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MERCYFUL FATE announces new bass player BECKY BALDWIN

22-01-2024

MERCYFUL FATE has recruited Becky Baldwin as its new bass player.

The Birmingham, England-based musician previously toured with MERCYFUL FATE in the fall of 2022 as the temporary replacement for Joey Vera who was unable to make the dates due to a scheduled conflict with his longtime group ARMORED SAINT.

Becky said in a statement: “It is a great honor to now be a permanent member of MERCYFUL FATE. I can’t wait to join the recording of the new album.

“When I joined as a stand-in on the 2022 U.S. tour, the acceptance and encouragement from the fans was exceptional. A huge thanks to the band, team and fans for the warm welcome.
See you in Chile and Brazil this coming April.”

After playing the piano as a child, Becky picked up the bass guitar as a teenager and began performing with bands at school. In 2009 she moved from Trowbridge to Bristol to study at BIMM Bristol and became closely involved in Bristol’s music scene. Becky holds a BA Honours degree in Professional Musicianship and now lives in the birthplace of heavy metal — Birmingham, U.K.

Becky is an energetic live performer and efficient recording musician who specializes in fingerstyle bass guitar playing, and rock and metal genres. Since 2012, Becky has performed approximately 100 gigs per year, offering her skills for a wide variety of bands (including covers and original bands, genres ranging from metal to folk, urban, funk, pop, jazz and more.) Music has taken Becky all over Europe and into the USA for touring and recording sessions.

Becky is a co-founder of specialist private tuition company Bristol Rock Centre, which runs a teaching and rehearsal studio in Mangotsfield. She has aided exam board Rockschool in the writing and proofing of tuition/exam books including “Let’s Rock Bass”, the “Popular Music Theory” collection and the 2014 Vocal syllabus. She has led workshops with Bristol Rock Centre and Rockschool, and has given lectures at BIMM Bristol, ACM Birmingham and Access Creative College. Becky has received tuition from top musicians such as Stuart Clayton (CARL PALMER band), Damon Minchella (OCEAN COLOUR SCENE, PAUL WELLER) and Jim Barr (PORTISHEAD, GET THE BLESSING).

Becky Baldwin - photo courtesy of Metal-archives.com

Earlier in the month, it was announced that MERCYFUL FATE and Vera had “mutually” decided to part ways.

MERCYFUL FATE frontman King Diamond said in a statement: “Our friendship and respect for each other will always remain the same, and we all sincerely wish each other the absolute best for the future.”

MERCYFUL FATE completed its first North American headlining tour in over two decades in November 2022. Stepping in on bass for MERCYFUL FATE at these shows was Becky Baldwin, a British musician who has previously played with FURYTRIAXIS and CONTROL THE STORM. She filled in for Vera, who was unable to make the trek due to a scheduling conflict with his longtime band ARMORED SAINT.

In 2019, it was announced Vera would be replacing original MERCYFUL FATE bassist Timi Hansen for the band’s summer 2020 European festival appearances due to Hansen‘s cancer diagnosis. Hansen passed away in November 2019 and MERCYFUL FATE‘s 2020 summer festival appearances were rescheduled for 2021, and then to 2022.

MERCYFUL FATE‘s North American tour, which featured support from KREATOR and MIDNIGHT, followed the band’s headlining performance at the 2022 edition of Psycho Las Vegas.

MERCYFUL FATE is currently working on a new album and recently gave fans a taste of the new material when they debuted a song called “The Jackal Of Salzburg” in Germany in June 2022 as well as at Psycho Las Vegas. The band’s current lineup is rounded out by Hank Shermann and Mike Wead on guitars, and Bjarne T. Holm on drums.

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