Don't Break the Oath
# Don't Break the Oath

Professional ratings :

| Review scores ||
| - | - |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 10/10 |

Don't Break the Oath is the second studio album by Danish heavy metal band Mercyful Fate, released on 7 September 1984 through Roadrunner Records.

The style Mercyful Fate employed on Don't Break the Oath resembled a mixture of heavy metal with progressive elements, lyrically preoccupied with Satan and the occult and distinguished by King Diamond's theatrical falsetto vocals. Although very influential to future black metal bands due to its lyrical content, the music itself is more reminiscent of traditional heavy metal. The album was remastered and subsequently re-issued on Roadrunner Records in 1997. This reissue came with the bonus track "Death Kiss (Demo)", which would eventually evolve into the album's lead-off track, "A Dangerous Meeting". The album received critical acclaim, and Metal Rules named this the greatest extreme metal album of all time.

## Track listing

All lyrics are written by King Diamond.

## Personnel

Mercyful Fate

* King Diamond - vocals, keyboards, harpsichord
* Hank Shermann - guitars
* Michael Denner - guitars
* Timi Hansen - bass
* Kim Ruzz - drums
* Benny Petersen - guitar (on track 10)

Production

* Henrik Lund - producer, engineer
* Niels Erik Otto - engineer
* Thomas Holm - cover art

## Charts

Chart performance for Don't Break the Oath :

| Chart (2020) | Peak position |
| - | - |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) | 66 |
