Published on Jul 16, 2000
Mercyful Fate was not the first band to espouse beliefs in the
occult – but damned if they weren’t the most convincing of their
era. One look at the lyric sheet, and you kind of knew that this
wasn’t like King Diamond and crew were picking this up on the
weekends like a game of Dungeons & Dragons. They were to black
metal what Stryper was to Christian metal. (Okay, bad example, but
I think you get the gist of things.)
After the release and underground success of their debut album
Melissa, the band put forth their sophomore album
Don’t Break The Oath. If you were worried about the
“sophomore slump” hitting the band – well, in a way, it did, though
not on this album. Citing a difference in the musical direction
members wanted to take, Mercyful Fate split up for eight years
after this album’s release. But the album itself is a marked
improvement on their first effort – even if you still need the
lyric sheet to decipher what Diamond is saying.
Musically, the band sounds tighter than before, daring to even
throw a little more modern (at least for 1984) of a sound into
their songwriting. But don’t fear; there’s still enough of the
Goth-like features that made the band noteworthy.
Lyrically,
Don’t Break The Oath definitely stands out as one you don’t
want to play at Junior’s First Communion. If
Melissa suggested that Diamond and crew dabbled in the
occult,
Don’t Break The Oath suggests that they’ve more than earned
their merit badges. Songs like “The Oath” are – how shall we say
this? – eye-openers in their blunt rejection of one faith and their
devotion in another. Likewise, tracks such as “Desecration Of
Souls,” “Come To The Sabbath” and “Night Of The Unborn” follow the
same trail, where all roads lead to the down escalator.
The remastered version of
Don’t Break The Oath features a slightly cleaner sound than
the original release (which was the first copy I owned until I won
the remastered CD on eBay). It also includes what is believed to be
the first song Mercyful Fate recorded, “Devil’s Kiss” (albeit a
different version from that on
Return Of The Vampire). While it’s interesting to listen to,
it’s really not required listening except for the diehard Mercyful
Fate fans.
Complaints? I have one biggie – and like with
Melissa, maybe sometimes it was better this way. Diamond’s
vocals are still somewhat buried in the mix, making it difficult at
times to decipher what he was singing. Interesting example: Near
the end of “Nightmare,” it sounds like Diamond is chanting in a
sing-song style, “You aren’t saved.” A bit bone-chilling, but
fitting when you think of who it’s coming from. Ah – but one
fansite shows the actual lyric as being, “You are insane.” (The
remaster does nothing to clear this up for my ears.) And while I am
by no means advocating belief in the occult, somehow, the real
lyrics don’t have the same power.
Where
Don’t Break The Oath succeeds is in that it is a little more
approachable of an album than
Melissa was (and I don’t mean that to be a slam against
Melissa). This was the first Mercyful Fate album I listened
to in its entirety – and is really not a bad place for anyone
curious about the band to start.
What one has to wonder is what Mercyful Fate would have become
had they not taken an eight-year nap (during which time Diamond set
out as a solo artist, recording some frightening concept albums –
which I admit I have to still get to).
Don’t Break The Oath was a powerful second effort from
Mercyful Fate. And while
The Beginning would serve as a stop-gap measure, it’s a
shame that the band went on hiatus after this one.