"Melissa" is the full-length debut for legendary Danish proto black / heavy metal band Mercyful Fate. Released in 1983, "Melissa" featured a unique sound for that time which was somewhere between early Judas Priest and the darker dirges of Black Sabbath chocked with a haunting and brooding evil atmosphere, aggressive musicianship, high pitched shrieks and falsettos and lyrics driven by darkness, death and Satanism. These radical and controversial elements would help inspire the future black metal scene along with acts like Venom, and later Bathory. The album cover depicts the iconic skull "Melissa" which was later stolen by a fan Read more on Last.fm.
