Mercyful Fate

Fronted by the great King Diamond, Mercyful Fate erupted onto the metal scene from Denmark in 1980, embracing the Satanic stylized image popular in the day and mixing it with King’s black-and-white make-up (along with Alice Cooper and KISS, this would inspire black metal bands for years) and the harder edged metal of the time. Mercyful Fate were key influencers of their time – awing up and coming musicians who would end up in bands such as Metallica and Testament. With songs of Satan, funerals, demons, and just downright evil, Mercyful Fate (and the other work of King Diamond) was the transition music that took metal fans from the days of Black Sabbath to the days of modern Norwegian Black Metal.