Don't Break the Oath

Artist: Mercyful Fate
Label: Roadrunner Records
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Format: Extra tracks
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1

UPC: 016861876920
EAN: 0016861876920
ASIN: B000000H42

Release Date: 1997-11-11

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Listmania:

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Tracks:

A Dangerous Meeting
Nightmare
Desecration Of Souls
Night Of The Unborn
The Oath
Gypsy
Welcome Princess Of Hell
To One Far Away
Come To The Sabbath
Death Kiss (Demo)

Similar Items:

Melissa
Fatal Portrait
Abigail
In the Shadows
The Beginning

Customer Reviews:

Awesome.......2007-02-05

I first heard Mercyful Fate from Emperor's cover of "Gypsy". (Emperor's version is better than Mercyful Fate's, in my opinion.) I loved King Diamond's stuff long before I got this. I bought this and it's great. It strongly resembles King Diamond's early (solo?) work such as Fatal Portrait and Abigail. The music on this album is in the "heavy metal" style, not black metal or any other type of metal. Just heavy metal.

Timeless Metal Masterpiece.......2007-02-04

God, I love Mercyful Fate. They are without a doubt one of the best and most influential black metal bands of the 80s along with Venom, Mayhem, and Celtic Frost. They also have hints of power and thrash metal in their sound as well. The band's second album 1984's "Don't Break the Oath" was the first MF album I ever bought, and it's an incredible follow up to their 1983 classic debut "Melissa" which I still need to get. This album is just loaded with Satanic lyrics which I don't even take seriously at all, but they will offend some, and of course the musicianship on here is just flat out amazing. This album was also my first listening experience of MF frontman the one and only King Diamond. This guy has without a doubt one of the most insane yet powerful set of vocals in metal, and on here he showcases his incredible vocal range with sheer power and intensity. His eerie falsetto like screams will just scare the crap out of any emo/screamo kid and even trick or treaters on halloween night. Hank Shermann and Michael Denner are very awesome guitarists who both have opposite guitar playing styles, but they blend together just so beautifully. Hank is more on the fast shredding side while Michael is more on the melodic playing side. Their awesome riffs and dualing leads and solos will definately take you through a ride through hell and back. Timmi Hansen has great bass lines you can actually hear, and there's also great drumming from Kim Ruzz as well.

The songs and the ratings:
1. A Dangerous Meeting - A great opening song and one of my favorites on here Great vocals from KD and killer solo from Denner BTW. 5/5
2. Nightmare - A mid paced number which starts off with some nice bass lines from Timmi and some Motorhead esque drumming, and then shifts to mid tempo around the 2 minute mark. Great song. 5/5
3. Desecration of Souls - Another one of my favorite songs on here. More great dualing solos from Shermann and Denner too. 5/5
4. Night of the Unborn - 5/5
5. The Oath - The longest song on the album clocking in at 7:31 if I'm not mistaken. This one is a killer track and the best one on here as well. The intro will definately send chill down your spine. Love the dualing solos. 10/5
6. Gypsy - Another one of my favorite tracks. Very mid paced too. 5/5
7. Welcome Princess of Hell - 5/5
8. To One Far Away - Nice accoustic interlude with some electric guitar added leading into the final track. 4/5
9. Come to the Sabbath - Ahhh the final track and one of the best songs on here as well. Great vocals, great guitarwork, solo, bass, drumming everything. 5/5
10. Death Kiss (Bonus Demo) - An early raw demo version of "A Dangerous Meeting". 4/5

Well there you go. This album is a definately a true 80's heavy metal masterpiece. If you're a big fan of true 80's metal (not the stupid glam/hair metal garbage like Poison, Dokken, Cinderella, Stryper, Europe) I'm talking about REAL 80's metal such as Venom, Kreator, Celtic Frost, Megadeth, Metallica, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and the almighty Slayer, Mercyful Fate is definately your band. I also recommend King Diamond's solo band as well. Do yourself a favor, go out and buy this album now, pop it in your stereo, turn the volume up full blast, raise those devil horns and ROCK OUT!!
HAIL KING DIAMOND!!
HAIL MERCYFUL FATE!!

Mercyful Fate's Best.......2007-01-15

What can I say about Don't Break The Oath that hasn't already been said? It is essential early black metal. The song "The Oath" alone is worth the price of this album. The lyrics and vocals might turn some people off, but the everything else on Don't Break The Oath is high quality material. Recommended for fans of black metal.

Favorite Tracks: The Oath, Gypsy

Don't hesitate to get this one!.......2006-09-18

This album is quite simply a classic. It is one of the most beautiful, artistic, dark albums ever created and this is why it is such a masterpiece. The sheer class of this album carries an aura of blasphemous, but quality, music.

The only downfall, which is a typical criticism thrown at the band, is King Diamond lyrics and vocals. The falsetto vocals while not my scene, are bearable, but I would be lying if I said they didn't take away from the album. Then theres the lyrics. I don't care that they're evil. It's just they're quite ridiculous, simplistic, innane. The vocabulary is stupid.

Nonetheless, when one gets past that (which is not that hard to do), one will realise this album is one of the most perfect, understated albums ever. Hank Shermann is definitly amongst the best musicians to come out of the metal genre. His songwriting is the work of a genius. No lies.

Turning attention to the actual songs now...the only let down's are Welcome Princess of Hell, and (to a lesser degree), To One Far Away. All the others are absolute gems. My personal favourite is Nightmare. I can't believe I never hear anyone rave about that song. It's amazing.

Anyway, DO NOT HESITATE TO GET THIS! A metal collection without this is simply less of a thing. Only a fool would sideline this. This is heavy metal/thrash at it's poetic best.

They Just Don't Make Metal Like This Anymore!.......2006-07-12

Don't Break The Oath, along with Melissa, is a metal masterpiece that belongs in the collection of anyone who appreciates extreme and heavy music. You don't have to be a King Diamond fan to enjoy this album or Mercyful Fate's music in general. MF is completely a band effort, not the "King Diamond Project." The guitarists were quite accomplished by early/mid 80s heavy metal standards, and the rhythm section on DBTO is especially impressive. The King himself is indeed an acquired taste; his vocals are a bit cheesy and downright annoying at times (is this Frankie Vallie I'm listening to, you ask?). Nevertheless, there is no doubt that he is an exceptional singer who excells at concept-based material. And don't let the silly satanic thing scare you off; at the very worst, if you are sincerely offended by such lyrics, be rest assured that 95% of the time KD's over the top theatrical vocals prevent you from even understanding what he is saying ; ) All the songs are good, but I feel the strongest are "Dangerous Meeting," "The Oath," "Gypsy" and "Come to The Sabbath." Here's a brief preview of the tracklist:

A Dangerous Meeting-5/5- Great opener, achieves a beautiful balance between heavy and melodic. About a group of people who get a wee bit too involved in a seance; some of KD's best lyrics, IMHO

Nightmare-4/5: Starts off great, heavy with some great work by the rhythm section, though ultimately drags on a bit too long. Great vocals from KD.

Desecration of Souls-4/5: Again, pretty much the same deal as the previous track. The into is one of MF's best riffs ever.

Night of The Unborn-5/5: Definitely gets things back on track again, with some truly over-the-top guitar solos.

The Oath-5/5: Ahhhh, now this is some EVIL stuff baby! Starts off with some cheesy yet still creepy keyboards and thunderstorm/church bell effects (everyone and their grandmother has done this since a little song named "Black Sabbath" was released in 1970). The lyrics bug me, but musically this is the most progressive thing MF has ever done.

Gypsy-5/5: Could be the best track on DBTO, one of Fate's all time finest. Just listen to that riff; simple, yet bone crushing heavy...genius!!!

Welcome Princess of Hell-5/5: Another steady rocker, with some killer riffs in the mid section. Very underrated as well.

To One Far Away-5/5: instrumental interlude with some gorgeous duel axe work by Sherman and Denner. Some argue its too short, but it's brevity may actually be its secret.

Come To The Sabbath-5/5: Awesome closer, great tempo changes and excellent use of limited keyboard textures.

Death Kiss-3/5: Included as the bonus track of the remaster, this is interesting for historical reasons (it's basically an early demo of "Dangerous Meeting"), but I think the record label could have been more creative and/or generous with its customers.

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