HANK SHERMANN 'Would Love To' Make 'A Final, Cool Album' With MERCYFUL FATE

Metal Wani editor in chief Owais "Vitek" Nabi recently conducted an interview with MERCYFUL FATE and DENNER/SHERMANN guitarist Hank Shermann. You can now listen to the chat in the YouTube clip below.

Asked if there is a chance that MERCYFUL FATE will record a new studio album or play any shows in the not-too-distant future, Shermann said: "Nothing has been completely planned at this point, but me and [MERCYFUL FATE frontman] King [Diamond] have been talking about, some years ago, that, at some point, when the opportunity is there, and the time is there, and it makes sense, and also for the many fans that really want to see and hear MERCYFUL FATE… I mean, we still have a contract with Metal Blade, we still have one album left. So I would personally love to do, let's say, a final, cool album. Maybe we could do some special selected shows — that could also be an option — but it needs to be [done at the right time.]. But, you know, I'm sure it will happen at some point. It would be a shame if it didn't."

He continued: "I would think it's more up to King Diamond, how his career goes with [the band KING DIAMOND]… He's doing the 'Abigial' tour now and they're looking into recording a new album and maybe tour with that. So it has to be in between, or certainly it's just there. And the good thing about all this, for the fans that want to hear about this, is that King is very active, doing really well now. Me and Michael [Denner, MERCYFUL FATE guitarist] is active and in good shape. Timi Hansen [MERCYFUL FATE bassist] is also in good shape; we just recently played a few jams with him. So we're not that old."

MERCYFUL FATE's last studio album, "9", was released in 1999.

MERCYFUL FATE will be remembered for its unquestionable mark on the history of metal with its innovative sound, complex arrangements, memorable melody, and its influence on bands that later took the genre to new heights.

In 1998, METALLICA paid tribute to MERCYFUL FATE by recording a medley of classic MERCYFUL FATE songs on the album "Garage Inc." Entitled "Mercyful Fate", the medley included parts from "Satan's Fall", "Curse of the Pharaohs", "A Corpse Without Soul", "Into the Coven" and "Evil".

Lars Ulrich of METALLICA (a fellow Dane) played drums on a new version of MERCYFUL FATE's "Return of the Vampire" on the "In the Shadows" album, which came out in 1993.

Shermann and Denner have created a new classic in the forthcoming EP "Satan's Tomb", coming on October 2 via Metal Blade Records. These songs were crafted with the MERCYFUL FATE worldwide legion of fans at the forefront of the duo's collective minds. From the first riff to the last wail, one cannot help but feel the magic newly recaptured once again.

The band, which is simply called DENNER/SHERMANN, calls into service a formidable group of allies who were capable of helping realize this menagerie of malice, was a task carefully orchestrated by these metal mad scientists. Shermann first called upon Marc Grabowski (DEMONICA) to handle the bass guitar, followed by the only drummer that made sense for many obvious aspects, the one known as Snowy Shaw (MERCYFUL FATE, KING DIAMOND, DREAM EVIL). Many voices were considered, but fate lead them to Sean Peck (CAGE, DEATH DEALER). He was not only a fan but had the versatile vocal skills to make the new songs come to life like their fans would expect.