9 is the seventh studio album by Danish heavy metal band Mercyful Fate. 9 was recorded during February and March 1999, and was released on June 15, 1999, on Metal Blade Records.[1] This album continues the heavier sound that was introduced in their previous album Dead Again, and also marks the return of the Satanic- and occult-based lyrical themes which were prevalent during the band's first incarnation, as the primary lyrical focus. 9 was Mercyful Fate's last studio album before their twenty-year hiatus from 1999 to 2019.