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I don't know if Mercyful Fate is broken up or what, but this is a sort of all-star project featuring both Hank Shermann and Micheal Denner, as well as King Diamond alum Hal Patino on bass. The vocalist is some guy named Martin Steene, who was in some band I've never heard of.

I expected this to be very much like Mercyful Fate, but I am pleased to report that rather than a rehash of old ideas, this is actually a rather fresh sounding CD of slick, Priest-style metal that only resembles MF in a few places. With the Denner/Shermann team on axes, it should come as no surprise that this is a riff-heavy affair with lots of solid leadwork. What I found surprising was the modern gloss to the songwriting and the hammering, almost thrashy approach. This sounds much more like Agent Steel or Mystic Prophecy than anything King Diamond has ever been associated with. Singer Martin Steene has a great Halford-esque wail and doesn't waste it. Songs like "Hell On Earth" "The Calling" and "Under The Blade" are excellent exercises in old fashioned heavy metal. Here and there they inject a more hard-rock vibe into the proceedings, as on the groovy "Misery Man", and I can't say I care for that as well. The songwriting here is pretty good, but hardly classic, and some of the tracks blend together. This is never dull though, and even if it isn't as memorable as it could be, it is thoroughly enjoyable.

So this is a strong debut for this band. It isn't perfect or extremely original, but for good old hammers-down metal this does just fine. I can certainly see a lot of potential in this lineup, and I think Force Of Evil are a band to watch.