Joey Vera and Mercyful Fate Part Ways

Mercyful Fate has announced that bassist Joey Vera is no longer in the band. Frontman King Diamond announced in a short post that the split was amicable.

“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,” they wrote on Facebook.

Vera joined Mercyful Fate in 2019 after founding bassist Timi Hansen died of cancer. The bassist, also in Armored Saint and Fates Warning, sat out for touring in 2022 when Becky Baldwin toured with the group.

There’s no official word on who will take the vacant position.