MERCYFUL FATE To Reunite For Summer 2020 European Festival Appearances

Influential Danish heavy metal act MERCYFUL FATE will reunite for an unspecified number of concerts throughout Europe during the summer of 2020, including next year's edition of the Copenhell festival, set to take place June 17-20, 2020 in Copenhagen, Denmark.

MERCYFUL FATE's lineup for the shows will consist of King Diamond on vocals, Hank Shermann on guitar, Bjarne T. Holm on drums, Mike Wead on guitar and Joey Vera (ARMORED SAINT, FATES WARNING) on bass.

Says King: "We asked Joey Vera to fill in because he has a very unique style and sound playing with his fingers, much like that of Timi Hansen. This is very important, since the setlist will only consist of songs from the very first 'mini LP', the 'Melissa' album, and the 'Don't Break The Oath' album, plus some brand new songs written specifically in that very same style.

"This will very much be MERCYFUL FATE as we were in the very beginning, except for a brand new major stage production."

MERCYFUL FATE's last studio album, "9", was released in 1999.

MERCYFUL FATE will be remembered for its unquestionable mark on the history of metal with its innovative sound, complex arrangements, memorable melody, and its influence on bands that later took the genre to new heights.

In 1998, METALLICA paid tribute to MERCYFUL FATE by recording a medley of classic MERCYFUL FATE songs on the album "Garage Inc." Titled "Mercyful Fate", the medley included parts from "Satan's Fall", "Curse of the Pharaohs", "A Corpse Without Soul", "Into the Coven" and "Evil".

Lars Ulrich of METALLICA (a fellow Dane) played drums on a new version of MERCYFUL FATE's "Return of the Vampire" on the "In the Shadows" album, which came out in 1993.