Biography.

The history of Mercyful Fate begins not with King, but with Hank Shermann. In early 1977 Hank was turned onto the world of rock 'n roll by Ace Frehley, legendary axeman of KISS. Thanks to Ace, Hank picked up his first guitar and learned how to jam. 18 months later Hank and two friends formed what would become known as BRATS. Punk was the hit thing at the time in Denmark as well as the rest of Europe. It became clear that this was a perfect start for a soon to become guitar legend. 1977 also proved to be a good year for Kim Bendix Petersen. Kim had joined a band called BRAINSTORM, a cover band of sorts. It was here that Kim became King Diamond. King didn't sing at this time, instead he played guitar. Rumor has it that this is where King and Hank first met. BRATS however were more of a punk rock band, however that would soon change.
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Before long BRATS became a fairly well known band on the local scene, and after a while they were asked to contribute songs to a compilation called 'Pear Punk' which was released by a local indie label, King Pear. BRATS soon gained a fair amount of exposure, but as Hank willed it, a line-up change was in order. Spring of 1979 brought two new members aboard, both good friends of his, Ynez on bass and vocals, and (Lars) Monroe on the drums. The trio rehearsed and realized for a heavier sound a second guitarist would be needed. Enter Michael Denner, a friend of Hank's. Michael already a veteran musician of sorts having played in Denamrk's 'first' hard rock outfit, IRON SPACE in 1974. The new lineup soon clicked and developed a Judas Priest style of hard rock, but not quite the NWOBHM sound which would soon surge in Europe.
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CBS Records of Denamrk picked up BRATS in January of 1980. The deal was for 3 albums, BRATS were now the first Danish hard rock band to secure a record deal of this kind. With the material already written, BRATS entered The Metronome Studios in February. A tour of Denmark soon followed in the Spring, playing the new material and waiting for the record to be released. '1980 Brats' was finally released in August of 1980, the album had a fair amount of success, reaching the charts of the metal mag, "Sounds" which would later become "Kerrang!" However tension within the band forced Michael to leave in October of 1980.
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Michael Denner's replacement was Carsten Van der Volsing. The main criticism of the band focused in on Ynez's vocal talents. The band soon decided to try out King Diamond from BLACK ROSE. King just having left BLACK ROSE, stepped in for a try. BLACK ROSE was a band inspired by Deep Purple and Uriah Heep, both who were at their height. But thanks to King's obsession with horror themes and the occult, the result was a great album and a better stage show, one which rivaled the great Alice Cooper. A typical BLACK ROSE show would start with King being wheeled to the stage in a wheelchair and straightjacket Once onstage, King would break out of the straightjacket and burst into song. The night would continue with pigs heads full of blood, entrails and more being smashed and baby dolls stuffed with pig blood being splattered across the stage. Besides King's multi octave voice, his theatrics on stage would help fuel the band in the future.
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In January of 1981, BRATS invited a CBS label rep to their rehearsal in Copenhagen for a listen of their new material. 9 songs were written, including 'Death Kiss', 'Combat Zone' and 'Love Criminals' The new songs however were not what CBS had in mind for the next BRATS record. The next day King and Hank were called into the CBS offices. If they wanted to cut another record, the material would have to be mellower and King would have to sing in Danish. Both Hank and King refused the lowball offer to record a new album and the ties with CBS were cut. In the following two months the band rehearsed the new material and played two more gigs. One in Denmark and one in Sweden, marking the first show outside of Denmark. It soon became clear that the setback with CBS has strained relations within the band and by March Ynez and Monroe left the band.
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In late March the remaining members, King, Hank, and Carsten recorded a 3 track demo tape at The Rocktape Studios in Copenhagen. A friend, Jan Musen helped with the drums, while Hank and Carsten split bass duties. The songs were 'Death Kiss', 'You Asked For It' and 'Running Away'. The result was heavy and amazing. The band had decided to abandon the BRATS name and change it to the odd, almost silly, BACK TO HELL. Thankfully that didn't last. The then manager of the band's girlfriend suggested MERCIFUL FATE, the name stayed but changed to MERCYFUL FATE when the classic gothic lettering logo was created.
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The publicity of the '1980 Brats' album, the band came into contact with publicist John Kibble, who was now the bands co-manager. John soon started to spread the word of MERCYFUL FATE sending their demo tape, with some choice BRATS cuts, to labels and radio stations. One of the radio stations was Radio Hilversum based in Holland. They became the first radio station to play MERCYFUL FATE, creating a fan base in Holland.
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April 1981, saw King and Hank being asked by none other than Michael Denner to help out recording a demo for Michael's new band DANGER ZONE. The demo, also recorded at The Rocktape Studios contained such songs as 'Mission Destroy Aliens' 'Killed For Love' and 'Not Amusing'. Rounding out the band was Timi 'Grabber' Hansen on bass and 'Old' Nick Smith on drums. The new demo turned out so well that it became obvious that the two bands should become one. The new lineup consisting of, King Diamond, Hank Shermann, Michael Denner, Timi 'Grabber' Hansen, and 'Old' Nick Smith. However the chemistry wasn't quite right and soon Ole Frausing replaced 'Old' Nick Smith on drums.
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The new and improved MERCYFUL FATE played their first live gig in the Summer of 1981 in Taastrup, a small suburb of Copenhagen. Right from the start the stage show included the classic visual effects of the exploding nun and the burning of a cross. All designed to give the crowd their moneys worth. During the Autumn of 1981 the band rehearsed and played one more gig. This time in Herlev, another suburb of Copenhagen. Once again another lineup change took place. For unknown personal reasons Michael Denner decided to leave and was replaced by Benny Petersen, better known as 'Bennett'. Around the same time as Denner's departure, Ole Frausing was asked to leave the band. His replacement came in the form of Kim Ruzz, who had previously played with Benny. The new lineup recorded the most well known MERCYFUL FATE demo called 'Burning The Cross' Recorded at Kharma studios in Copenhagen in the Autumn of 1981. The tracks included, 'Burning The Cross', 'Curse Of The Pharaohs' and 'Return Of The Vampire' These tracks were embedded to the masses now. The demo created quite a buzz in the underground and ultimately led the way for MERCYFUL FATE's first vinyl appearance. Prior to that, the band played a few more headlining shows and a support show for THE GILLIAN BAND in Copenhagen on March 26, 1982.
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In May 1982 the band flew to Hull England to record a few tracks for the newly established label, Ebony Records. Co-manager John Kibble who was working hard on spreading the word of the band, but no one seemed to care. Well one man did, A&R man Daryl Johnston from Ebony Records liked what he heard and offered MERCYFUL FATE an opportunity to do a session for his upcoming compilation album on his label. The band recorded 2 tracks, the first one was 'Black Funeral' which was included on the 'Metallic Storm' compilation album. The record was released in the Summer of 1982. The second track recorded was 'Death Kiss' which never saw the light of day until 10 years later when it was included on the RoadRunner Records release of MERCYFUL FATE's 'Return Of The Vampire' album. Once again the lineup proved to be a short lived one. Late in the Summer of 1982 Benny Petersen was asked to leave and was replaced by Michael Denner. Finally the classic lineup was born and complete.
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In the Autumn of 1982 the band had signed a deal with the small Dutch label, Rave-On Records. The label based in the same city in Holland as the leading metal magazine 'Aardshock' was. The magazine had been supporting the band since hearing the demos. Rave-On soon took notice and signed, and soon enough the band arrived in Holland where they spent a mere 3 days laying down tracks for a mini-album. The album would be produced by Jac Hustinx. The 4 tracks that ended up on the album were composed by Hank (one co-written by Michael) and the lyrics penned by King. The band also got the chance to perform at the Dynamo Club in Eindhoven on September 23rd, marking the first live show outside of Denmark since the name change. Another show at Ulicoten was played on September 25th.
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After the Ulicoten show they returned back to Denmark where they were booked to support Girlschool in Copenhagen on the 26th. The show turned out to be a disaster for Girlschool after the lead singer was electrocuted on stage mid set. Police determined that there was nothing faulty with the equipment that night, but with King's growing reputation, fingers began to point at him. Going a step further the promoter of the show went on national radio that there was a weird atmosphere that night, and it felt like something almost had to happen. With all that was happening, the mini-album was released in October of 1982, but only in Holland. It received rave reviews and was soon being sent to shops all around the world. In many fanzines the EP was voted EP of the year. This placed MERCYFUL FATE on the worldwide metal map. The infamous cover which depicted the song 'Nuns Have No Fun' stirred up a lot of controversy. The song which was based on the witch hunts of the Christians hundreds of years ago served as a contrast to the little things done in the name of Christianity. This would be the first of many misconceptions about King's lyrics. He would later try to point it out in a line from 'Satan's Fall', "Use Your Demon Eyes, Uncover The Disguise" But is was too hidden for most people to understand the meaning.
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The success of the EP didn't change the fact that the band was signed to a small label. Due to the lack of funds, Rave-On wasn't in a position to offer MERCYFUL FATE a better deal to record a full length record. Despite the reviews King was disappointed with their performance, citing that the lack of studio time didn't do justice for the songs. Rather than risking a potential sub par record the band decided to part ways with Rave-On. The problem now was that they had no label. It was a brave move, but it meant that in March of 1983, the band was without a label and in trouble of slipping off the metal map. Somehow they managed to get an invite to fly to London and record a few tracks for the BBC produced Friday Rock Show. Arriving in London on March 18th they preformed their first show in England that same evening at The Moonlight Club in front of a small but enthusiastic crowd. The following day they recorded 3 tracks, 'Curse Of The Pharaohs' 'Evil' and the epic 'Satan's Fall' at The Maida Vale Studios in London. The session was produced by Tony Wilson and took only 8 hours to complete. The very same evening they managed to perform at The Clarendon Ballroom also located in the heart of London.
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In the beginning of April the band managed to play a few gigs in Holland. These shows were set up by Rave-On to coincide with the recording of MERCYFUL FATE's first full length album. When the band decided to leave the label, Rave-On anounced that the shows were cancelled due to King breaking his leg. However a good friend at Aardshock took over promotional duties for the shows and the band played without any problems. Of course this made Rave-On look pretty bad.
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Having returned to Denmark the band listened to the BBC radio broadcast of The Friday Rock show on April 22nd. They weren't the only ones listening. By May RoadRunner Records of Amsterdam, Holland contacted the band interested in signing them for a long term record contract. An agreement was reached and the paper work left to the lawyers. On June 25th the band played the annual Aardshock Festival with such acts as Accept, Raven, and Trance in front of a crowd that was over 6,000. Following the triumphant festival performance the band was signed to RoadRunner. On July 18th they started recording at Easy Sounds Studios in Copenhagen. The session for the album lasted only 13 days. The result was, 'Melissa' The album however was originally going to be called 'Into The Coven'. All songs were composed by Hank and lyrics penned by King. The album was produced by Henrik Lund.
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Due to the effort put in by the people at RoadRunner, and by label head, Cess Wessels, the album was released on November 26th, 1983. In Europe it was released by RoadRunner Records, while in the UK, it was distributed by Music For Nations, and in the states by Megaforce Records. In December of 1983 the album was followed up by a limited edition UK released 12" Picture EP. It featured 'Black Funeral' and 'Black Masses', a track left over from the sessions. Also in December the band was booked to open up for Ozzy Osbourne in Copenhagen, but Ozzy pulled out citing illness. Later in the month the band headlined in Copenhagen as a warm-up for their upcoming European tour.
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The European tour kicked off on January 19th 1984 at The Dynamo in Eindhoven, the bands home away from home. On January 29th the performed a set at The Countdown Cafe in Hilversum which was broadcast Live on radio. Tragedy struck when the band played the Paradiso Theater on January 21st. The infamous skull used during the show, known as 'Melissa' was stolen thanks to a lack of competent security. The 'Melissa' Tour continued into Italy and like everywhere else playing 6 shows in every city they came to it front of large crowds. Also in February, Attic Records released 'Melissa' in Canada.
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On March 3rd the band started their UK tour supporting Manowar. 11 shows were booked, but as it would turn out MERCYFUL FATE would only play one of those 11 dates booked. The opening gig set to take place at St. Albans City Hall in Hertfordshire, but once the bands crew arrived at the venue with their equipment at 2PM as agreed they were told by Manowar's tour manager to leave the gear in the street until Manowar were finished with their sound check. At 7:30 PM the band was finally allowed to bring in their equipment, leaving them only 30 minutes to do so as the show began at 8PM. When they show finally did start they were informed that they were only allowed 25 minutes to play as opposed to the 45 the were guaranteed. Upon entering the stage the band realized that their sound engineer was denied access to the soundboard, naturally resulting in terrible sound. At a certain point Manowar's sound engineer began toying with their sound. This became the final straw, they had no choice but to demand changes if they tour was to continue. Even though the demands were backed up by their label, Manowar refused to comply and MERCYFUL FATE left the tour, losing money and disappointing their British fans.
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On April 5th, the band unveiled the new stage set and show at Saltageret in Copenhagen. The band invested a lot of time and money for this ever growing project, giving the fans something more to cheer about. On April 30th, the band began work on their next release at Easy Sounds Studio in Copenhagen. The session lasted only 19 days and the result was 'Don't Break The Oath'. Like 'Melissa' the album was produced by Henrik Lund. Four songs were written by Hank, one by Hank & Michael, two by King, and two by King & Michael. Again King wrote the lyrics. Having completed the record the band found themselves in Belgium playing The Heavy Sounds Festival in Poperinge on June 10th, 1984. The bill featured such acts as, Motorhead, Twisted Sister, Metallica, Baron Rojo, Lita Ford, H-Bomb and Faithful Breath. Finally on August 10th 'Don't Break The Oath' was released in Europe. The reviews were great and the band had outdone them selves this time. Shortly after the release the band fired manager John Kibble. Turns out he had been cheating them out of money. Now the band would be self-managed with the help of Ole Bang, who had been wth the band since the beginning. In October 'Don't Break The Oath' was released in Japan on the Fems Label
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By this time MERCYFUL FATE had become the biggest cult band in the USA. American promoters took notice and began booking dates. The initial plan was to do 15 shows in 3 weeks, with ticket sales exceeding expectations, the tour was extended another 19 dates. Thousands of fans waited to see the band live and on October 20th in Portland Oregon at Starry Nights, their wish came true. Slaying shows across the states continued until December 16th, the final gig in Providence Rhode Island. Further dates in Pittsburgh and Norfolk were cancelled due to promoters being pressured by religious groups to ban the band from playing. The reputation of MERCYFUL FATE had followed them to the states. Shocking enough the band landed of the tabloid covers of The Globe and in the newspaper in the USA Today. The headline, 'Satanic Rockers Threathen Our Kids'. Despite the few bumps in the road the USA tour was a success and the highlight of their career. The band returned home for a short lived Christmas break. The band was booked from Dec 26th-30th to appear on the 'Christmas Meeting Metal' tour with Motorhead, Helix, Girlschool, and Talon.
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The beginning of 1985 saw the band prepare for their next record. At the end of February, Hank stopped by King's apartment to play him some of the songs he had written. King in addition had 5 tracks ready which were a direct continuation of 'Don't Break The Oath' The material that Hank presented was completely the opposite of his normal style, bringing in elements of pop and funk. It became clear to King that this wouldn't work the situation had one clear choice. King decided to leave MERCYFUL FATE and start fresh on his own. However for the next month he kept it a secret from the rest of the band. On April 11th, 1985 the band preformed what we be their last gig at The Saga Theater in Copenhagen. The day after the show King called the members and informed them of his departure. The remaining two weeks of their European tour were cancelled. On April 12th, 1985 the regrettable news of the end of MERCYFUL FATE was reality.
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Amid the demise of MERCYFUL FATE the members decided to go their own route with the musical styles. Hank Shermann founded FATE, a pop rock band in vein of Twisted Sister and other 80's glam metal acts. Timi 'Grabber' Hansen and Michael Denner went on to play in KING DIAMOND and Kim Ruzz called it quits and was rumored to have become a postman in the states before returning to Denmark. King Diamond of course formed KING DIAMOND his solo band which featured in addition to Hansen and Denner, ex-Geisha drummer Mikkey Dee and Floyd Constantine on lead guitars. The band soon entered the studio to record, but after the first day it became clear the Floyd's behavior was not suited for the band and he was fired. His replacement was EF Band guitarist, Andy LaRocque. The band quickly rushed out a single to be released on RoadRunner at Christmas time, that song was 'No Presents For Christmas'. The B-side was a tune called 'Charon' which Michael had written the music for. The single quickly became a fan favorite and KING DIAMOND was picking up where MERCYFUL FATE had left off.
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The start of 1986 saw the band in the studio writing track for the first full length album. Recording took place at Sound Track Studio in Copenhagen during July and August of 1985. In April 1986 the band released 'Fatal Portrait' on RoadRunner Records to the masses. The album in part was a lossely based concept album, something which few bands dared to attempt and something that become the KING DIAMOND signature. The band quickly set out on a tour of Europe and the USA. Once again the shows in the states proved to be a success. Five months later a limited edition Picture LP Single was released. The single was called 'Halloween' and featured 'The Candle' and 'The Lake' as B-sides. The single quickly sold out and is now a sought after collector's item.
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In December 1986 the band returned to the studio where they stayed there through February 1987. This time King got a little help in writing the lyrics. Andy co-wrote two tracks off the album, and Michael co-wrote one too. This time King pushed the concept idea. The ideas produced by King turned out to be on of his finest works. 'Abigail' was released by RoadRunner Records in the Summer of 1987.The album was dedicated to King's father who had passed away during the making of the album. Another single was released 'The Family Ghost' appeared in July with 'Shrine' as the B-side, a track cut from the album. Soon the band found themselves making a video for 'The Family Ghost'. With interest growing still about MERCYFUL FATE, RoadRunner released 'The Beginning' in October 1987. The album featured the infamous self-titled EP and the songs from the Friday Rock Show, as well as 'Black Masses' which was only available on the 'Black Funeral' Picture EP. A lineup change came just before the start of the European leg of the tour. Michael Denner decided to leave to spend more time with his family and Michael Moon was brought in just for the tour. Soon after the tour Timi Hansen left for the same reason, his replacement was ex-Maltese Falcon bassist, Hal Patino. In additon, Pete Blakk was brought in as the new guitarist to replace Michael Moon.
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After wrapping up a highly successful tour for 'Abigail' the band returned to the studio to begin work on their third album. Fans were curious to hear the new sound with Patino and Blakk now in the band. The press hyped the new album and when 'THEM' was released in June 1988 sales of the album took off. 'THEM' which is loosely based on a book that King was writing at the time and possibly by events in his own life, centered around the powers of the unknown. The album would eventually sell over 200,000 copies, making 'THEM' KING DIAMOND's best selling album. In October of 1988 the band released a mini compilation album called 'The Dark Sides'. The album featured some bonus material not heard by many. In 1988, ex MERCYFUL FATE guitarist Hank Shermann formed a side band called Lavina. The band recorded a few demo tracks, but the band soon disbanded and nothing made it onto an album.
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Controversy had always follwed King around ever since his days in Black Rose, but shortly after 'The Dark Sides' was released, King was hit with a lawsuit from none other than KISS frontman Gene Simmons. In the lawsuit Simmons claimed the makeup used by King was too similar to the makeup he had been using for years. The case was settled out of court. The result, King was forced to alter his make-up. Even today King is still bitter about the lawsuit.
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After all the finger pointing died down, Mikkey Dee decided to step down from the band cititng that not enough money was coming to him. Both Mikkey and King remained angry at each other for years to come. Mikkey eventually went on to drum for Motorhead. Down a drummer and wanting to continue the story of THEM, King hired drummer Chris Whitemeier. After a few months of recording at Rumbo Records in Los Angeles, King decided that Chris was just not creative enough for the band. Out a drummer still, King hired Mikkey Dee back to be a session drummer. Finally in August 1989 the sequel to THEM was released. 'Conspiracy' continued the story of THEM and wasn't as big, but sold very well. The controversy wasn't done yet. The original cover art for the album depicted Dr. Landau at the gates of AMON throwing a coffin out. King wasn't to pleased with the artwork and the covers were destroyed, however a few survived and are highly sought after today and are quite possibly the rarest King Diamond collectable. The cover was replaced by a simple picture of King in full makeup. The new cover also caused a stink in some countries. Korea actually censored the cover and replaced it with the KING DIAMOND logo and the word 'Conspiracy' at the bottom. Eager to tour, King still needed a permanent drummer and it late 1989 Snowy Shaw become the newest member of KING DIAMOND.
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Hank Shermann wasn't about to quit making music just yet. In 1990 he worked on several ideas, the final result was a band called ZOSER MEZ. Hank enlisted the help of old pal Michael Denner and Ynez from the days of the Brats. However the album wasn't released until 1992. KING DIAMOND remained busy in the first half of 1990, rehearsing and recording tracks for their fifth album. This time the story would revist a topic King had touched on during his days in MERCYFUL FATE, the witch hunt trials of the 1600's. The new album dealt with the rise and fall of what was a dark period. In October 1990 'The Eye' was released. Sadly due to problems with the label, there was no tour. To make matters worse both Pete Blakk and Hal Patino were kicked out of the band for a lack of enthusiasm and possibly drug problems. Down two members and with no label, things looked bleak. King bounced back and replaced Patino and Blakk with Sharlee D'Angelo and Mike Wead. On March 9, 1990, MERCYFUL FATE almost reunited. Hank, Michael, and Timi joined King on stage to jam on the final date for the Conspiracy tour in Copenhagen. It soon led to something magical. In 1991 RoadRunner released the only official live album from KING DIAMOND. 'In Concert 1987, Abigail' featured selected live cuts from the 1987 European Abigail tour. On a side note, this album is the only to feature Michael Moon. 1992 saw RoadRunner release two compilation albums. 'A Dangerous Meeting' was a MERCYFUL FATE/KING DIAMOND best of album that featured tracks from all of their albums. 'Return Of The Vampire' was a collection of old MERCYFUL FATE demos from 1981 and 1982, many of which were only featured on bootlegs.
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Fed up with RoadRunner for the last few years for the lack of support, King decided to leave RoadRunner. In addition the defunct MERCYFUL FATE also left RoadRunner. By now the Shermann/Denner band ZOSER MEZ had their album released. In was by chance that King heard Zoser Mez's cover of 'Desecration of Souls' that got King talking about reforming MERCYFUL FATE. In July 1992 King announced the rebirth of MERCYFUL FATE. All the original members except for drummer Kim Ruzz, who due to personal differences with the band, were asked to join. Kim Ruzz was to be replaced by Morten Nielsen. In November the band signed to Metal Blade Records. By Feburary of 1993 the band was in the studio recording their first album in 9 years. After the album was completed, Morten Nielsen suffered a knee injury and was unable to continue drumming with the band. His replacement was KING DIAMOND drummer Snowy Shaw. On June 22, 1993 'In The Shadows' was released, marking a new chapter in MERCYFUL FATE. As a bonus, the band re-recorded 'Return Of The Vampire' with Lars Ulrich of Metallica on drums. 2 promos video's were shot, one for 'Egypt' and one for 'The Bellwitch'. In May of 1993 the European leg of the tour started in Copenhagen with long time friends Metallica. After the end of the tour, Timi once again left the band to spend time with his family. He was replaced by KING DIAMOND bassist Sharlee D'Angelo.
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A live EP which was recorded in Los Angeles during the 'In The Shadows' tour was released in 1994. 'The Bellwitch' was a limited edition EP and was available only for a short time. Later on the band released 'Time', their second release since the reunion. To help promote the album, the band shot videos for 'Nightmare Be Thy Name' and 'Witches Dance'. Halfway through the tour Snowy decided that being in two bands was too much pressure and he left MERCYFUL FATE. He was replaced by Bob Lance, who played with Hank in Fate. Bob soon went back to using his given name, Bjarne T. Holm.
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Even though MERCYFUL FATE was back in full swing, King decided to keep KING DIAMOND going as well. The problem was that three of the members were doing other projects. King found replacements in Darrin Anthony (drums), Chris Estes (bass) and Herb Simonsen (guitar). King had written an album five years ago that was to be the next KING DIAMOND album, but he didn't have a chance to release it. Finally early in 1995, 'Spiders Lullaby' was released marking the first KING DIAMOND album released on Metal Blade. The album was in the style on 'Fatal Portrait' and was met with mixed reviews by the press and fans.
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In early 1996 while recording their next album, MERCYFUL FATE was approached by Century Media Records to contribute a cover song to a Judas Preist tribute album. The band being huge fans, Hank in particular, agreed to give them a track. 'The Ripper' was the result. MERCYFUL FATE was featured alongside such bands as Testament, UDO, Devin Townsend, and Gamma Ray. Work continued on the album and by mid 1996, 'Into The Unknown' was released. The album was much more of a progressive album, stepping away from what everyone was used to. Origianlly the album was to be released the same day as the new KING DIAMOND album, but Metal Blade nixed that idea. To help promote the album, 'The Uninvited Guest' was selected to become a video. Not to far into the tour, Michael Denner left the band to celebrate the birth of his son. Michael asked the band to replace him with Mike Wead, King agreed and Mike finished up the tour. Following the tour, KING DIAMOND released 'The Graveyard', a story that dealt with something rather taboo at the time, incest. Once again the album was met with mixed reviews.
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While KING DIAMOND was touring in support of 'The Graveyard', Hank and Bjarne formed a side project called GUTRIX. The band was a radical departure, mainly having a 70's prog rock feel to it. The album, 'Mushroom Songs' featured covers of Judas Priest and Janis Joplin songs. GUTRIX lasted just for the one album. In 1997 Michael Denner made it official that he would not return to MERCYFUL FATE, he opted to spend time with his family and work at his record shop, Beat Bop Records. Mike Wead who had filled in on the 'Into The Unknown' tour was now an official member of the band. 1997 produced neither a new MERCYFUL FATE or KING DIAMOND record, instead RoadRunner Records with the help of King and various people released the remasters of the RoadRunner era. In November 1997 the 9 remasters were released, 6 of them featured bonus tracks. Only 'Melissa' and 'The Eye' didn't feature bonus cuts. 'Return Of The Vampire' 'The Dark Sides' and 'A Dangerous Meeting' were not remastered and reissued. The same year KING DIAMOND drummer Darren Anthony was a victim of a car accident and he was forced to leave due to injuries suffered. John Luke Hebert of Chastin fame was brought on to replace Darren,
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Aside from assisting in the remasters, King began working on the next KING DIAMOND album, which was originally to be called 'The Plague' dealing with the infamous Black Plague that ran rampant through Europe hundreds of years ago. However the concept was scratched when bassist Chris Estes, who at the time was taking college classes, told King about an idea about a voodoo inspired album. Chris, with access to a library, gave King 5 books in which he took to rather fast. Another guest was asked to play on the album. Longtime friend Dimebag Darrell of Pantera was asked to contribute a solo to the title track. In Feburary 1998 'Voodoo' was released. By far 'Voodoo' was the heaviest album in years from KING DIAMOND and this time both press and fans recieved the album well. Days after the release, Herb decided to leave the band, he wanted to spend time with his girlfriend instead of touring with KING DIAMOND. Canadian guitar prodigy, Glen Drover was brought in to play on the 'Voodoo' tour. Just a mere four months later MERCYFUL FATE released 'Dead Again'. The albums title track clocked in at 13 minutes, making it the longest song ever recorded by the band. The album was quite heavy, with a good mix of melodies. 'The Night' was the promo video for the album. After the release the band toured the world.
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With KING DIAMOND on hiatus and with the mixing and mastering of 'Dead Again' in progress, Andy LaRoccque and Sharlee D'Angelo joined forces with ex MERCYFUL FATE/KING DIAMOND drummer Snowy Shaw to create a side band Illwill. The band had a 90's metal feel to it, and was quite different. 'Evilution' was released in June of 1998 and was the only Illwill release. However of late both Sharlee and Andy have been quoted on saying that they would like to record another Illwill album. After the exhausting tour King settled back in with MERCYFUL FATE to began on an album that would try to recapture the sound of 'Don't Break The Oath'. The band also decided to modify their logo, the first change since the logo was created in 1981. Finally in June 1999 '9' was released. The album which to many is considered to be the best in recent years, sold well and a tour which included stops in South America was planned. After the tour Hank and Bjarne once again teamed up to form a side project. The result this time was the hard rock/nu metal band Virus 7. The band released 'Sick In The Head' and soon disbanded.
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On Janurary 3, 2000 KING DIAMOND entered the studio in Texas to record their first album since 1998's 'Voodoo'. Once again the lineup shifted, Glen Drover was now a full time member, and due to personal reasons Chris Estes left. He was replaced by David Harbour who had previously played with John Luke in Chastain. Wanting the album to be perfect King ran into trouble with time in the studio. A deal was worked out with the band Usurper who was due to be in the studio. King lent his vocals to the Usurper song 'Necronemsis'. This in turn bought King a little more studio time to finish up the album. Ironically it was Hank Shermann who came across the artwork for the album, Hank wanted it to be used for the next MERCYFUL FATE record. Thomas Holm, who had drew the classic album covers, drew the cover. In June 2000 'House Of God' was released. The album dealt with the story of Christ surviving the crucifiction and starting a church in France, where the main character finds himself struggling with the powers of the unknown. Met with a great response, King started a west coast tour on July 20th in Los Angeles. The tour rolled through the states selling out shows before making it's way to Europe. After the USA tour, David Harbour was kicked out due to differences within the band. It has be rumored that David was very arrogant towards the fans, at times picking fights with them. His replacement was a shock to most. Hal Patino had rejoined KING DIAMOND, after being away for almost a decade. Then on November 8th John Luke Hebert left for personal reasons, mainly to be with his family. His replacement was a vitrual unknown, Matt Thompson. On Janurary 6th 2001, Glen Drover decided that he would rather focus on his other band, Eidolon, than to play in KING DIAMOND. He was replaced by Mike Wead.
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By early 2001 rumors were going around talking about a release of material from King's old band BLACK ROSE. The rumors came true on Feburary 18th, 2001 when Metal Blade released 'King Diamond and Black Rose, 20 Years Ago A Night Of Rehersal' The album was recorded back on September 30th, 1980 in the basement of a bar. The album featured 11 original tracks and a cover of Golden Earring's 'Radar Love'. This was the first time that anyone outside of King and the band heard BLACK ROSE, the majority of the fans enjoyed it's 70's rock feel to it. Finally in March 2001, the band hit the road for a European tour in support of 'House Of God', the band played Russia for the first time in years. On April 30th the tour ended in Holland with a makeup date that King had originally cancelled due to the flu. King was approched after the tour by Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl. Dave was putting together a metal album featuring the big names of metal, including Lemmy, Cronos, and many more. King agreed and recorded the track 'Sweet Dreams' The band going under the name of Probot is set to finally release the album in the Spring of 2004.
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On May 15th 2001, fresh off the European tour KING DIAMOND went back into the studio to began work on another album. This time King would revist his past. Recording began in July of 2001 and a release was expected around Halloween, but due to setbacks the album was released on Janurary 29th, 2002. 'Abigail 2- The Revenge' finished off where the original Abigail left off. Met with mixed reviews, some fans and press accused KING DIAMOND of selling out. Months later it came to light that King and Mikkey Dee had patched things up and that King wanted Mikkey to not only play on 'Abigial 2' but to rejoin the band. Mikkey declined stating that he was happy in Motorhead. This was only the beginning of weird things to come.
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Following the release of 'Abigail 2' a tour was planned. The tour was to feature the majority of both Abigail albums being played live. Ironically a decade after label woes with RoadRunner, King was facing the same thing with Metal Blade. Metal Blade claimed that there wasn't enough money to support KING DIAMOND on an upcoming tour, due to lost money from song swapping. King lashed out saying that other Metal Blade artists such as Cannibal Corpse, GWAR, among others sold less than KING DIAMOND, yet they had what seemed to be an unlimited source of cash to tour. By April 2002 it became clear that there would be no tour in support of 'Abigail 2'. The same month both KING DIAMOND and MERCYFUL FATE left Metal Blade Reocrds and Massacre Records (European Distribution). Fans were upset by the decision and it led to months of wondering if this was the end again, By September 2002, both bads were resigned to Metal Blade and Massacre. Fans remains skeptical on the choice.
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In Spetember 2002, King announced that KING DIAMOND was back in the studio recording new material. King claimed the new album would pull out all the stops and be a true horror album. Released on October 23rd, 2003, 'The Puppet Master' pulled out all the strings and has quickly become a fan favorite. The story deals with the murder of people and the transformation into puppets for a world famous puppet theater in Budapest, Hungary. Set in the 18th century, this horrifying tale is sure to scare everyone. The album was released just two weeks before Halloween, something that hadn't been done since the release of 'The Eye'. A North American tour with Entombed, Nocturne, and Single Bullet Theory followed the release, and featured material mainly from both 'Abigail' records as well as some new material from 'The Puppet Master'. It seems as King Diamond nears 16 years with his band, there is no sign of quit.