Summer Breeze 2024: Mercyful Fate closes second edition of the festival

Summer Breeze Brasil took place over the last few days, on Friday, 26th, Saturday, 27th, and Sunday, 28th, with all coverage already published here on Wikimetal.

Featuring a line-up full of artists from different styles, the metal festival ended with the long-awaited return of Mercyful Fate.

The band brought one of the most scenic stages of all the festival’s shows and, before it even started, had a large flag with its name printed on it.

The vocalist King Diamond used a goat’s head as an accessory when the group began their show, in an iconic and explosive way, with “The Oath”, from the album Don’t Break The Oath (1984).

Following in the same fast line as the first song — and which lasted throughout the band’s show — came “A Corpse Without A Soul”, which features an excellent and melodic guitar riff. Right from the start, it is possible to see how high the guitarist’s skill is Hank Shermannwhich appears again in the track’s solo.

In an exclusive interview with Wikimetalhe talked about Mercyful Fate’s new bassist, Becky Baldwin. She recently joined the group and, as the guitarist said, she is already very well connected and involved with the rest of the band, being a good addition to the group of members.

“The Jackal Of Salzburg” came next. The song is a new work by Mercyful Fate, completely dark, and alternates between moments of power and others with a reduction in the instrumental, which leads to something softer, but still generates tension. The music is simply sensational, and the group delivers a performance full of power.

Diamond’s voice is definitely something that won’t please everyone. There are few moments in which he sings in lower tones, the majority being in high notes that can be tiring, but undeniably, they are a trademark of both his solo career and the band.

Integrating one of the Danish group’s most successful albums, Melissa (1983), they played “Curse of the Pharaohs”, in a solo very well performed by Shermann.

One more of Don’t Break The Oath, “A Dangerous Meeting” has an introduction with heavy bass lines that already create an atmosphere for the song. Another crucial detail of the track are the vocals, perfectly aligned with the rest of the instrumental, which speak very well to each other. The guitar duo wouldn’t be complete without Mike Weadwho plays the track’s solo very well.

“Doomed By The Living Dead” continued, with the band delivering a performance that makes it impossible not to sing and head along, bringing the final touch of the drums of Matt Thompsonsubstitute for Bjarne T. Holmwhich made everything shake.

The introduction to “Melissa” is one of the best in the band’s discography. Easily recognized, hearing it live is even more exciting. Showing all his skill, Diamond shines again on this track, releasing his voice, with great skill and absolute control.

Once again, Wead delivers another solo full of technique and precision.

Another song that is a complete powerhouse, “Black Funeral”, from the same album as the previous one, shook all the structures of Summer Breeze, bringing an accelerated and rhythmic riff.

Whenever they could, the public sang the song with the band’s name, showing how much they missed their presence here in Brazil.

The performance continued impeccably, but it was when they played “Evil” that a key was turned. The guitarists performed completely above average.

“Come To The Sabbath” was another one that equally excited the public.

The band left the stage after this song, taking a rather long break. A theme very present in the band’s songs and aesthetics, the devil is present in the extensive “Satan’s Fall”, which lasts more than 11 minutes.

It is a perfect example of everything they are capable of doing, down to the smallest details aligned, working well and in perfect harmony.

It’s no surprise that Mercyful Fate was one of the most anticipated bands at the entire festival — especially given the number of years it took for them to return to Brazil. Their show is definitely a lesson in how to make classic heavy metal, without low points or moments of discouragement.

The duo of guitarists is a spectacle in itself, delivering each solo and each riff with precision and technique. Baldwin was the right choice to take over the band’s bass, performing his parts perfectly. Wead doesn’t disappoint, and performs his role well. All of this is united by King Diamond, one of the greatest vocalists in the history of metal.

Our collaborator Leca Suzuki recorded the shows with exclusive photos that you can check out in the gallery below.