VA “The Unholy Sounds Of The Demon Bells - A Tribute to Mercyful Fate” /CD/

Mercyful Fate had such a huge influence on the black metal movement which dominated metal's underground in the '90s. While some tributes are sunk by bands who stick too closely to the original versions of the songs that they're covering, that approach actually provides some of the best moments here; Mercyful Fate had such a distinctive sound that attempts to reinvent the material tend to fall flat. A few bands offer death-metal takes on their chosen covers, but melody was such an important part of the Fate sound that this material feels incomplete without it. All in all, it's as erratic as you would expect a tribute album featuring largely obscure acts to be, but there are enough worthwhile moments if you're a longtime Fate fan and want to hear exactly how much talent it takes just to copy them.
First press.
Still Dead Productions, 1999 (SDP CD-99102)