I love the groove of the opener, it's almost a backbone bordering on normality, a bit of swagger which hides the ominous and evil soul of King Diamond's peculiar posse. You'll either love or hate the vocal delivery, but will simply have to marvel at some of the musicianship on offer. 'Melissa', in all its formidable black glory is often considered one of metal's finest records, and as a debut this is certainly one of those records to be cherished, but depending how you stand with the high-pitched vocals. Many have classed this as true black metal, a world away from Venom and their alcoholic rumble, this is almost clean-cut in its execution but the theatrics were even more dramatic than the UK trio. When I first got into metal I thought the mastermind behind it all, the masked in make-up master King Diamond, was a bit of a joke, but his impact on metal is without question, and when you hear some of the tracks on 'Melissa' you'll be left daubed with the Devil's mark. Grotesque, bewitching, wicked and downright devilish in its delivery, 'Melissa', despite its twiddly structures and immense shredding, is a mini-metal masterpiece. Thirteen-year old's everywhere were conducting rituals at the foot of their garden as the record faded into the blackness like a spooky will-o-the-wisp. Melodrama and fiery mayhem rolled into one.
8/10
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