Metallica is, unquestionably, one of the most influential names in the history of heavy music. And before being influenced, the band led by James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich was influenced by other groups. This is the case of Mercyful Fate, a name highly respected by great icons and Metal fans.
Led by Danish vocalist and songwriter King Diamond, Mercyful Fate was a major influence on Metallica. Drummer Lars Ulrich spoke about this influence during an interview with Metal Hammer.
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“One band that you can’t leave out of a conversation about Metallica’s influences is Mercyful Fate,” declared Lars, who told how the band founded by King Diamond helped Metallica become better musically.
“They had long songs that were journeys through all different moods and dynamics, lights and shadows, and they were responsible for us lengthening our own songs.
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When we spent six months listening to Mercyful Fate, we added an extra verse, an extra chorus, and started making the arrangements longer. It was a matter of trying to improve, I guess,” added the drummer.
When they had more than 15 years of career, Metallica decided to pay homage to Mercyful Fate and recorded five songs by the Danish group. The medley is one of the tracks on “Garage Inc.”, a covers compilation released in November 1998.
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