In the Shadows is the third full-length studio album by Danish heavy metal band Mercyful Fate. It is the first offering of the band since their reunion in 1992.[4] This would be the final full-length album Timi Hansen would appear on before his death in 2019. The album was released in June 22, 1993 via Metal Blade Records.[5] Unlike previous Mercyful Fate albums, which were entirely centered around lyrical themes of Satanism and the occult, the lyrics on this album are rather focused on more conceptual horror-themes, akin to King Diamond's work with his eponymous band. The band would return to a primarily occult/Satanic lyrical approach the following year on the, Time album released in 1994.
Some editions of In the Shadows contain a bonus track, "Return of the Vampire... 1993", that is a re-recording of the song "Return of the Vampire", present in the homonymous 1992 compilation album, featuring Lars Ulrich of Metallica on drums.
The album cover was painted by Torbjorn Jorgensen / Studio Dzyan.
Track listing
All lyrics are written by King Diamond.
| Title | Music | 
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| 1. | "Egypt" | Diamond | 4:52 | 
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| 2. | "The Bell Witch" | Hank Shermann | 4:34 | 
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| 3. | "The Old Oak" | Shermann | 8:55 | 
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| 4. | "Shadows" | Diamond | 4:42 | 
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| 5. | "A Gruesome Time" | Michael Denner | 4:31 | 
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| 6. | "Thirteen Invitations" | Diamond | 5:17 | 
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| 7. | "Room of Golden Air" (instrumental) | Denner | 3:07 | 
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| 8. | "Legend of the Headless Rider" | Shermann | 7:43 | 
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| 9. | "Is That You, Melissa?" | Diamond | 4:41 | 
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Bonus track| Title | Music | 
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| 10. | "Return of the Vampire... 1993" | Shermann | 5:08 | 
|---|
 
Personnel
Mercyful Fate
Additional personnel
- Morten Nielsen - drums, except on "Return of the Vampire... 1993"
 
- John Marshall - harpsichord on track 9
 
- Lars Ulrich -  drums on "Return of the Vampire... 1993"
 
Production
- Brian Slagel: Executive producer
 
- Produced by King Diamond, Hank Shermann and Tim Kimsey
 
- Recorded by Tim Kimsey with assistance by Sterling Winfield
 
- Mixed by King Diamond and Tim Kimsey
 
- Digital editing by David Rosenblad and Thom Cacetta
 
- Mastered by Eddy Schreyer at Future Disc, Los Angeles
 
Other Credits
- Cover Art by Torbjorn Jorgensen at Studio Dzyan
 
- Photography by Thomas Grondahl
 
References
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| Studio albums |  | 
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| Compilation albums |  | 
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| Related articles |  | 
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| Authority control databases  |  | 
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