In the Shadows (album)
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. This would be the final full-length album Timi Hansen would appear on before his death in 2019. The album was released in 1993 via Metal Blade Records. 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 | ||||
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| 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.
Track listing
All 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
Mercyful 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
- 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.