Via a recent conversation with Creem, King Diamond spoke to the upcoming new Mercyful Fate album. Back in June, the band debuted their first new song in 23 years, being “The Jackal of Salzburg.”
Per this new interview, King Diamond is asked about both his solo work, performing live, and that of new Mercyful Fate music. When it comes to the release date of this new Mercyful Fate album, Diamond shared the following:
“When it comes, I don’t know, but definitely a new album. There’s another song we’re working on. I won’t say the title right now, but it’s really cool. It’s not nine minutes long like ‘The Jackal of Salzburg’. We could play it, but we are not doing that. It’s very theatrical. And I have lots of lyrics and lyric pieces done for quite a few other songs. Hank has sent me stuff, and it’s just like the old days. He says, ‘Use whatever you want. Put your touch on it, and then it’s Mercyful Fate.’ Of course, his touch is important, too—together it’s Mercyful Fate.”
King Diamond was then asked if this record might have a witchcraft theme; in another portion of this interview, the Mercyful Fate frontman shared that “The Jackal of Salzburg” is based off a witch hunt from 1675 to 1690. Regarding this concept, Diamond said:
“It could. I mean, the other song we’re working on is pretty much witches on their way to the sabbath. We have the album title and the cover art as well. It’s very Mercyful Fate, but we did not try to fuse Melissa and Don’t Break The Oath into a cover again. We did that with 9, but that’s where it should stop. I think it’s cheesy to keep doing that.”
How excited are you for a new Mercyful Fate album? At the time of this writing, the band have released seven studio albums: Melissa (1983), Don’t Break the Oath (1984), In the Shadows (1993), Time (1994), Into the Unknown (1996), Dead Again (1998), and 9 (1999).
King Diamond Says Gene Simmons Tried To Sue Him Over Makeup Usage
Did Ghost End Up Ripping Off Underground Swedish Metal Band Notre Dame? Member Of Band Chimes In