---
title: "Mercyful Fate"
type: "MusicGroup"
url: "https://themetalnet.com/band/mercyful-fate"
genre: "Heavy Metal"
country: "Denmark"
formed: 1981
---

# Mercyful Fate

**Mercyful Fate** is a heavy metal band, from Denmark, active 1981 to present.

Mercyful Fate is a Danish heavy metal band from Copenhagen, formed in 1981 by vocalist King Diamond and guitarist Hank Shermann. Influenced by progressive rock and hard rock, and with lyrics dealing with LaVeyan Satanism and the occult, Mercyful Fate was part of the first wave of black metal in the early to mid-1980s, along with Venom and Bathory. The band is also cited as a formative influence to the then-nascent genres of thrash metal and death metal, as well as the Norwegian black metal scene.

Biography source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercyful_Fate

## Facts

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Name | Mercyful Fate |
| Genre | Heavy Metal |
| Parent genre | Heavy Metal |
| Origin | Copenhagen, Denmark |
| Formed | 1981 |
| Releases in catalog | 9 |

## Genres

[Heavy Metal](https://themetalnet.com/genre/heavy-metal)

## Line-up

| Musician | Instruments | Years | Status |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Sharlee D’Angelo](https://themetalnet.com/musician/sharlee-d-angelo) |  | 1993 to present | Current |
| [Mike Wead](https://themetalnet.com/musician/mike-wead) |  | 1996 to present | Current |
| [Hank Shermann](https://themetalnet.com/musician/hank-shermann) | Guitar | 1981 to present | Current |
| [Becky Baldwin](https://themetalnet.com/musician/becky-baldwin) | Bass guitar | 2024 to present | Current |
| [King Diamond](https://themetalnet.com/musician/king-diamond) | Lead vocals | 1981 to present | Current |
| [Ole Beich](https://themetalnet.com/musician/ole-beich) |  |  | Current |
| [Bjarne T. Holm](https://themetalnet.com/musician/bjarne-t-holm) | Drums (drum set) | 1994 to present | Current |
| [Snowy Shaw](https://themetalnet.com/musician/snowy-shaw) | Drums (drum set) | 1993 to 1994 | Former |
| [Michael Denner](https://themetalnet.com/musician/michael-denner) |  | 1982 to 1996 | Former |
| [Timi Hansen](https://themetalnet.com/musician/timi-hansen) |  | until 1993 | Former |
| [Benny Petersen](https://themetalnet.com/musician/benny-petersen) | Guitar | until 1982 | Former |
| [Kim Ruzz](https://themetalnet.com/musician/kim-ruzz) | Drums (drum set) | 1981 to 1985 | Former |
| [Nick Smith](https://themetalnet.com/musician/nick-smith) |  |  | Former |

## Discography

| Year | Release | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1982 | [Mercyful Fate](https://themetalnet.com/album/fd04d7d5-9c46-31fb-b776-3e14d7d70076) | EP |
| 1983 | [Melissa](https://themetalnet.com/album/fec621f5-1a4c-3de0-99ee-a70ea75e76c2) | Album |
| 1984 | [Don’t Break the Oath](https://themetalnet.com/album/170e97b4-c1ff-3225-9bf1-0abc9c073d6a) | Album |
| 1993 | [In the Shadows](https://themetalnet.com/album/5f3cfee8-5bb7-3582-82ad-699c07024e96) | Album |
| 1994 | [The Bell Witch](https://themetalnet.com/album/78e1c65c-10bd-34ba-b9b2-90e1d4181aa5) | EP |
| 1994 | [Time](https://themetalnet.com/album/97444fa1-fa4f-3479-a41f-020b1a6722b1) | Album |
| 1996 | [Into the Unknown](https://themetalnet.com/album/eead6ef5-f8aa-3d58-bdb9-cf54661bc5ad) | Album |
| 1998 | [Dead Again](https://themetalnet.com/album/29068e74-6375-36af-aa83-134226481854) | Album |
| 1999 | [9](https://themetalnet.com/album/d33ae4aa-a5bb-3535-ab36-9c596bcd5729) | Album |

## Related bands

- [Iron Maiden](https://themetalnet.com/band/iron-maiden) (listened together)
- [Judas Priest](https://themetalnet.com/band/judas-priest) (listened together)
- [Megadeth](https://themetalnet.com/band/megadeth) (listened together)
- [Slayer](https://themetalnet.com/band/slayer) (listened together)
- [King Diamond](https://themetalnet.com/band/king-diamond) (listened together)
- [Anthrax](https://themetalnet.com/band/anthrax) (listened together)
- [Dio](https://themetalnet.com/band/dio) (listened together)
- [Accept](https://themetalnet.com/band/accept) (listened together)
- [Venom](https://themetalnet.com/band/venom) (listened together)
- [Testament](https://themetalnet.com/band/testament) (listened together)
- [Saxon](https://themetalnet.com/band/saxon) (listened together)
- [Helloween](https://themetalnet.com/band/helloween) (listened together)

## Official and external links

- facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mercyfulfateofficial
- metal archives: https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Mercyful_Fate/182
- bandcamp: https://mercyfulfate.bandcamp.com/
- spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0W8edGiwAsv6HXF0Kyc2V9
- deezer: https://www.deezer.com/artist/1067
- instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mercyfulfatecoven/
- youtube: https://www.youtube.com/MercyfulFateOfficial
- apple music: https://music.apple.com/dk/artist/60363022

---

Source: [TheMetalNet https://themetalnet.com/band/mercyful-fate](https://themetalnet.com/band/mercyful-fate). Catalog data from MusicBrainz and Metal Archives. Full site index: https://themetalnet.com/llms.txt