Reunited Danish metal icons MERCYFUL FATE and their American bassist Joey Vera have “amicably” decided to go their separate ways
MERCYFUL FATE frontman King Diamond released a statement, saying: “Our friendship and respect for each other will always remain the same, and we all sincerely wish each other the absolute best for the future.”
MERCYFUL FATE recently concluded their first North American headlining tour in over two decades in November 2022. Filling in on bass during these shows was British musician Becky Baldwin, known for her past work with FURY, TRIAXIS, and CONTROL THE STORM. Baldwin stepped in for Vera, who couldn’t join the tour due to a scheduling conflict with his longstanding band ARMORED SAINT.
Back in 2019, Vera was announced as the replacement for original MERCYFUL FATE bassist Timi Hansen for the band’s scheduled European festival appearances in the summer of 2020, which were rescheduled to 2021, and then moved to 2022 after Hansen‘s passing in November 2019 due to cancer. The North American tour featured support from KREATOR and MIDNIGHT and came after the band’s headline performance at the 2022 edition of Psycho Las Vegas.
As MERCYFUL FATE continues to work on a new album, they teased fans with a glimpse of the upcoming material by debuting a track called “The Jackal Of Salzburg” in Germany in June 2022 and later at Psycho Las Vegas. The current lineup includes Hank Shermann and Mike Wead on guitars and Bjarne T. Holm on drums.
King Diamond recently gave an update on the status of the new KING DIAMOND album as well as MERCYFUL FATE’s next LP.
Speaking with “The Electric Theater With Clown”,the Internet show hosted by SLIPKNOT’s M. Shawn “Clown” Crahan, the renowned Danish heavy metal icon said: “There’s a lot in the works right now. I’m writing with Hank [Shermann, guitar] for MERCYFUL FATE and writing with Andy [La Rocque, guitar] for KING DIAMOND and writing on my own for KING DIAMOND. For KING DIAMOND, it’s an album that’s gonna be called ‘The Institute’, which is part one of two; there’ll be two full albums that will be completing that full story.
“As the title says, it’s gonna be some creepy, weird stuff. And for MERCY, I also have the title, but I’m not giving it out to anybody at the moment. We have the front cover for the new MERCY too. It’s very correct, very right for MERCYFUL FATE. It’s very back to basics.
“For my part with both MERCY and KING DIAMOND — even more KING DIAMOND, I would say — all vocals are gonna be lead vocals again, like they were in the old days for me,” he explained. “It didn’t matter if it was a choir singing on the right or the left side or whatever; they would still go in and pick up parts of the lyrics to progress the story and so on. So it’s gonna be anything goes with the vocals, for sure — back to the old style. And for MERCY too; it’s gonna be very old-fashioned. Hank is writing very much like the old days. And it’s nice to feel that we can capture that again.
“So that’s the two albums that are being worked on, that will be done by the time we go out on tour again, I’m sure.”
Formed in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1981 by vocalist King Diamond and guitarist Hank Shermann, MERCYFUL FATE became iconic with guitarist Michael Denner, bassist Timi Hansen, and drummer Kim Ruzz completing the original lineup. Their self-titled EP, released in November 1982, propelled them into metal stardom, pioneering a unique sound that left an indelible mark on the genre.