Denner/Shermann
Denner/Shermann - Satan's Tomb (Metal Blade) 2015
1. Satan's Tomb (4:55)
2. War Witch (4:54)
3. New Gods (6:03)
4. Seven Skulls (5:10)
Michael Denner and Hank Shermann, the original Danish guitar tag team from the Mercyful Fate's legendary have created a new EP titled "Satan's Tomb". Along side the duo is drummer Snowy Shaw (MERCYFUL FATE, KING DIAMOND, DREAM EVIL), bassist Marc Grabowski (DEMONICA), and vocalist Sean Peck (CAGE, DEATH DEALER).
This album was definitely made with the fans of those two Mercyful Fate albums in mind. The riffs, the solos, the songwriting and even the production all reflect those dark, traditional heavy metal albums. The title track opens the album in a “Melissa” type fashion starting with a melody not far removed from "Satan's Fall" off "Melissa". Each of the four tracks on this EP recall that awesome traditional heavy metal sound. "New God" opens with one guitarist coming through the right channel, then the second guitar comes in the left channel before the entire things breaks loose with the pounding rhythm section. While this may not be a Mercyful Fate album, the comparisons are undeniable. If this is not enough, the "Satan's Tomb" cover artwork was painted by Thomas Holm whose also painted the covers of "Melissa" and "Don't Break The Oath".
Of course the biggest difference is in the vocals of Sean Peck, who is no King Diamond. That is not to say he is not a good vocalist. In fact, he is a great vocalist whose voice reminds me of a cross between Tim "Ripper" Owens and Ski from Deadly Blessing/Faith Factor. While he has that clean style of singing that works so well for this type of metal, he does not use the unusual falsetto style vocals the King would use. Rather he hits the high notes with his nature voice.
Fans of those classic Mercyful Fate records will find much to enjoy about this EP. Everything from the riffs to the solos bring to mind Mercyful Fate and show why Denner and Shermann are two of the deadliest axe duos in heavy metal. From the first riff to the last wail, I cannot help but feel the magic has been recaptured once again.