Denner-Shermann (ex - Mercyful Fate - Masters Of Evil (2016)

Genre - Heavy Metal

Label - Metal Blade

Track listing:

01. Angel's Blood
02. Son Of Satan
03. The Wolf Feeds At Night
04. Pentagram And The Cross
05. Masters Of Evil
06. Servants Of Dagon
07. Escape From Hell
08. The Baroness

Former Mercyful Fate Legends Micheal Denner and Hank Shermann return with their new projects (Denner / Shermann) debut album and the follow up to last years acclaimed 'Satan's Tomb' Ep. Once again the legendary ex - Mercyful Fate guitarists are joined by Snowy Shaw (Drums), Marc Grabowski (Bass) and vocalist Sean Peck, for this their debut full album release, and what can I say? Master's Of Evil is pure unadulterated classic heavy metal, in fact it is probably the closest thing that we will ever get to a new Mercyful Fate album!
All the music is killer great dual guitar work that you would expect from Denner and Shermann, probably their best guitar work since Mercyful Fate's  Time. Sean Peck does an amazing job on the vocals. Stylistically very close to King Diamond vocals, but not trying to be a carbon copy. He does match King's tone at key times, but it isn't overdone, in fact he puts in a hell of a shift here, ranging from the outright Ozzy-isms of the brilliant “The Wolf Feeds At Night” to his display on the opening salvo of “Angel’s Blood”, he really is the perfect foil for the music.A great balance. There’s nothing too long here either, with the longest track being the albums closer, "The Baroness" which clocks in at just under 7 minutes long.
Fans of King Diamond and Merciful Fate, which let's facr it is the bands primary target audience,  will not be disappointed with Master's of Evil, its a truly brilliantly sinister album!

Rating: 9/10

Denner / Shermann - Satans Tomb EP (2015)

Genre - Heavy Metal

Label - Metal Blade Records

Track listing:

01. Satan's Tomb

02. War Witch

03. New Gods

04. Seven Skulls

Mercyful Fate legends, Michael Denner and Hank Shermann join forces once again, several years after the two excellent Force Of Evil albums for this new project, together with drummer Snowy Shaw (Ex King Diamond), vocalist,  Sean Pecks (Cage) and bassist Marc Grabowski.
Seriously, Mercyful Fate fans are going to be going love the sound of this EP, with it only having one real down point, it too bloody short!
Guitar messiahs, Denner and Shermann deliver exactly what you would expect, trading effective riffs and solos, which will delight old Mercyful Fate fans, as well as any classic metal consumer.
When you consider the band members involved its hard not to try and imagine how a certain King Diamond may have sang these songs, and they would have all fitted well into the Mercyful Fate back catalogue, and then how does vocalist Sean Peck compare? Well to be fair, Sean does an amazing job here, really making the songs his own, delivering his own Halford / Owens influenced stamp on them. I'm not going to single any particular tracks out here, if you have any interest in classic metal or Mercyful Fate inspired music I can guarantee that you are going to love this EP.

Very Very Highly Recommended!

Rating - 10/10

Maryann Cotton - Free Falling Angels (2012)

Genre - Hard Rock / Classic Rock / Shock Rock
Label - Pure Steel Records

Track listing -

01 - Heaven Send For Me
02 - Never Waste Land
03 - Crazy
04 - Get It On
05 - Free Falling Angels
06 - Night Train To Paris
07 - Die In Britain
08 - Miss Misery
09 - Shock Me
10 - The One
11 - "Maryann"

"Free Falling Angels" is the debut CD of MARYANN COTTON, a new rock act from Denmark combining former members of King Diamond's band with a young and promising Scandinavian singer one Jackie Patino, also known as the shocking Maryann Cotton.
Jackie took the name Marryann Cotton from a disturbed British woman who killed over 20 people in London back in the 1850. Mary Ann Cotton was found guilty of poisoning many people including various lovers and husbands. She was convicted and hung in 1873 at the age of 40, ohh well thats enough history, what about the music?
Well featuring the likes of his father, Hal Patino, the fairly famous bassist from who has been in King Diamond, Force Of Evil and Pretty Maids.and various other well known names from the Danish metal scene such as Snowy Shaw (drums), Pete Blakk (guitar) Andy LaRocque (guitar) and Sebastain Sly (guitar), the band is filled with some pretty heavy weight metal hitters, but the strange thing is that Free Falling Angels isnt a metal album at all! It has more of a classic hard rock, old school Alice Cooper feel to it, in fact Marryann's vocals bear more than just a passin resemblence to the vocals of the aforementioned Mr Cooper, as can be heard from the albums opening track "Heaven Send For Me"!
Among the interesting tracks on this CD we have the first single "Shock Me", a punchy Hard Rock number with nice orchestration and rhythm. "Night Train To Paris" is heavier than the average rock ballad yet also commercial and catchy at the same time. Easily delivered, this song puts a smile on you face.
I can say nearly the same on "Get It On", which is more snappy and energetic, and "Miss Misery" that took a bluesy turn and patched it up together with little shards of Metal and Rock.
Anyone who has ever heard an Alice Cooper album from late seventies will instantly recognize many of the musical components, but that is really awesome because no one is doing that these days, not even Alice himself. If you listen carefully you can find as well bits of Kiss, Queen and Meatloaf scattered in the album.
With "Free Falling Angels" Maryann Cotton is trying to revive the lost days of theatrical, shocking rock, and success for the most part.

Jackie Patino graces his 'Maryann Cotton' character with multi-facted and multi-dimensional vocals - not in the sense of wide range or power - just in the way this kind of material needs; sometimes sings, sometimes whispers, sometimes croons, but always in a precise retro fashion that suits the song perfectly.
The musicians backing Cotton are also doing a fine work on this recording, and altough all come from a metal background they are experienced and play this style with ease.
Production is really top notch, there really is a lot going on in the music and the production captures it all so very well. The sound is very polished and crafted to create the spooky atmosphere.
"Free Falling Angels" is a very interesting release framed into the almost disappeared shock rock, with a 2012 updated sound but containing all the roots from the famous '70s and '80s bands in this genre.
If you are fan of early Alice Cooper albums, and wonder why he just isnt putting albums out like that anymore then check this beauty out, you are going to love it!

A great solid debut album well worth checking out!

Rating - 10/10