Mercyful Fate, Round 2, is one of the more underrated bands in metal history. While just about everyone (rightfully) goes crazy over Melissa and Don't Break the Oath, the albums after the re-grouping seem to be mostly forgotten, if not out-right dismissed. Sure, those later albums have the audacity not to sound like copies of the early classics, but they more than stand on their own, which brings us to 1998's Dead Again.

Right from the start it's obvious that King Diamond himself is the strongest element on the album, with Dead Again sounding quite similar to a less-theatrical version of his solo works. And maybe that's the issue some have with this era, King Diamond and Mercyful Fate were nearly indistinguishable at this point. Regardless, outside of the title track dragging on for far too long (despite an excellent beginning), Dead Again is full of dark, moody Heavy Metal that's simply fun to listen to. 

While not as good as its severely overlooked follow-up (9), Dead Again is more than deserved of attention.