Excellent news for fans of the Danish king of metal himself King Diamond: Mercyful Fate are back for the first time in two decades, and they’re going to roar through 2020 with an “unspecified” number of shows featuring cuts from their first “mini LP,” Melissa and Don’t Break the Oath, plus a handful of new songs they claim are written in that same style. The lineup will match that of their 9 era, but with Joey Vera of Armored Saint and Fates Warning on bass in Timi Hansen’s stead. The announcement came via the King’s social media pages this morning, as seen below.
In Revolver’s cover story earlier this year, King D also talked about working with his eponymous band on new material, which, he said, will tell a multi-layered story related to the life-saving triple bypass surgery he had in late 2010. “My worst nightmare ever is in it,” he revealed. “That was when I woke up after the big heart surgery. I was on a breathing machine, and I freaked out because it felt like I was choking to death. I tried to pull the tube out of my mouth, and when Livia saw that she ran for help immediately. They came in and I thought, ‘Oh, finally. They can help me not die.’ But instead they grabbed my arms and legs and tied me down to the hospital bed. I couldn’t communicate at all. I was living Metallica’s ‘One.'”
No news on whether a Fate full-length is also in the works, but their performance at Copenhell 2020 is confirmed and promises to be thoroughly fucking metal. The festival happens June 17th-21st, 2020, and you can find out more here.