I've only heard five Mercyful Fate records, if 'Return of the Vampire' counts as a true album. Neither that, nor 'Into the Unknown', nor 'Dead Again' nor 'Time' (which used to be my favorite) even come close to the perfection of 'Don't Break the Oath'! I had no idea Mercyful Fate put out something THIS kick-ass. King is in top form on this as is the rest of the band. Hearing King scream "In the name of Satan" makes me want to turn this up to ten. And since it's actually from the '80s, it's got that good old '80s pure heavy metal feel to it. I've only had it for a short time, but I'd say favorites are "A Dangerous Meeting", "Nightmares" (for some awesome vocals), "Desecration of Souls" and the classics "Gypsy" (if you thought Emperor's version kicked ass, you'll love the original) and "Come to the Sabbath". Sure, that's a lot of favorites, but this album just fucking rocks.

© 1999 goden