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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
It Seethes With Barely Controlled Fury From Hell, May 18, 2001
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.
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