[Cover photo credit to @raymond_ahner]
Metal Blade Records has revealed that they are releasing Mercyful Fate’s classic album Melissa digitally in celebration of the album’s 40th Anniversary. This special version was remastered in 2005 by Ted Jensen of Sterling Sound in NYC and has, up until now, not been available to fans digitally.
To further celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Melissa, the band worked with their merch company Bravado to create a new line of Melissa-themed items that are now available.
Mercyful Fate was formed in early 1981 in Copenhagen, Denmark by vocalist King Diamond and guitarist Hank Shermann. They were later joined by guitarist Michael Denner and bassist Timi Hansen, and soon thereafter drummer Kim Ruzz would join to complete the band lineup. The band recorded two demos in 1981 and later signed with Rave On Records in Holland for the recording of their successful self-titled EP, released in November of 1982.
Currently, the band is at work on a new album. Back in June of 2022, they gave fans a taste of the new material when they debuted a song called “The Jackal Of Salzburg”when they performed alongside Volbeat in Germany as well as at Psycho Las Vegas in the United States.
The band’s current lineup is King Diamond on vocals, Hank Shermann and Mike Wead on guitars, Bjarne T. Holm on drums and Joey Vera on bass.
