THE NERV. A new generation of Punk is rising, infused with what originally made Punk Rock great –raw power, combined with a socially conscious worldview.
All of Mercyful Fate's potential was fulfilled on Don't Break the Oath, a doomy, gothic collection of post-Priest/Maiden black metal preoccupied with Satan and the occult.
Released in 1986, Fatal Portrait is the debut King Diamond album, unusually not a conceptual affair, although five of the songs link to form a short ghost story, a theme that would be returned to again and again over subsequent releases.
A set of reissues of the British experimental trio’s non-album work, including a Peel sessions EP, live LP, and posthumous anthology, reveals the group’s restless, radical openness.