In the Shadows
In the Shadows is the third full-length studio album by the Danish band Mercyful Fate, released in June 1993 on Metal Blade Records. It was their first record since reuniting in 1992, and the last full-length album bassist Timi Hansen played on before his death in 2019. The cover painting is by Torbjorn Jorgensen of Studio Dzyan.
What sets it apart from the band's earlier work is the lyrical focus. Where their previous albums dealt wholly in Satanism and the occult, here the words turn to conceptual horror, closer to what King Diamond was writing for his own band. The occult themes returned on Time in 1994. Some editions add a bonus track, a re-recording of "Return of the Vampire" with Lars Ulrich of Metallica on drums, which makes a curious extra for collectors.
In the Shadows: tracklist and credits
10 tracks · 53:34Tracklist
- 1EgyptKing Diamond4:53
- 2The Bell WitchHank Shermann and King Diamond4:34
- 3The Old OakHank Shermann and King Diamond8:55
- 4ShadowsKing Diamond4:43
- 5A Gruesome TimeMichael Denner and King Diamond4:32
- 6Thirteen InvitationsKing Diamond5:17
- 7Room of Golden AirMichael Denner3:07
- 8Legend of the Headless RiderHank Shermann and King Diamond7:43
- 9Is That You, MelissaKing Diamond4:41
- 10Return of the Vampire... 1993Hank Shermann and King Diamond5:09
- Produced by
- Hank Shermann, King Diamond, Tim Kimsey, bonus track co-produced by Lars Ulrich
- Recorded at
- Dallas Sound Lab, Dallas, Texas, U.S.
- Recorded
- February–April 1993
- Labels
- Metal Blade Records, Metal Blade
- Length
- 53:34
Line-up
- Lars Ulrich · membranophone · guest
From MusicBrainz and Wikipedia. Only what the sources record is shown.
Released the same week
Also released on 22 June
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Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia 1993-06-22 vs 1993-07-25 (musicbrainz)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 25 July 1993 | ignored lone early release dated 1993-06-22 |
| Wikipedia infobox | 22 June 1993 | |
| Wikidata | 1993 | |
| US release | 22 June 1993 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 1993 | earliest UK or European date |
6 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | GB | Metal Blade Records | 5020083106128 | other |
| 22 June 1993 | US | Metal Blade Records | 049925389227 | original |
| 25 July 1993 | JP | Metal Blade Records | 4988014754989 | other |
| 1996 | XE | Metal Blade Records | 039841702026 | other |
| 12 April 2011 | XW | Metal Blade Records | 886443083561 | other |
| 29 October 2015 | XW | Metal Blade Records | 039841702026 | other |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · cropped: cropped from 2792x2815 to 2792x2792
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 2792×2815 | cropped: cropped from 2792x2815 to 2792x2792 |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |