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. It followed Melissa, from 1983, and it was the last full-length record the band made before the long gap that ended with In the Shadows in 1993.
The 1997 remastered reissue on Roadrunner Records added a bonus track, a demo called "Death Kiss". It is well worth hearing, because it is the early form of what became the album's opening song, "A Dangerous Meeting". Hearing the demo next to the finished track shows how that opener took shape, which makes the reissue a handy companion for anyone who already knows the original.
Don’t Break the Oath: tracklist, credits and charts
9 tracks · 43:14Tracklist
- 1A Dangerous MeetingHank Shermann and King Diamond5:12
- 2NightmareHank Shermann and King Diamond6:22
- 3Desecration of SoulsDenner, Shermann, Diamond4:57
- 4Night of the UnbornDenner, Shermann, Diamond5:03
- 5The OathKing Diamond7:33
- 6GypsyMichael Denner and King Diamond3:10
- 7Welcome Princess of HellHank Shermann and King Diamond4:05
- 8To One Far AwayMichael Denner and King Diamond1:34
- 9Come to the SabbathKing Diamond5:19
- Produced by
- Henrik Lund
- Recorded at
- Easy Sound Recording, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Recorded
- May 1984
- Labels
- Combat, Roadrunner
- Length
- 43:14
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| German Albums · 2020 | 66 |
From MusicBrainz and Wikipedia. Only what the sources record is shown.
Released the same week
Also released on 7 September
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The best of 1984
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More on Combat
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Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz + wikidata
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 7 September 1984 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 7 September 1984 | |
| Wikidata | 7 September 1984 | |
| US release | 1984 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 7 September 1984 | earliest UK or European date |
17 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | US | Combat | other | |
| 1984 | NL | Roadrunner Records | other | |
| 7 September 1984 | XE | Roadrunner Records | original | |
| 7 September 1984 | XE | Roadrunner Records | original | |
| 1985 | XE | Roadrunner Records | other | |
| 1986 | US | Combat | 8856180112 | other |
| 21 October 1990 | JP | Far East Metal Syndicate | 4988015034363 | other |
| 1991 | KR | Jigu Records | other | |
| 1992 | US | Roadrunner Records | 016861983529 | other |
| 1997 | DE | Roadrunner Records | 016861876920 | other |
| 11 November 1997 | US | Roadrunner Records | 016861876920 | other |
| 2006 | RU | Irond | 4605026010857 | remaster |
| 23 April 2008 | JP | Roadrunner Records | 4527583007562 | other |
| 16 April 2018 | XW | Metal Blade Records | 039841928921 | other |
| 22 May 2020 | DE | Metal Blade Records | 039841568226 | other |
| 5 June 2020 | DE | Metal Blade Records | 039841568219 | other |
| — | — | R/C Records | 016861983529 | other |
Cover art sources
deezer · upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| deezer ✓ | 1200×1200 | upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25) |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |
| coverartarchive | 600×600 | upscaled |