Nov 1, 20222 min read

Mercyful Fate: Live From The YouTube Theater in Inglewood

The metal legends return to the U.S. without compromise.

Photographs, Text by Raymond Camacho (@punk_monk_ray) at the

YouTube Theater on October 29, 2022:

It has been roughly 20 years since heavy metal titans Mercyful Fate toured North America and with only a few recent festival appearances to catch them prior to this, Psycho Las Vegas included, attendance became mandatory. They have also been stymied since the late nineties and early 2000’s to reunite, with King Diamond putting more of his focus on his eponymous band. “The last time I could see Mercyful Fate, I was in elementary school,” said a younger fan near the front barricade. All this to say that Mercyful Fate made it very clear on why they are one of the greatest, most influential metal bands to take the stage and they are not going away any time soon.

After the obvious success of their North American return at Psycho, Mercyful Fate brought their elaborate stage presence to the stateside trek, making their unforgettable presence known in Inglewood, California (California is the only state on this tour to get 2 shows). Kicking things off with The Oath, the band commanded the attention of the audience throughout the packed, 6,000 capacity YouTube Theater. With an audience already primed by the rip and roar of the opening Midnight and thrash icons Kreator, there was great excitement in the air. Being a band for more than 40 years, Mercyful Fate remain elite on stage presence and sounded better than their records, but this is to be expected from an act of this caliber with the experience of expanding upon tracks via the live setting.

The stage ornamentation matched the band’s sound with arches, descending stairs, dimmed archaic lights hanging on the walls, and at the center an emblem of the head of Baphomet with a lit up, upside-down cross hanging above. More than it being a musical masterclass, Mercyful Fate delivered a haunting visual spectacle spearheaded by a masked King Diamond that has yet to miss a step.

Mercyful Fate is no stranger to establishing a visual persona reflective of their sound, and truly, as impactful as this band has been, the music does not fully require such a complex aesthetic for what King Diamond and Hank Shermann craft has defined an era and remains as influential today as it was decades prior. Having not been in the states for more than 20 years, the band gave their fans a show to remember with sound and fury, making it known and continuing to make it known that they remain the great Mercyful Fate. Their tour continues well into early November, so don't miss out on the act of a century.

Enjoy a photo gallery of the performance below and get tickets HERE.