Don't Break the Oath
Don't Break the Oath is the second studio album by Danish heavy metal band Mercyful Fate, released on 7 September 1984 through Roadrunner Records.
| Don't Break the Oath | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 7 September 1984 | |||
| Recorded | May 1984 | |||
| Studio | Easy Sound Recording, Copenhagen, Denmark | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 47:30 | |||
| Label | Roadrunner | |||
| Producer | Henrik Lund | |||
| Mercyful Fate chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 10/10[2] |
The style Mercyful Fate employed on Don't Break the Oath resembled a mixture of heavy metal with progressive elements, lyrically preoccupied with Satan and the occult and distinguished by King Diamond's theatrical falsetto vocals. Although very influential to future black metal bands due to its lyrical content, the music itself is more reminiscent of traditional heavy metal. The album was remastered and subsequently re-issued on Roadrunner Records in 1997. This reissue came with the bonus track "Death Kiss (Demo)", which would eventually evolve into the album's lead-off track, "A Dangerous Meeting". The album received critical acclaim, and Metal Rules named this the greatest extreme metal album of all time.[3]
Track listing
All lyrics are written by King Diamond
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "A Dangerous Meeting" | Hank Shermann | 5:10 |
| 2. | "Nightmare" | Shermann | 6:20 |
| 3. | "Desecration of Souls" | Shermann, Michael Denner | 4:54 |
| 4. | "Night of the Unborn" | Shermann | 4:59 |
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5. | "The Oath" | Diamond | 7:31 |
| 6. | "Gypsy" | Denner, Diamond | 3:08 |
| 7. | "Welcome Princess of Hell[4]" | Shermann | 4:03 |
| 8. | "To One Far Away" | Denner, Diamond | 1:31 |
| 9. | "Come to the Sabbath" | Diamond | 5:19 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 10. | "Death Kiss" (demo) | 4:30 |
Personnel
Mercyful Fate
- King Diamond - vocals, keyboards, harpsichord
- Hank Shermann - guitars
- Michael Denner - guitars
- Timi Hansen - bass
- Kim Ruzz - drums
- Benny Petersen - guitar (on track 10)
Production
- Henrik Lund - producer, engineer
- Niels Erik Otto - engineer
- Thomas Holm - cover art
Charts
| Chart (2020) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[5] | 66 |
References
- Huey, Steve. "Mercyful Fate - Don't Break the Oath review". AllMusic.
- Popoff, Martin (November 1, 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 220. ISBN 978-1894959315.
- "Top 50 Extreme Metal Albums". Metal Rules. Archived from the original on April 5, 2018. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
- Ludwig, Jamie (October 22, 2014). "King Diamond Interview". Wondering Sound. Archived from the original on August 20, 2016. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
- "Offiziellecharts.de – Mercyful Fate – Don't Break the Oath" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved June 12, 2020.