Bands form and break-up every single day and, while most come and go without making an impact, others leave a lasting mark – even if their time together was short. Today, we explore 10 metal bands that made an impact on the metal community despite breaking up at their peak (or before reaching their peak). These groups dissolved for different reasons – musical differences, label strain, member death, but they all captured a little magic and will forever be remembered for it. Here is our list of metal bands that broke up too soon.
MERCYFUL FATE
Originally Active: 1981-1985
Number of Albums: 2
BIO:
Formed in 1981, MERCYFUL FATE was part of the first wave of Black Metal (along with VENOM and BATHORY). The band became one of the most influential bands on the heavy metal scene of the 1980s and 1990s. Bands influenced by MERCYFUL FATE include METALLICA, SLAYER, TESTAMENT, EXODUS, DEATH, and OBITUARY. Unfortunately, after two groundbreaking albums (“Melissa” and “Don’t Break the Oath”) the band broke up due to musical differences. Guitarist Hank Shermann wanted to move to a more commercial sound, which led to vocalist King Diamond leaving the band, and MERCYFUL FATE’s break-up.
Three members of MERCYFUL FATE (King Diamond, Michael Denner, and Timi Hansen) went on to form the KING DIAMOND band – a successful and influential band in its own right – while Hank Sherman moved on to other projects.
INITIAL ALBUMS:
“Melissa” (1983)
“Don’t Break the Oath” (1984)
REUNIONS:
In 1992, four of the five members of MERCYFUL FATE reunited (minus drummer Kim Ruzz) and released the critically acclaimed “In the Shadows” in 1993. The band went on to release four more albums throughout the 90s but were never able to recapture the magic of the band’s first stint. The group went through a number of line-up changes and, by the time they went on hiatus in 1999, only King Diamond and Hank Shermann remained as original members.
The band has had sporadic reunions since 1999, though never with the original lineup. In 2019 it was announced that MERCYFUL FATE would be reuniting full-time (though again with only King Diamond and Hank Shermann as original members) and a new album is due in 2022.