In the Shadows is the third full-length studio album by Danish heavy metal band Mercyful Fate. It is the first offering of the band since their reunion in 1992.[4] This would be the final full-length album Timi Hansen would appear on before his death in 2019. The album was released in June 22, 1993 via Metal Blade Records.[5] Unlike previous Mercyful Fate albums, which were entirely centered around lyrical themes of Satanism and the occult, the lyrics on this album are rather focused on more conceptual horror-themes, akin to King Diamond's work with his eponymous band. The band would not return to a primarily occult/satanic lyrical approach until the band's latest album, 9, released in 1999.
| In the Shadows | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 1993 | |||
| Recorded | February and April 1993 | |||
| Studio | Dallas Sound Lab, Dallas, Texas, U.S. | |||
| Genre | Heavy metal | |||
| Length | 53:28 | |||
| Label | Metal Blade | |||
| Producer | King Diamond, Hank Shermann, Tim Kimsey, Brian Slagel | |||
| Mercyful Fate chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 8/10[2] |
| Sputnikmusic | 4.5/5[3] |
Some editions of In the Shadows contain a bonus track, "Return of the Vampire... 1993", that is a re-recording of the song "Return of the Vampire", present in the homonymous 1992 compilation album, featuring Lars Ulrich of Metallica on drums.
The album cover was painted by Torbjorn Jorgensen / Studio Dzyan.[citation needed]
Track listing
editAll lyrics are written by King Diamond
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Egypt" | Diamond | 4:52 |
| 2. | "The Bell Witch" | Hank Shermann | 4:34 |
| 3. | "The Old Oak" | Shermann | 8:55 |
| 4. | "Shadows" | Diamond | 4:42 |
| 5. | "A Gruesome Time" | Michael Denner | 4:31 |
| 6. | "Thirteen Invitations" | Diamond | 5:17 |
| 7. | "Room of Golden Air" (instrumental) | Denner | 3:07 |
| 8. | "Legend of the Headless Rider" | Shermann | 7:43 |
| 9. | "Is That You, Melissa?" | Diamond | 4:41 |
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10. | "Return of the Vampire... 1993" | Shermann | 5:08 |
Personnel
editMercyful Fate
- King Diamond - vocals
- Hank Shermann - guitars
- Michael Denner - guitars
- Timi Hansen - bass
Additional musicians
- Morten Nielsen - drums, except on "Return of the Vampire... 1993"
- John Marshall - harpsichord on track 9
- Lars Ulrich - drums on "Return of the Vampire... 1993"
Production
- King Diamond - production, mixing
- Hank Shermann - production
- Tim Kimsey - production, engineering, mixing
- Sterling Winfield - assistant engineering
- David Rosenblad, Thom Caccetta - digital editing
- Eddy Schreyer - mastering at Future Disc, Los Angeles
- Brian Slagel - executive production
- Torbjorn Jorgensen / Studio Dzyan - cover art
- Thomas Grondahl - photography
References
edit- ^ Huey, Steve. "Mercyful Fate - In the Shadows review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 2016-11-23.
- ^ Popoff, Martin (August 1, 2007). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 3: The Nineties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. pp. 272–273. ISBN 978-1-894959-62-9.
- ^ Nash, J. "Mercyful Fate - In the Shadows". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 2016-11-23.
- ^ Biography - Hank Shermann | Official Website
- ^ "In the Shadows at KingDiamondCoven.com". KingDiamondCoven.com. Archived from the original on September 4, 2012. Retrieved 2024-02-09.