shadows Just when you thought it would never happen! Mercyful Fate reunited with all original members minus Kim Ruzz to record In The Shadows.  Released in 1993, the classic Mercyful Fate sound returned.

Line up: King Diamond-vocals, Hank Shermann-guitars, Michael Denner-guitars, Timi Hansen-bass, Snowy Shaw-drums. (The drums on this album were recorded by Morten Nielsen except for Return Of The Vampire which Lars Ulrich plays drums.)

Track list:
Egypt
The Bell Witch
The Old Oak
Shadows
A Gruesome Time
Thirteen Invitations
Room Of Golden Air
Legend Of The Headless Rider
Is That You, Melissa
Return Of The Vampire...1993

Egypt

Ahh...Egypt...Ahh

O Thou of countless names
Who are one and all things
O Thou of countless names
Without beginning, without end

Ahh...Egypt...Ahh

Osiris...Anubis...The underworld
is yours
Osiris...Anubis...I put my soul
in your hands
O Thou, God of the Dead
Lead my soul to the judgement hall
O Thou, Jackal Head
Weigh my soul, I await your call

Ahh...Egypt...Ahh

Ammit, Eater of the Dead
Is devouring my heart
Will I pass on to Aaru
Or will I be condemned?

I'm burning inside to know
I'm burning inside to know
I'm burning inside to know

I must be back on time
But still I want to know
I hope they let me go
I'm from another time
And I must reunite
My body and my soul

I'm burning inside to know
I'm burning inside to know
I'm burning inside to know

Osiris...Anubis...The underworld is yours
Osiris...Anubis...I put my soul in your hands
O Thou of countless names
Who are one and all things
O Thou of countless names
Without beginning, without end

Ahh...Egypt...Ahh

Egypt come back to me
Egypt come back to me
Egypt, without beginning or end

Back to the Top


The Bell Witch

Back in Tennessee,
I saw a family haunted by an entity
It was a tragedy in another century
Oh...They never would know
the Evil One that came
Little Betsy, the age of 12
Living in a dream
The first one to scream

Invisible hands leaving their mark in the dark

Night after night
The Bell Witch attacked and attacked
Torturing Betsy, until a circle
was held in candle light

Tell us who you are
Please tell us who you are

"I am the air you breathe
I am the Bell Witch
I am a million years
I am the Bell Witch"

The Bell Witch decided
It was the time for the father to scream
Soon taken ill, never again to leave his bed alive

Tell us who you are
Please tell us who you are

"I am the air you breathe
I am the Bell Witch
I am a million years
I am the Bell Witch"

"Goodnight John, see you in Hell...
Say bye bye to Daddy, Betsy"
Call the doctor!!! ..."I made sure"
Call the doctor!!! ..."There ain't no cure"

That night John he died
And the Bell Witch never came again
Soon they realized,
the witch had given John bad medicine

Back to the Top


The Old Oak

Do you remember the bridge?
The bridge that was standing in ruin
Do you remember the sign?
Demons and witches were doing

They say it's a bad place
They say it's a magic place

Deep down under
The soil of this unholy land
Deep down under
The roots of a tree they have damned

It's the Old Oak Hanging Tree
It's the Old Oak Hanging Tree

Nothing will grow in the ground
The Old Oak is killing it all
If you are ever around
Beware of the Oak and its charm

It's the Old Oak Hanging Tree
It's the Old Oak Hanging Tree

The Old Oak might make you blind
The Old Oak might trick your eyes
Hypnotized.....

It's a bad sign
When the Autumn comes and the leaves
are gone
Oh it's a bad sign
The Oak must feed in order to breed
Bad sign....... Bad sign
It's a bad sign when the Autumn comes
And the leaves are gone
It's a nightmare found
I wonder... what made this magic tree so

Hang with me, hang with the hangman
Another season in another century
Hang with me, hang with the hangman
Blood from the madmen we hung in that
tree
Blood to the ground
Blood to the roots.... Red

All around the Old Oak
Deep into the ground they buried them
Indians of ancient times
Saw it as a holy shrine

Can you believe, sacrificing their own

Must have been a mighty GOD
To receive a gift of life
All the people must have known
Happiness would come if sown

Can you believe, sacrificing their own

The Old Oak might make you blind
The Old Oak might trick your eyes
Hypnotized.....

No! Don't hang with me
As I go back to the Old Oak tree

Back to the Top


Shadows

When the darkness eats away the day
And the moon bears witness to the graves

In the shadows we are alive
In the shadows, The Light

Can you see the ghosts above our heads?
We are all in there with the dead

In the shadows we are alive
In the shadows, The Light

In the darkness there is no holding back
There is no gold in black
Deep in the night
Everything is clear
Clearer than daylight

In the land of mystery we share
You can come along if you dare

In the shadows we are alive
In the shadows, The Light

We are hiding in the shadows on your wall
We are watching as you kiss your little doll
When the darkness leaves the night
We cannot see The Light no more
No more
We are always in the shadows by your door
But when the darkness leaves the night
We cannot see The Light no more
No more

There is no holding back
There is no gold in black
Deep in the night
Everything is clear
Clearer than daylight

Back to the Top


A Gruesome Time

Everything is so strange in here
And as I look through your eyes
I can see what you're thinking of me
I am deep inside

Deep inside your head, causing you pain
Deep inside your head, causing you pain
Eternal pain

All your secrets are done my dear
And as I look through your eyes
I can see all the things that you fear
I am deep inside

Deep inside your head, causing you pain
Deep inside your head, causing you pain
Eternal pain

I'm the dreams you don't wanna dream
I'm the things you don't wanna see
I'm the dreams you don't wanna dream
I am the night of sin.....

I wanna see you in tears
The end is near.....
I am deep inside

Deep inside your head, causing you pain
Deep inside your head, causing you pain
Eternal pain

I've come to give you a gruesome time
For all the evil you have done
I'll keep a coming until the end
I'll keep a coming back my friend

Back to the Top


Thirteen Invitations

The mansion was right on the shore
Down by the lake
Nobody had lived here before
But the Devil himself

Thirteen invitations
Sent out through the night
Thirteen invitations
They would all arrive in time

Solo: Shermann

They gathered around the mansion
Thirteen in all
They had the same intention
Never to fall

Thirteen invitations
Sent out through the night
Thirteen invitations
Promising eternal life

So you want to be alive forevermore
I will turn the wheel of time
None of you will ever have to die
I will turn the wheel of time
Turning the wheel
Turning the wheel of time

But first we must play a game
The game of souls
Sit down! Don't move around!
Deal those cards!

They played all night 'till the morning light
And the Devil, he smiled on his own
They played all night for eternal life
Or the chance of losing their souls

High will win, low is the sin

They played all night in the burning light
The thirteen were sharing a nine

High will win, low is the sin

The final card was in the Devil's hand
The King of Diamonds would win

They could never leave the mansion
Forever inside
They had lost their souls of creation
But they were alive

Thirteen invitations
Sent out through the night
Thirteen invitations
And the mansion was mine

Back to the Top


Legend of the Headless Rider

"The Rise"
I'm an undertaker
I'm a ghost in the night
I'm a coffin shaker
This graveyard site is mine

Take a look at the sky, see that evil eye
Tonight the moon is cold as ice
Oh yeah...cold as ice...oh yeah

There's a black horse waiting
Will HE be on time?
The graveyard's shaking
Should I turn my eyes and walk away

Take a look at the sky, see that evil eye
Tonight the Headless Rider rides

Midnight...let the church bell ring
It's midnight, All Hallows Eve
It's midnight, All Hallows Eve
I see him rising from his grave
I see him rising from his grave.......

"The Chase"
On All Hallows Eve, Never to forget
He rides the open field
In search of his head

My GOD, he's so grotesque
Should I stay?
My GOD, a scythe in his hand
NO WAY
He's coming...I'm running
He's coming...I'm running
Deep inside I know I'm the one
He's coming...I'm running
Deep inside I know this is wrong
Help me, I'm falling down

I'm falling down...
I'm looking up...I'm in a grave

"Doomed"
In this hollow grave
I can smell that he's near
Will I ever never make it
Will I shed a tear

Oh it's strange how everything's
changing
Now my life is fading away

In this hollow grave
I see a bony hand
Don't you ever never take it
It's the key to his land

Oh it's strange how everything's
changing
Now my life is fading away

Oh it's strange how everything's
changing
Now my life is fading away

NO!

"Epilogue"
The mind in my headless body
Seems to be chained to the inside
I cannot move towards the light...
And as he rides away
Leaving me with this curse
I hear his laughter in the distance
Actually it's my laughter, he stole my head
Does this mean I'll be The One next year???

Back to the Top


Is That You Melissa

Oh...Melissa, You're in my dreams
You're with me every day

Oh...Melissa, could that really be
your voice I hear?
Too soon for you and I
The priest took his sacrifice
And sent you to the other side

Oh...Melissa, You're in my dreams
You're with me every day

Oh...Melissa, do you remember
the time we shared?
Do you remember the magic nights?
I will never forget your smile
Do you remember the love we had?...
Oh the love we had

No...Melissa"
You gotta tell me why
"No...Melissa"
I want her by my side

"This is against the rules
there won't be another time"
Melissa tell me why
I wanna know why

"No...Melissa"
You gotta tell me why
"No...Melissa"
I want her by my side

Oh...Melissa, You're in my dreams
You're with me every day

Oh...Melissa, close your eyes
and say goodbye
One last time...we'll kiss goodbye

I kiss your soul goodbye

Back to the Top


Return of the Vampire...1993

A suicide, the birth of a Vampire
Deep in his lair, gasping for air

Spreaded wings
Fly out at sunset
So high above, back before dawn

Return of the Vampire
Leaving his lair
He's out for blood and it's yours he will share
Return of the Vampire
Leaving his lair
He's out for blood and it's yours he will share

There's only one way you can stop him
You gotta trace the Vampire to his lair, oh yeah
And then you gotta drive a stake
Right through the heart of the living dead, the dead

Oh I can feel something is wrong

Vampire, My shadow is gone
Vampire, I know what you've done
Vampire, My shadow is gone
Vampire, I know what you've done

Return of the Vampire
Leaving his lair
He's out for blood and it's yours he will share
Return of the Vampire
Leaving his lair
He's out for blood and it's yours he will share

A suicide, the birth of a Vampire

Back to the Top