Customer Reviews

Time (Reis)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First of all, let me say that I am a stone cold Mercyful Fate/King Diamond fan and this is the album that started it all for me. Unlike one reviewer who states that only the metal classics (even as an old head I think that "classics" are often subjective) deserve five stars, I'll give five to any album which has SERIOUSLY moved me. I'm not saying that there aren't "classic" albums but please, think for yourself.

Now lets rewind to me at the age of 14. I bought this album and was ,for lack of better words, "TOTALLY FREAKED OUT!!" Now it's true, I was 14, but this album still has a similiar impact on me. Now I was SO scared by the absolutely haunting guitar melodies, the excellent lyrics and King's voice (which is NEVER off even for a second on this album in my opinion unlike some others) that I sold it back to a store. I had heard Metallica, Pantera, etc., at that time but just didn't know how to react to this.

A couple months later however, I still had the songs in my head every day and realized that I LOVED the album even though, and actually because, it terrified me, and I bought it once again.

From then on I became a Mercyful Fate and King Diamond FREAK and now own everything King has ever released except his VERY rare releases with THE BRATS. Now I know that this is heresay to any metal head who says that only the CLASSICS deserve five stars, but I think this album beats Don't Break the Oath (heads' gasp) In the Shadows, Melissa, hell, I like this better than all of King Diamond's solo releases as well.

If you wonder why ask yourself this question: HAS ANY ALBUM EVER ACTUALLY SCARED YOU? I love the heaviest music, Cannibal Corpse, Pig Destroyer, Behemoth, Immolation, etc. All that stuff is much heavier, and yes, much of it has gory lyrics, but none of it is actually HAUNTING. We are talking chills down you spine and psychological horror more than gore type metal. If it hadn't been for this album I never would have become fascinated by the occult,withchcraft, horror movies, just about everything DARK I am into now.

The opener "Nightmare By Thy Name" has a chorus that sounds to me like it was performed by satanic priests in a dark basement. "Angel of Light" peaks at the point where King proclaims "I will make a second deal with the prince of the light..." and as I listen to it right now this still strikes me as what should be the theme song for the late Anton Lavey's Church of Satan. "Witches Dance" is possibly my favorite song on the album, the first 30 seconds or so complete with the bells "of doom" still makes the hair stick up on the back of my neck. "The Mad Arab" led to my reading the Necronomicon and then all of H.P. Lovecraft's work who is now my all-time favorite horror author. "My Demon" is simply sinister: at this point King is drawing the listener deep into the abyss of his beautifully demented mind. "Time" as one other reviewer rightly said, is simply magnificiently creepy. "Lady in Black" is perhaps the most EVOCATIVE song on the album, really makes the listener feel that he is in a gothic garden on a misty day witnessing a dark apparition. "Mirror" is a very heavy song too. All in all, the album just mesmerizes me still and has led to me seeking out creepy music from all genres, bands like The Goblins, Comus, Van Der Graaf Generator's Pawn Hearts and, of course, the great Celtic Frost.

But most of all, for all those heads who can't handle King's vocals, (even I admit that at RARE times they bug me) for whatever reason I really think they are right on the money here and so you might want to give it a listen.

They say there is a thin line between madness and genius, well KING is probably a genius and DEFINATELY a madman and has a vision all his own. Plain and simple, this is the album which led me towards the darkside in all things, and never shall I return...

i personally prefer mercyful fate over any of king diamonds solo material.not that his solo stuff is bad,far from it,i just feel that the fate stuff is "darker" and a bit heavier.i am also not a huge fan of the "concept" album,which most of king's albums are...
anyway,the cd in question is incredible.very catchy,heavy everything you would expect from mercyful fate.in order of preference,i feel that this album is just behind the first two classics and IN THE SHADOWS.this album is full of inspired songwriting and playing.well worth your TIME(sorry for the pun...)

After the reunion of Mercyful Fate in '93, it seems the boys had so much fun back together, another album was therefore released. "Time" is a pleasant surprise. it's very basic in its approach. It's not meant to be a "Don't Break the Oath"-type release, but just a simple heavy metal album that get's its point out with trying to impress us. D'Angelo does a nice job of filling in for Timi Hansen. But the biggest surprise is Snowy Shaw. After rumored to not have actually played the drums the King Diamond album, "The Eye", and missed the studio session for Fate's "In the Shadows", fans finally get to hear Shaw perform. And the drums do shine! And this is the only Diamond/Fate album he's on(except for the Mercyful Fate mini-Live disc, "The Bell Witch"). Shermann and Denner are brilliant as ever, and king, well, he's the King! Songs such as "Nightmare Be Thy Name", "Angel of Light", "Witch's Dance", "Time", and "Mirror" really stand out. A nice basic metal for old school headbangers.

This is one dark sounding metal cd .The song the afterlife is so melodic and truly heartfelt.The song Nightmare be thy name is so dark and evil .as well as the other songs .witches dance is truly incredible lady in the mirror and castillo de la morte.truly amazing .get this .every metalhead should be into mercyful fate.or king diamond he is a true metal legend ..this is what metal is all bout.buy it now .thanks cya

Clad in trenchcoat & tophat, the spechtre of King Diamond returns again, to drive his fans insane with chords of madness, & arcane lyrics sung in ghostly rapture. TIME gives us a witch's brew of eclectic ingredients, which are the morbid tales which float through our darkened chambers.

A skull glowers from the shadows at us. The lyrical banshee spins & recounts lost stories that stretch forth across the ages. One of the more admirable elements King conjures, besides the music itself, is the usage of forgotten historical events that transpired in those olden days of superstition. He investigates what has become occult from memory, & gives it new life by putting it to song. A true artist.

TIME contains eleven splendid tracks which makes one feel like one is sitting "round a balefire under the full moon in the forest, listening to the haunting metal sounds of the night.

This is Mercyful Fate's 4th studio album (6th overall). A very good follow-up to "In The Shadows". I, for one, prefer "Time" over "In The Shadows". I do admit, "My Demon" has a couple of cheesy lyrics...but, this is a metal album, that's to be expected. I've noticed that "Time" has more of a Mercyful Fate feel than "In The Shadows"...there's more of a darker sound to the recording, much like the legendary "Melissa" and "Don't Break The Oath". Most of the songs here are 'head bangers' which I find myself doing in the car more often than not, when this album's playing. Some unexpected themes present-crooked preachers, an epic battle between angels and demons, and demi-god worshippers (The Mad Arab...packs a punch btw). The title track is a wonderful surprise, one of their best slow pieces, and a song that fits everyone. Also a surprisingly clean production (don't know if that's good or bad, but to each his own). A very good release that proved the Mercyful Fate reunion wasn't going to be a one-off deal. One of the better metal releases of the early/mid 90's

This is nothing like Mercyful Fate of the 80's. That may come as a bad thing or a good thing, depending on who you are. Personaly, this is one of their strongest releases along with "In the Shadows". Gone are the heavily satanic inspired themes and lyrics. This album is pretty dark. Without any doubt, this is their most experimental album to date. "The Mad Arab" has catchy, if not cliched Arabian music themes to it that really give the song it's atmosphere. King Diamond sounds better than ever before, each song expressing different styles that truly show his range as a vocalist. New comer( at the time it was recordered) Sharlee DeAngelo is an amazingly talented bassist who's heavy bass drives really give this album it's dark and brooding sense of movement. There are no weak songs on the album, but there are several standouts, like " My Demon", an extremely violent and agressive song that has King sounding really wicked in his vocals, not only that, but they are executed with much enthusiasm. The title track is probably the most beautiful song he's ever written, I'm certain it will drive shivers up and down your spine. Every musician on this album is in tip-top shape, giving their all and more. While it may be different from the earlier recordings in every single way, this album is by no means mediocre or worse. From start to finish, "TIME" is probably one of the greatest achievements of heavymetal in the early 90's. I would recommend this album to anybody, not just fans of metal, because there is so much variety in this album. No song seems like a repeat to any others on the album or any in the bands catalog. It is the most unique album the band has ever released and I suggest you pick it up, you won't be let down.

Time is a pretty good album from Mercyful Fate. The musical direction of the disc is hard rock with a gothic atmosphere. There's a total of eleven tracks, and I find all of them to be listenable and energetic. The musicianship is proficient, and the songwriting and production are good. King Diamond does a cool job with the vocal duties. He is a distinctive, dramatic, and versatile vocalist. The guitar playing is tight, and there are some nice riffs and solos throughout. The songs that I like the most are "Nightmare Be Thy Name," "Angel of Light," and "Witches' Dance." "Nightmare Be Thy Name" sports a cool guitar riff. The CD booklet contains individual photos of the bandmembers and the lyrics to the songs, too. Time is an album from Mercyful Fate that I don't mind listening to. Worth a listen.

For those of you who follow my writing, you know that I consider essential King Diamond to be "Them," "Conspiracy," and "Abigail." I think "The Spider's Lullabye" is a grossly underrated record, and I do find value in "The Graveyard." As far as MF goes, I feel I feel "Melissa" was ok. I did not like "Don't Break the Oath." I feel "In the Shadows" was a phenomenal comeback disc. 4 1/2 stars. And I feel "Dead Again" is neck and neck with "In the Shadows." How do I explain "Time?" If you're expecting the power and intensity of "Abigail," "Conspiracy," "In the Shadows," or "Dead Again," you may be a little disappointed. The music is well done, but Mr. Diamond seems to be holding himself back on this record. (I'm sure many would say that this may be due to the fact that he was splitting his time between 2 groups.) Though, I am not sure this is the case. The lyrics on this record are VERY WELL WRITTEN. And it is quite possible that he held back a little so that the lyrics would be more prevalent. Well, that said, now the good points. As I said, the lyrics are very well written, and even though Mr. Diamond seems to hold back a little, this record has its creepy gothic horror charm. 'Nightmare Be Thy Name,' 'Angel of Light,' and 'Witches' Dance,' all carry great power. 'The Mad Arab' has some interesting techniques. 'Time' has a beautiful, but at the same time spooky sound. 'The Lady In Black' is very dramatic. 'Mirror' carries nice power. 'The Afterlife' carries a great combination of power, intensity, and sorrow. Overall, this is a great record to have. I can't quite rank this a 'must have,' but it is still a great record. My advice boils down to this: If you are expecting "Conspiracy," "Abigail," "In the Shadows," or "Dead Again," you're bound to be a little disappointed. But if you are open to hearing something that is a little different and still great, then this record is for you.

First, let me say that only true classics deserve 5 stars, whereas only corporate drivel deserves 1 star, like a Britney Spears album. This album?.. Well its definitely not Mercy's best work.. but still a listenable and worthwhile. Two and a half stars.

Vocalist King Diamond, an operatic howler, is in solid form and provides some good melodies, here and there. One of the album's strengths is that its fairly consistent throughout with no real filler. This makes for a solid listening experience. As with any Mercy offering, it'll take numerous listens for the songs to sink in - the song structures are somewhat complex, though perhaps less so than in previous efforts. There are quite a few good songs: 'Nightmare', 'Angel of Light', 'Witches Dance', and 'the Afterlife'. 'Witches Dance', in particular, has really has a cool riff to it. The low points are few and far between, but there is nothing really compelling here, especially when one compares it to some of King's earlier work, like 'Melissa', 'Abigail', 'Conspiracy', and to a lesser extent, 'Don't Break the Oath'.

Overall, an average album with some memorable bright spots.