I have a slimline DBTO and there's definite tape drop out in the right channel around 2:15 of "Desecration of Souls." Been aware of it forever. And if memory serves, there's tape drop out elsewhere on the album too though not as noticeable.
I've managed to acquire all the European Metal Blade vinyl versions of King Diamond albums from Fatal Portrait through The Eye as well as Mercyful Fate's first couple albums and their first EP. Wow, these vinyl pressings are freaking wonderful. Everyone of them are dead quiet, as quiet as any $50 MFSL LP I've ever heard! And they sound fantastic too. I made the mistake of trying to get into King/Fates at the time of the CD remasters of the early/mid 2000s and figured they weren't for me. But it really was the loud and treble heavy mastering that was ruining it for me. Now I can crank them without reaching for Bayer aspirin. I'd love for Metal Blade to reissue the later albums by King/MF.
On the 2020 CDs, why didn't they include the bonus tracks "The Lake" and "Phone Call" that were on the original King Diamond CDs for Fatal Portrait and Them respectively? They're even using the same master! They're included on the bandcamp digital versions.
Today, I came across an April 2020 interview with Mercyful Fate guitarist Hank Shermann indicating that they found the master tapes, stored in the Warner Bros. warehouses. In the case of the CD/vinyl reissues, the 2020 reissues were sourced from high resolution digital files, taken from the original analogue master tapes. Here's the article: MERCYFUL FATE Interview
I don’t know what happened then but the 2020 Melissa CD is sourced from the 1989 Caroline CD. I don’t have the 2020 but word is it’s also from an old CD. The debut EP is from tape for the first time on a digital release as far as I know so it’s a new transfer.
I often tell the tale of when MF chickened out of supporting Manowar at Hammy O in 1984. Any MF obsessives got more details of why they were so scared that they ran from Manowar?
Depends on whom you ask. From memory... Manowar say they just didn't go down well with the Manowar audience and chickened out. Mercyful Fate say they weren't treated well, not allowed a proper soundcheck or full use of live sound equipment, etc., so they pulled out.
I wonder about the LP reissues if they were sourced from the original CDs or new digitized transfers from the analogue master tapes. I haven't found a definitive answer, from what I can glean online. EDIT: I forgot to add that it was @MrGoatimus that stated that the vinyl masters for the US LP reissues uses the same masters from their 2014 releases. The European pressings uses new masters specifically for the vinyl LP reissues.
If anyone could post 96/24 clips from the Euro LPs, I'd be able to see if they are sourced from CD resolution. If not, then they wouldn't be from the same sources as the CDs. If they do show 44khz limitations to the source, then the suspicion they are sourced from the same old CDs as the 2020 CDs would be very high.
What a terrible shame. Any ManÖwaRrior denying 'Fate - and vice versa - is balancing precariously 'pon the tightrope of truth - above the abyss of falsness.
At the time, I wished they'd turned up - I'd bought Melissa to familiarise - and anything would've been preferable to an hour of Chinese martial music, even half an hour of screechy, cod/faux-Satanic nonsense
Chinese water music (literally acoustic torture) was what I seem to recall before my encounter during their Kings Of Metal tour in the late 80s. It had the desired effect because when the guys emerged the venue fairly erupted; what a great show that was!
Well that's probably what they used in 84, too - seemingly random rhythms, at varying volume & intensity? Water or martial, you're correct - torture it definitely was!
Roots Vinyl Guide Not sure how many care about the link above, but there was an eBay auction around 2013 of the "Production Copy 1:1" analogue master tapes sent from Roadrunner Records to Banzai Records (BRC-2001 catalogue number) for Mercyful Fate's The Beginning release. This is part of the description I found: This auction consists of Four (4) Reel-To-Reel Master Tapes used for the 1988 Banzai Records release of the Mercyful Fate - "The Beginning" album (Catalog Number BRC-2001). I do not have a lot of information on these, but it appears that two of these reel-to-reel tapes may have originated from Roadrunner Records (since they have the RR 9603 catalog number and were done by "HOLLAND CUTTING"-- the Banzai catalog number "BRC-2001" is also handwritten on the boxes of these two tapes). It is my guess that Roadrunner sent two of these tapes to Banzai Records to be used for creating their own master tapes for the Canadian release of Mercyful Fate "The Beginning". Sometimes, Banzai Records would receive metal stampers from several labels to produce their own records, instead of hiring Emile Lepine at Discques SNB to cut the record from the duplicated master tape. Thought this may be of interest to a few people here.
I've checked the 2020 pressings of Them and The Eye against the US, APCY, and German pressings. They don't null. Sound is similar though, maybe slightly duller. The APCY pressings have been my preference since I found them some years back. If you already have an older pressing, I don't think you need these 2020 versions unless you want to complete your collection.
The four debut EP tracks on the 1987 "The Beginning" CD were also sourced from a master, not from vinyl I think.
I am sure they never used any mastertapes for their reissues. When you ask me, they simply copied the old CD pressings...
