Monday, August 11: Mercyful Fate, "A Gruesome Time"
R.I.P. Timi Hansen (1958-2019)
Whether he needed a break from his old band and/or writing concept albums, or Brian Slagel offered him a decent check, King Diamond went along with reuniting with most of Mercyful Fate after nearly 10 years and essentially began the process of reviving that band’s legend. But In the Shadows was not a logical follow-up to Don’t Break the Oath, and “A Gruesome Time” was far smoother and polished. To the extent that this was still Mercyful Fate, Michael Denner’s music was based on prime ‘70s Priest and had a specific kind of elegance, but Morten Nielsen didn’t have Kim Ruzz’s swinging attack on drums. Perhaps most shocking, King himself held back and didn’t unleash the Satanic fury everyone was expecting. It was a strangely muted way for the group to return, but then again In the Shadows did well enough to keep Mercyful Fate going for most of the decade.
