's hand. A hand that is, of course, ║ │ │║ wrapped in an iron gauntlet. This is an album ║ │ │║ for the ages, and I hail Mercyful Fate for once ║ │ │║ again creating music that effortlessly sails ║ │ │║ past all the restraints or limitations of the ║ │ │║ genre. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ ║ │ │╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │╔═════════════════════╗ │ │║ Release Tracklist ║ │ │╚═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════ │ │ │ │ 01 - Last Rites [04:12] │ │ 02 - Church Of Saint Anne [04:44] │ │ 03 - Sold My Soul [05:05] │ │ 04 - House On The Hill [03:43] │ │ 05 - Burn In Hell [03:50] │ │ 06 - The Grave [04:10] │ │ 07 - Insane [03:01] │ │ 08 - Kiss The Demon [03:54] │ │ 09 - Buried Alive [04:41] │ │ 10 - 9 [04:31] │ │ │ │ Total Length : [41:51 minn │ │ │ │ │ │ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ╔═════════════════════╗ │ │ ║ Greetings To: ║ │ │ ╚═════════════════════╝ │ │ │ │ Too all people who contributes to make this │ │ archive of good music in a exceptional conditions │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │■ ■│ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘