Force of Evil

Formed in 2002, the Danish heavy metal supergroup Force of Evil united vocalist Martin Steene of Iron Fire with guitarists Hank Shermann from Brats, Mercyful Fate, and Zoser Mez and Michael Denner from Brats, Mercyful Fate, King Diamond, and Zoser Mez, alongside bassist Hasse "Hal" Patino formerly of King Diamond and Maltese Falcon and drummer Bjarne T. Holm from Gutrix, Mercyful Fate, and Virus 7. The collective sought to revive the classic sounds of '80s metal while incorporating very Mercyful Fate-like gothic overtones, a vision realized on their self-titled 2003 debut followed by the 2005 album Black Empire. Given the members' many concurrent band obligations, Force of Evil shows no sign of mounting worldwide tours or approaching the partnership with full seriousness, leaving it to function for now as a relaxed side project shared by all participants.