Customer Reviews

Dead Again

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I absolutely love "Dead Again, and "In The Shadows". I have to be completely honest here, these two releases are some of Mercyful Fates strongest ever....

Don't let the bad reviews on here decide for you. I'm not sure what those other fans were listening to, but I've been a big fan of King Diamond and Mercyful Fate since the "Fatal Portrait", and "Don't Break The Oath" days....

This is pure brilliance as far as I'm concerned. The hooks are awesome, and the guitaring is some of the best, most creepy sounding I've ever heard. H. Sherman and M. Denner together is pure magic, and the songs are crafted very well. The production is excellent as usual...

I think these two releases are the best Mercyful Fate has released since "Mellissa". There is just something about these that keep me coming back for more. It's a very well rounded, and musically incredible CD....

I highly recommend picking both of them up....

Forget about "9" or "Time". "Dead Again" and "Shadows" rule!!!

Fairly decent 1998 CD release from the Dutch black metal merchants. Still somewhat amazed they even ever reunited awhile back as they have. Better cuts found here are the somewhat humorous "The Lady Who Cries", "Banshee", the heavy-duty "Sucking Your Blood" and the 14-minute title track "Dead Again". Some have said that every member except for Diamond puts in a full-hearted effort in the making of this record. See what you think.Line-up: King Diamond-vocals,Hank Sherman&Mike Weed-guitars,Sharlee D'Angelo-bass and Bjarne T.Holm-drums. Maybe not a classic,but certainly no sleeper either.

I haven't heard them all, but this one isn't very good. The recording quality is great, the skill of the guitars and drums is pretty good, and King sings like (his) normal, but after listening to this several times I still can't remember any of the tunes. That compares to In the Shadows, Time, or Spiders Lullabye where I can hum several tunes in my sleep. Like one of the other reviews said, its kind of boring and doesn't really grab your attention. Some will like it if they are really into the style, but there are better albums.

Giving you a brief rundown of where I stand, I thought "Beginning" and "Melissa" were good. I did NOT like "Don't Break the Oath." I thought "In the Shadows" defined the term 'major comeback.' "Time" was an interesting gentler side of Mr. Diamond. "Into the Unknown" was an uneven record, but it did have its moments. Well, on "Dead Again," guitarist Mike Denner was replaced with Mike Wead. (This leaves King Diamond and Hank Shermann as the only remaining original members.) While some people will obviously miss Mike Denner, Mike Wead actually fills the spot well, and the truth is, "Dead Again" may actually be Mercyful Fate's best record! This is arguably the strongest lineup Mercyful Fate had and King's vocals are in outstanding shape. 'Torture' is a powerful opener with frightening lyrics and a driving edge. 'The Night' has a dark tone made more prevalent by the guitar work. Songs of lost love are not too common on Mr. Diamond's records, but 'Since Forever' is a frighteningly well put together track that convincingly combines sorrow and rage. (On this song, the team work of Shermann and Wead is really prevalent.) 'The Lady Who Cries' is less intense, but it is still dark and haunting. On 'Banshee,' Mr. Diamond shows us yet again, that sometimes softer and more quiet = more eerie. 'Mandrake' is a good song that releases the tension for a moment. 'Sucking Your Blood' is a surprisingly frightening song that is told from the eyes of a vampire. The real terror begins with 'Dead Again.' Skillfully preceeded by some soft classical guitar, Mr. Diamond unleashes 13 minutes of different types of music unified by lyrics portraying someone wandering through different images of death, and of course Mr. Diamond's unusual talent for organization. As far as Hank Shermann and Mike Wead's guitar work, I can honestly say they may not get the kudos that Eddie Van Halen, Jim Hendrix, or Steve Vai get, but Shermann and Wead are the better guitarists. 'Fear' is an almost thrash song that follows 'Dead Again' as well as could have been expected. The record has a real intense and frightening end with 'Crossroads.' Shermann and Wead again show that this may be the best guitar tandem that King Diamond ever had. And of course King's vocals are unleashed full blast for this final track of terror. Generally, I try to understand the different opinions of others. But I honestly wonder how anyone could call this a weak record on Mercyful Fate's part. The lyrics, the music itself, King's vocals, and King's lineup, are all nothing short of phenomenal on this record. So much so, that not only is "Dead Again" arguably their best record, but it sounds like it was meant to be revenge on alternative, rapp, grunge, and sell outs. Don't be swayed by the negative revews. You will miss out on this record of intense musical terror!

no mercyful fate album deserves less than four stars,but this one pushes that notion.some tracks are really great,some sound a little tired.i think that is the key word here,"tired".
just doesnt come across as that inspired.having said that,though,it BLOWS away the vast majority of what is tagged "metal" nowadays..................

Although there are some standouts (Torture [1629], Banshee, Fear), this album is boring. It's a good listen every-now-and-then, but it just does not do much for me. The music is not as well writ as the classics `Don't Break the Oath` and `Melissa.`

If you are a die hard, I recommend this. If not, you won't be missing much if you just pass this by (and go, RIGHT NOW, buy Melissa or Don't Break the Oath!)

All MF albums take quite a while to really get into, but this one took me particularly long. And judging by the low ranking this album gets, many others are not quite there yet and rated this album too soon. Although not as good as its predecessor Into The Unknown and its successor 9, this is still among the finest metal of the late 90s. Production is a bit more raw and dirty than on their other 90s albums and I like that. In The Shadows and 9 are better albums than this one, but they sound too polished. Dead Again has several amazing highlights: The Night and Banshee are among my favourite MF tunes. The Lady Who Cries and Crossroads are awesome too. Some tracks are so-so I admit, for instance Since Forever. For true MF fans however this is an album not to be missed. Better than Time and Return Of The Vampire.

This is very good album though not Fate's best. Songs really take you back to the Oath days...

I've held off reviewing this one cause cause I didn't really know how I felt about it....It's been a couple of months now and Ive just bought 9 and its not a patch on that or many of the others...Don't get me wrong, when its good its good eg. Torture, Crossroads, Sucking Your Blood..but the rest I just can't get into...I'll keep trying I guess...Anyway a quick plug for 9 which is BRILLIANT!

"Dead Again" is a tough album for this reviewer to critique. The legendary Mercyful Fate is up there as one of my top three favorite bands of all time and I must say that this is probably their weakest album. That being said, it still contains some truly powerful moments. "Torture (1629)" opens the album perfectly. A sinister little song about the trial and execution of a "witch". "Banshee" is an atmospheric, slower-paced number and vocalist King Diamond wails beautifully on it. The highlight of the entire album is probably "The Lady Who Cried". The song tells of a crying Virgin Mary statue that houses an evil force within. Excellent lyrics and superb instrumentals make this one a true gem. Another standout track is the highly personal "Fear", which finds Kim Bendix Petersen examining his stage persona, alter-ego King Diamond. Unfortunately, the rest of the album doesn't hold up quite as well. Songs like "The Night" and "Mandrake" aren't terrible, but they leave something to be desired. "Since Forever" and "Crossroads" are slightly better but there's not alot of magic or originality to them. The real bummer is "Sucking Your Blood" which sounds like nothing more than a demo, and a bad demo at that. And then we come to the title track. The band gets kudos for the experimental nature and stream of consciousness lyrical feel of it, but the tune pretty much falls flat. It's too long and rambling to have much of an effect. In conclusion, it must be said that although I consider this album to be the band's worst, it is by no means bad. To date, Mercyful Fate has never given us a subpar album. Even on the most mediocre tracks, the musicians provide us with some blistering guitar work, pounding drums and of course, marvelous vocals. To be completely honest, the worst that Fate might do is still far better than what's considered the "best" from other bands.