Nov 6

Nov 6 Show Review: Mercyful Fate Make Theatrical Return to Sacramento

Mercyful Fate
w/ Kreator, Midnight
Hard Rock Live Sacramento
Wheatland, CA
October 30th, 2022

Photos and Review by Jared Stossel

Satanism and its imagery have been used by heavy metal and rock acts alike to add shock value to their live shows since the dawn of time. Bands like KISS, Slayer and even Motley Crue have incorporated this style of “shock value” into their image for decades. However, in the early 80s, black metal came onto the scene, utilizing both the imagery of anti-Christian and Satanic themes while simultaneously incorporating lyrics about Satanism into their music. The music was inspired by speed and thrash metal, but its theming came from a more sinister place. Mercyful Fate is one of the forefathers of this metal subgenre, bursting onto the scene in 1981, fronted by the enigmatic King Diamond, dressed in some form of costume and face painting as he croons in falsetto over thrash-and-doom metal outings. Mercyful Fateofficially hung it up in 1999, reuniting briefing in the early aughts for a handful of performances, but they have since returned to perform on a more permanent basis. With a new album in the works and a handful of overly theatrical performances, the black metal pioneers returned to the Northern California stage the night before Halloween, enticing fans that have been following them (or Diamond’s own impressive solo career) for decades.

Mercyful Fate’s return to the stage featured two opening spots, the first of which was helmed by Midnight, an aggressive speed/black metal act that pummeled their way through a handful of fast paced songs to kick off the night. Donned in black masks that completely obscured their faces, the three-piece got things moving along, their costumes only a nod to the theatrics that awaited those in attendance that evening. German thrash metal act Kreator kicked up the intensity as they powered through a powerful selection of tracks on a stage adorned by fake dismembered bodies. Even though it was the night before Halloween, I’m almost confident that this is part of their everyday show. It’s minor details like this that always make heavy metal shows fun to watch and photograph (it helps that the music is great, too).

The curtain dropped to reveal a highly elaborate church-like stage design, complete with marble staircases, an illuminated upside-down cross and a pentagram with glowing red eyes at its base. The band (comprised of founding guitarist Hank Shermann, drummer Bjarne T. Holm, guitarist Mike Wead, and bassist Becky Baldwin) walked out onto the stage. Diamond emerges in theatrical fashion from the top of the staircase, floating down as the opening notes to “The Oath” kick in. Beneath the horned mask and elaborate microphone stand is his signature stage makeup. Diamond later makes a brief costume change to reveal his face from behind the mask, looking more like a possessed member of the Vatican than anything. For over an hour, with a setlist comprised of only eleven songs, the legendary black metal act made their way through a show-stopping performance, with most selections coming from their highly coveted 1983 album Melissa.

With a set only lasting eleven songs, this really felt like just a taste of what fans of the Danish heavy metal act are going to experience in the coming years. Hopefully, new material and tour dates will emerge sooner rather than later, and fans from all over will get to bear witness to one of Denmark’s finest musical exports. Mercyful Fate put on an excellent Halloween Eve performance in Sacramento, showcasing some of the best aspects the genre has to offer while reminding the audience that they were one of the first to embrace black metal, and one of the best to continue to do so.

Mercyful Fate Set List
The Oath
A Corpse Without Soul
The Jackal of Salzburg
Curse of the Pharaohs
A Dangerous Meeting
Doomed by the Living Dead
Melissa
Black Funeral
Evil
Come to the Sabbath

Encore:
Satan’s Fall