Don't Break the Oath

Don't Break the Oath
Studio album by Mercyful Fate
Released	September 7, 1984
Recorded	Easy Sound Recording, Copenhagen, Denmark, May 1984
Genre	Heavy metal, first-wave of black metal
Length	47:30
Label	Combat, Roadrunner
Producer	Henrik Lund
Mercyful Fate chronology
Melissa (1983) Don't Break the Oath (1984) The Beginning (1987)

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Don't Break the Oath is Mercyful Fate's second full-length album. It was released in 1984.

The style Mercyful Fate employed on Don't Break the Oath resembled a mixture of Judas Priest and Iron Maiden heavy metal with progressive elements, lyrically preoccupied with Satan and the occult and distinguished by King Diamond's theatrical falsetto vocals. The album was remastered and subsequently re-issued on Roadrunner Records in 1997. This reissue came with the bonus track "Death Kiss (Demo)", which would eventually evolve into the album's lead-off track, "A Dangerous Meeting". Metal-Rules.com named this the greatest extreme metal album of all time.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Hank Shermann and King Diamond unless noted. 

No.	Title	Length
1.	"A Dangerous Meeting"	5:10
2.	"Nightmare"	6:19
3.	"Desecration of Souls" (Shermann/Diamond/Denner)	4:54
4.	"Night of the Unborn" (Shermann)	4:59
5.	"The Oath" (Diamond)	7:31
6.	"Gypsy" (Diamond/Denner)	3:08
7.	"Welcome, Princess of Hell"	4:03
8.	"To One Far Away" (Diamond/Denner)	1:31
9.	"Come to the Sabbath" (Diamond)	5:19

1997 re-release bonus track
No.	Title	Length
10.	"Death Kiss" (demo)	4:30

Personnel

• King Diamond - Vocals, Keyboards, Harpsichord
• Hank Shermann - Guitars
• Michael Denner - Guitars
• Timi "Grabber" Hansen - Bass
• Kim Ruzz - Drums