Down release Volume V on 20 November through Nuclear Blast, twelve years after their last record, and the track that will be talked about has King Diamond on it.
Philip Anselmo told Fistful Of Metal magazine how that happened, and the order of events is the whole story. The song came first and had no title. During the demo sessions he started singing the words merciful fate over a section simply because they fitted. Then he thought about what the phrase meant, which he describes as what goes on in my mind quite a bit these days, having a nice, peaceful death when the time eventually comes. Only after that did it occur to him who else might sing on it.
He has known King Diamond a long time, sent the demo, and says the answer came back enthusiastic. In perfect timing, King delivered his performance and we were all floored. Livia Zita, King Diamond's wife, sings on the song as well.
Pepper Keenan, speaking to the same magazine, called the exchange between the two voices potentially one of the best heavy metal moments of the last fifteen or twenty years, which is the kind of thing a band says about its own record. The interview was conducted by Oran O'Beirne.