Ghost Blade

In Solitude’s young fox fur-wearing frontman Pelle “Hornper” Åhman doesn’t slather as much facepaint as fellow satanic Swedes Ghost, but his Uppsala-based quintet’s second (and best) full-length The World, The Flesh, The Devil should be equally — if not more — appealing to fans of Mercyful Fate. (Of course, In Solitude’s more classic cult metal than the poppy Ghost, so Maiden followers should perk up their ears, too.) The perfect-for-summer collection of eight vintage-sounding headbangers was produced by former Dismember drummer Fred Estby at Nicke Andersson’s new Stockholm studio, Gutterview Recorders: Admire the organic sound and twin guitar assault of the opening title track.
~ stereogum.com

There is only one King Diamond, and for more than thirty years the great Dane has been dropping classic albums and putting on shows fans remember for the rest of their lives. Perhaps the only downside to having such a formidable catalogue is that there are just too many great songs to fit into a single set. However, you would be hard-pressed to find a fan who wouldn't want to hear 1987's seminal Abigail in its entirety, and Songs For The Dead Live captures this, twice, and in very different locales. Boasting eighteen songs per set, each of the two shows - Belgium's Graspop Metal Meeting in June 2016 and Philadelphia's Fillmore in November 2015 - feature a brace of classic King Diamond and Mercyful Fate tracks including "Welcome Home," "Halloween," and "Eye Of The Witch" before launching into Abigail. The performances of the all-star lineup of musicians, comprising of guitarists Andy LaRocque and Mike Wead, bassist Pontus Egberg and drummer Matt Thompson, are absolutely ferocious, hammering home every single moment.

Into the Unknown is the fifth album by Mercyful Fate, released by Metal Blade Records in 1996. Into the Unknown is the most commercially successful Mercyful Fate album to date.