Customer Reviews

Into the Unknown

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I can barely describe this album with words... Technical brilliance! This album totally kicks some major a$$. Someone else mentioned this album is not as good as the previous "time", I would say they are just about even (i give this album a little more credit for the riffs). I see a sacrifice in "catchy" rythms for far superior technical ones. The riffs are sick, if you are a guitar player and like to jam on some MF, you have to get his album! This album is one of the greatest metal albums of all time. A must buy!

Straight from the lowest level of the Abyss, Mercyful Fate has returned from their weekly journey to Hell's fiery pit to bring us a true masterpiece. All of the songs are excellent, though a few, such as "Deadtime," seem to have been hastily constructed and therefore not quite as great as they could have been.

Hank Shermann is THE MAN; he is far better than Hendrix, in my not-so-humble opinion. I've never heard guitar skills like this, not even from Tony Iommi or Jimmy Page. Michael Denner's final Mercyful Fate album is a bang for him, with his blazing contributions matching Shermann almost chord-for-chord. Sharlee D'Angelo is the most overlooked bassist in the metal scene, which is a shame because his talent is incredible. Bjarne Holm operates the only unstable spot of the lineup, and so far, he's done one terrific job. King Diamond is the greatest vocalist I've ever heard, better than even Mweltyr or whatever his name is...

The title track is my favorite, I'd have to say, with "Ghost of Change" almost tied with it. Other shiners include "The Univited Guest," "Listen to the Bell," "Fifteen Men," and "Holy Water." "The Mad Arab II" IS an improvement upon the first, with a more bruising chorus and a more Middle-Eastern feel.

All in all, our resident Hellkites have outdone themselves, as usual. In my opinion, Mercyful Fate is the 2nd greatest metal band of all time, right behind Black Sabbath.

O.K. I was terribly disapointed by this album. After the success of "Time" I was hoping this would be as good or better. Unfortunatly I was wrong. ....But this Ablum dose have one good song. Kutulu(The Mad Arab Part 2) is one of the best Mercyful Fate songs ever. ....

10.Kutulu(The Mad Arab Part 2)(1,000,000 Stars)-Here is the strong point of the album. This song is awsome. It has a nice rhythm, and good guitar, and great lyrics. It just blows the origional "The Mad Arab" out of the water. This is great music. It is one of the best new Mercyful Fate songs ever. ....

....

An excellent album! The Mad Arab part 2 is an actualimprovement over the first installment of the song found on the"Time" album; and the title track is mind blowing. I was a little dissapointed by Dead Again after this release, but I guess these are kind of big shoes to fill.

Most of you know that "Time" immediately precedes "Into the Unknown." After "Time," King Diamond's solo career became active again. And if this record is not as consistent as "In the Shadows" or "Time," remember, King Diamond did have an excuse. (He was splitting his time between 2 groups, and by Mr. Diamond's own confession, this started to wear him down.)

"Into the Unknown" is not as consistent as many other of "Mercyful Fate's" records. But there are some real high points. The one line up change is that Bjarne T. Holm took over the drumming. This is also the final MF record where Mike Denner and Hank Shermann worked together. (Though they would eventually reunite with "Force of Evil.") Fortunately, the great bassist Sharlee D'Angelo is still there.

Moving on, I would rather not comment on 'Lucifer.' 'The Uninvited Guest' is a pretty good opener. The haunting 'Ghost of Change' picks up the pace; 'Listen to the Bell' is a real highpoint with haunting voals and driving riffs. (No complaint on that track!) '15 Men and a Bottle of Rum' is a good song for Pirate Fans. A previous reviewer feels that Shermann is way better than Hendrix, and parts of this record would seem to say so. The title track 'Into the Unknown' almost steals the record. I'd rather not comment on 'Under the Spell,' 'Deadtime,' or 'Holy Water.'

The 'Mad Arab' Part 2 though is a vast improvement over the 1st. (Found on "Time") And it ends this record on a high note. As I said, it's not my favorite MF, but it does have some real great moments.

mercyful fate is an example of a band that has paid their dues. they totally rock!!!!!!!

Standing atop a cliff's edge, looking off into the sunset towards a strange place, wondering what lies beyond.........
The time has come. Now, it's into the unknown.........

Your pulse quickens, your stomach turns. Your sight becomes a haze, as cold sweat ebbs from your skin. Your mind spins, as a vortex pulling you deep inside, & the eerie, whispering voices beckon you closer. You feel faint, & begin to fall forward. When all of a sudden, you feel yourself floating on air, drifting ever nearer to the swirling anubis. The chanting of the voices becomes louder, then turns to hideous laughter. You try to fight, but it is too late ----- you are within the Abyss.........

What awaits you inside is for you to personally experience. It will suffice to say, that this is some of the best musick King Diamond has yet invoked, & he really gives the Evil Gods their due. Buy it at your own peril. See you in the unknown.........

Mercyful Fate has returned, and again they don't dissapoint. "Into the Unkown" rocks hard from beginning to end. Unlike other "metal" bands that have disgraced themselves, such as Metalliwuss, Mercyful flies the flag for REAL metal. A must buy.

i really dug this cd from start to finish. every song rocks, excellent heavy metal guitars, king diamonds vocal are in great form, if you like hard driving metal then cd is for you,

This is without any doubt MF's lowest career point. This album all together is quite bad, which pains me to say because the band is amazing. There really is no great songs on here, except for maybe "The Uninvited Guest", which simply is a good song but nothing too amazing. Most of the songs seem like tired and uninspired concepts that were created on the fly. I understand and respect that King was very busy during this time releasing albums from both his solo band and Mercy, but his KD album of the same year was so much better, it makes me think that he focused all of his attention and heart on that album and let this one slide in quality.King's vocals aren't as great as you should expect from him. He sounds strained and uninspired. Musically, there is nothing to get excited about, which is a shame because the band had been doing amazingly well up until this album. This is Denner's last stand, and which is a disappoitment in both ways; the first being Denner is so amazing as a guitarist and the fact that he did so poorly here makes it a bitter-sweet farewell. If you're looking for some good Mercyful Fate, don't look here. I hate to say it, but this album is bad. There is nothing here that will entice you and nothing you haven't heard before. Unless you are a devout collector of MF, I suggest you pass this up, you're not missing much at all..