Mercyful Fate is fresh off their first headlining US tour since 1999, and now they’ve started work on a new album. In an interview with Guitar World, King Diamond, Hank Shermann, and Mike Wead have started work on at least three new songs. “The Jackal Of Salzburg” was one of the new songs they had much to discuss.

Wead had this to say:

It’s one of the more epic songs out of the new ones I’ve heard. It’s kind of bombastic, with a slight touch of doom metal, which is a bit different for Mercy. But then again, Mercy was never a band that stood still, either.

King Diamond had this to say about the epic tune based on Salzburg’s last recorded witch hunt from 1675-1690.

It’s so grotesque, man. There was a young man, 20 years old, whose mother was burned alive as a witch in 1675. Two years later they started hunting [the son] based on confessions the mom had made under torture, where she gave up her son as being in league with the devil.

“It’s pretty shocking when you think about spearing a child on this horrible thing that goes up your backend and comes out through your mouth, or on a wheel that would pull them apart. Completely insane.

This album would be their first since 1999’s 9. The band had been on an indefinite hiatus since then before returning in 2019 for a new tour. They’re one of the most influential and important acts in all of heavy metal.

Hank Shermann had this to say about the prospective release date for the new album.

That’s a really good question, because I really don’t know, other than that I have at least eight or nine songs ready to be worked on. We already have three songs worked out, out of those, and the drums for ‘The Jackal of Salzburg’ are recorded. I would also say it probably depends on what the reaction is from [the fall 2022] U.S. tour.

So that’s eleven or twelve songs they have in mind, but no firm release date.

Are you excited about a new Mercyful Fate album? Let us know in the comments or let me know on Twitter @HunterBVideo.

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Source: Guitar World

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