Return Of The Vampire

(Roadrunner, 1992)

Burning The Cross [Tablature]
Curse Of The Pharaohs
Return Of The Vampire
On A Night Of Full Moon
A Corpse Without Soul
Death Kiss
Leave My Soul Alone ^*
M. D. A. ^*
You Asked For It ^#

The band's line-up on this album depends on the song, the basic line-up is:

King Diamond - all vocals
Hank Shermann - guitars
Benny Petersen - guitars
Timi Hansen - bass
Kim Ruzz - drums

Songs marked with ^* have the following line-up:

King Diamond - all vocals
Hank Shermann - guitars
Michael Denner - guitars
Timi Hansen - bass
"Old Nick" - drums

Song marked with ^# has the following line-up:

King Diamond - all vocals
Hank Shermann - guitars, bass
C. Volsing - guitars
??? - drums

This is the only Mercyful Fate song that B. Petersen ever wrote the music for. With its complex structure and heavy riffing it's a must for a true M. F. fan. Unfortunately it never made it onto any album due to B. Petersen's early departure from the band.

(Right now they're so nice) for they don't know destination.
Demons and witches and (leaving less) repressions.
Breaking religion by burning the Cross.
Breaking religion, burning the Cross.

Travelling in darkness, afraid of recognition.
Evil ambitions, they're planning the destruction.
Breaking religion by burning the Cross.
Breaking religion, burning the Cross.

Oh, you gotta see them riding through the darkness.
(Stay) in the night, unholy light.
You gotta see them riding through the darkness.
(Stay) in the night, unholy light.
You gotta see them riding through the darkness.
(Stay) in the night, yeah!

(Right now they're so nice) for they don't know destination.
Demons and witches and (leaving less) repressions.
Breaking religion by burning the Cross.
Breaking religion, burning the Cross.

Travelling in darkness, afraid of recognition.
Evil ambitions, they're planning the destruction.
Breaking religion by burning the Cross.
Breaking religion, burning the Cross.

Oh yeah ooooooooh
Oh yeah ooooooooh

Hear what they say, 'cos they do not go home.
Hear what they say, 'cos they do not go home.

Doomsday reflections, above the clouds I was gone. (I must go?)
Doomsday infections, in their heads, and in their minds.

You'll be burning the Cross!

Curse Of The Pharaohs

This first version of the song differs quite a bit from the later version that appeared on the "Melissa" album. Most of the song is in a half beat and you'll find some riffs here that were later omitted from the album version. Why? Good question!

Away out in Egypt in the valley of kings
Where the mummified pharaohs
Pretend dead in their sleep

Don't touch, never ever steal
Unless you're in for the kill
Or you'll be hit by the curse of the pharaohs
Yes you'll be hit and the curse is on you

Now if you're breakin' the seals
and disturbing the peace
Then you're startin' up a curse
Bringin' evil disease

Don't touch, never ever steal
Unless you're in for the kill
Or you'll be hit by the curse of the pharaohs
Yes you'll be hit and the curse is on you

The curse of the pharaohs can be so deadly
Or just destroying your future
Takin' it all shady

Don't touch, never ever steal
Unless you're in for the kill
Or you'll be hit by the curse of the pharaohs
Yes you'll be hit and the curse is on you

Return of the Vampire

The heaviest M. F. riffs ever written. It includes the strangest break shortly before the end. Hank and Kim completely flipped into this little piece of seemingly uncontrolled guitar notes and drum beats, and in some strange way they managed to stick together. A must.

It's suicide
The birth of a vampire
Fresh in his lair
Spreading the veil

He'll spread his wings
LEaving at sunset
Fly haigh and low
Back before sun's glow

Return of the vampire
Leaving his lair
Sucking your blood through your veins
Sucking your blood through your veins

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

Vampire - I'm losing control
Vampire - just give me your soul
Vampire - I'm losing control
Vampire - just give me your soul

On a Night of Full Moon

This song was later recorded in a different version for the second Mercyful Fate album "Don't Break The Oath" under the title Desecration of Souls. This special first version has a completely differentintro, with Hank getting into some serious feed-back and me howling like a wolf. You'll find some interesting riffs here. See if you can recognize where they were later used.

Stay away
I am evil
Or you will die
By tomorrow

Copulation with a body
Of a woman recently dead
My ceremonies with all the corpses
Finding souls I spread them open

It's a desecration of souls
In their holy lair

Magic circles drawn after midnight
Around graves to be opened
I use a wand and bodies rise
I ask the questions and then burn the remains

It's a desecration of souls
In their holy lair
Oh this sacrifice I've been searching
On the night of full moon

Copulation with a body
Of a woman recently dead
My ceremonies with all the corpses
Finding souls I spread them open

It's a desecration of souls
In their holy lair
Oh this sacrifice I've been searching
On the night of full moon

A Corpse Without Soul

This was officially released in a different shorter version than it appears here. This special version was originally meant to last for just about 10 minutes, but due to a brilliant fuck-up by the engineer it appears here in a 8 minute version. We had been fighting for over two hours to get this thing right, but time after time one of the guys in the band made a mistake, and we had to record the song all over again. We were just about to call it a day and leave the studio in total depression when one of us said "OK, one last time and that's it". This last time there were no mistakes and we all felt great until we entered the control room, where this long haired freak of a button pusher laid the news on us. "I'm really sorry folks, but the taperecorder ran out of tape", he mumbled. "I lost the entire ending". Later that same year this guy had to close down the studio. I wonder why.

Listen, I'm a corpse, I'm a corpse
I'm a corpse without soul
Satan, he's taken, he's taken
He's taken his toll
And he took it out on me

I, I'm trapped, I'm trapped
I'm trapped in his spell
Tonight, I'm going, I'm going
I'm going to Hell, inside his spell

I was walking down among the graves
I heard a cry, my shadow is gone
Emptiness in my body, I felt so alone
Small black wings on my naked back
Now guess what I saw on one of the stones
I saw my soul, in a magical haze
It was all dressed up as a corpse in a wedding dress
Small black wings on my naked back
Now hear my prayer, beggin' for mercy
I'm living to die

Satan has taken his toll.

Death Kiss

Here's a very special version of a song that later came to be titled 'A Dangerous Meeting' on the "Don't Break The Oath" album. This version has completely different lyrics and some very interesting, different riffing. Staying at a small and extremely cold little hotel right opposite a huge graveyard in the city of Hull, England put us in the right atmosphere to record this song. I remember that night when the police came patrolling the sacred place across the street, and we had to hide in between the tombstones. Who was it that got struck by panic and started running, or should I say falling, over these monuments of death? Hank?, Timi?

Dark lady coming out at night
There's no glory
Let's those legs on fire
She's goin' to the well at night
Let's the mercy come and kill the kids
A shock

Bells ringing in the citadel it's a woman
People running girl haunted
Death kiss goin' down on the head
And now she's big enough the world is gonna die

Time slips away
You can't stop oh-ho
She may give us death kiss
She may give us a kiss

Everything is turned upside down
There's a child there devine
Dark lady taking care again yeah
Now she's walking back to hell with just her hands

Time slips away
You can't stop oh-ho
It's death kiss

Aaahhh a little child
Aaahhh she's gonna die

The child has lost its way
The child is dead
Oh-ho she's dead

Leave My Soul Alone

This song is taken from a session at which Hank and I had agreed to help Michael Denner's 3-piece band to record a demo. It was shortly after this session that the classic M. F. line up was completed. The music is written by Michael himself and I was given about 2 1/2 hours to come up with the lyrics. The song never made it onto an album.

Oooooooooooooooooooh... yeah!!! Oh yeah! Now hear my song
Sirenes calling, people leavin' the streets
The cops are comin', I don't know what I did

Why don't you get away, leavin' my soul alone
Maybe another day, you get a reason too
Why don't you get away, leavin' my soul alone
Maybe another day, you get a reason too

Oooooooooooooooooooh... yeah!!! Oh yeah! Oh hear me now
I'm running free, they won't get me alive
No one can see, I did it to survive

Why don't you get away, leavin' my soul alone
Maybe another day, you get a reason too
Why don't you get away, leavin' my soul alone
Maybe another day, you get a reason too

Oooooooooooooooooooh... yeah!!! Oh yeah! This is what I did
I killed a friend, for makin' love to my girl
This is the end, a bullet from my gun

Why don't you get away, leavin' my soul alone
Maybe another day, you get a reason too
Why don't you get away, leavin' my soul alone
Maybe another day, you get a reason too

I can't belong............. KILL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This last sentence is difficult to hear. It might also be: "I can't be
alive" or something like that. Maybe you can hear it?

M. D. A.

The same goes for this song as for the above, with the exception that both music and lyrics were written by Michael, but I was given free hands when it came to the vocal melody.

Satan's veil, the night so red
Another creature sighted
The night's alright, The music's loud
The feeling is so right

Mission: Destroy aliens
Mission: Destroy Aliens
Mission: Destroy Aliens
Mission: Destroy

Someone wishes, dare to learn
And understand the chance
About his lair, the king has spoke
To be in there with him

Mission: Destroy Aliens
Mission: Destroy Aliens
Mission: Destroy Aliens
Mission: Destroy

Later on, the cauldron's burning
Take away their breath
You can't resist my evil touch
Nature fights their bearing

Mission: Destroy Aliens
Mission: Destroy Aliens
Mission: Destroy Aliens
Mission: Destroy

You Asked for It

This song was later renamed 'Black Masses' and was recorded as the B-side of the 'Black Funeral' single. Here it appears with completely different lyrics and was actually part of the very first demo ever recorded under the name Mercyful Fate. At this point the band did not have a bass player, so Hank took over. The original master tape was slightly damaged by moisture, therefore the quite bad sound quality. We all felt though, that we'd rather include this very special version despite the quality, than cheat the fans of not hearing it at all. Just this once we agreed on quantity over quality.

I tell you everything I do
We're going to talk at the moon
You've said enough (two brains together???)
I'll smash you, you'll look like a stranger
You're young and scared
No one even cares

Summon you god
Your sign of surrender
You still will be burned you're sweet pretender
You asked for it reach out 'n' repent
I'll smash you you'll look just like a stranger
ooh what a love to be young and scared
No one even cares a damn

Ooh you asked for it you won't get it no mercy
Ooh you asked for it you won't get it no mercy
Ooh you asked for it you won't get it no mercy

(???)
(???)
Oh no no no you're young and scared
Oh no no no I don't even know

I tell you everything I do
We're going to talk at the moon
You asked for it every time in prayer
I'll smash you you'll look just like a stranger
You're young and scared
No one even cares a damn

Ooh you asked for it you won't get it no mercy
Ooh you asked for it you won't get it no mercy
Ooh you asked for it you won't get it no mercy

Hope you will enjoy these special recordings
Satanic Regards King.

Lyrics of "Burning The Cross" are sent by Kim Sandrehav (diabola@geocities.com). The lyrics are not official, so they may contain some mistakes, that's what Kim wrote about them:
"I've tried my best to decrypt the lyrics on some MF-songs (the ones missing), I think I've managed to finish almost the most of this one:
Some parts are not humanly possible to hear so I've guessed (see the brackets)."
Really great thanx for the good job.

Lyrics of "Leave My Soul Alone" are sent by David Dejeneffe (mail328@rsftew.luc.ac.be).
The lyrics are not official, so they may contain some mistakes, however David is sure they are correct with the exception of the last verse, which may be wrong. Anyway, great thanks for such a great job.

Lyrics of "M. D. A." are sent by Dead6666 (Dead6666@aol.com).
The lyrics are not official, so they may contain some mistakes ("Although some parts are hard to hear I think it's mostly accurate"). Thanx, and keep up the good work!

Lyrics for "Return Of The Vampire", "On A Night Of Full Moon", "Death Kiss" and "You Asked For It" donated by Mirek Korkus. Thanks! Tim Mayer currently works on cleaning them.

If you believe something's wrong with some of these - please email me.

Paweł Więcek <coven@vmh.net>