Hank Shermann is one of the guitarists and founders of Mercyful Fate . The band was formed in 1981, along with King Diamond , becoming one of the biggest forces in Danish metal.
Confirmed for the second edition of Summer Breeze Brasil , the group will perform on the third day of the festival, April 28th — which also takes place on the 26th and 27th — at the Memorial da América Latina in São Paulo. In addition to Shermann and Diamond, Michael Denner (guitar), Becky Baldwin (bass), and Kim Ruzz (drums) complete the group.
In an exclusive interview with Wikimetal , Hank Shermann talked about the new bassist, the early influences of British metal, and more.
The beginning
Denmark isn't a country that has produced many giant names in rock or metal. Mercyful Fate is certainly the biggest of them, and when asked about the country's scene when they started, Shermann recalled when "there weren't many heavy metal bands around.".
Nearby is England, responsible for one of the most significant movements in the history of heavy metal. The New Wave Of British Heavy Metal was described as an "invasion," leading the guitarist to be influenced by various bands from the land of the Queen, such as Uriah Heep and Judas Priest .
"Nowadays there might be two hundred bands in Denmark. I don't know, something like that. So back then there were maybe five or ten, as far as I knew. So it was interesting because everything was new to us."
“The style of music we ended up playing was something we created ourselves. We were in our early twenties having fun, growing as adults in the process. So we had a lot of good early experiences in basically everything we did.”
The guitarist explains that he and King Diamond have always been “one hundred percent dedicated to music,” so they never had “a break.” It has been over forty years since he started playing, and Shermann considers himself an expert in the “characteristic metal category of Mercyful Fate.”.
Solo work and new album from Mercyful Fate
Mercyful Fate's latest single, expected to be released around the time the band comes to Brazil, is "The Jackal Of Salzburg," first performed in 2022 after a twenty-three-year hiatus. "Sacrifice" is the name of their next song to be released.
Regarding his solo career, the musician says: “My solo album has been an ongoing project for whatever you can call it, twenty years, forty years, or five years. I’m always composing, but in the last ten or seven years I’ve been a little more focused specifically on the material that will eventually be part of my solo album. And for me, that’s the ultimate test as a musician.”
But when will it be released? He didn't give a date, explaining, "it can't interfere with a Mercyful Fate album or tour," and that "probably when King Diamond is making his albums and things like that," but "it's something" he needs to do in his life.
“I already have material recorded. It’s not too far off from being released at some point, but the focus right now is solely on Mercyful Fate.”
New bassist
In early 2024, then-bassist Joey Vera left the group, being replaced by British singer Becky Baldwin. Hank Shermann states that her adaptation was “incredibly smooth” and that she “simply blended in immediately from the start. Truly amazing. And her playing style is really similar to what we used to hear when we rehearsed back in the day.”
He talks about the importance of having a female figure like her in the band, since the bassist can influence other girls to want to form bands or play instruments.
“And now she’s part of the legacy, she’ll be part of the new album, and that will also be part of her story in the future. When we’re too old to play, she might be able to continue with some parts of it. That should be interesting.”
Passage through Brazil
Mercyful Fate's only show in Brazil will take place at Summer Breeze, and the guitarist recalled that whenever the band has come to the country, they have received a lot of support, in addition to the passion of the fans here.
Regarding the setlist, something that should please fans of the classics: “We are focused only on the early albums. So, we give the younger generation who have never seen Mercyful Fate an opportunity to hear all the original songs that people like the most, I think. So we will play all the songs from all the albums of the 1980s.”
READ ALSO: Summer Breeze Brazil 2024: what we know about the next edition of the festival