Don’t Fuck With The Oath: A Cult Classic of Death and Devotion
In the late '80s, Kendall, Florida wasn’t just a suburb—it was a pressure cooker of underground chaos. Inside sweltering, gear-packed warehouses behind strip malls, a new sound was being forged—faster, darker, and heavier than anything before. And in that crucible, two teenagers, JP Brown and George Stewart, forged a bond—not of friendship, but of ritual.
While their peers chased trends, JP and George were spinning bootleg Morbid Angel tapes, devouring photocopied fanzines, and dreaming of satanic invocations screamed over blast beats. Florida wasn’t just home—it was the cradle of death metal, and they were hellbent on carving their place into its bleeding heart.
In JP’s bedroom—half rehearsal space, half altar—they worshipped the dark pantheon: Morbid Angel, Bolt Thrower, Pestilence, and above all... Mercyful Fate. While others played it safe, JP and George were already deep into the esoteric violence of death metal, consumed by King Diamond’s unholy vocals and Mercyful Fate’s haunting, arcane melodies.This wasn’t just music. This was a ritual.
They weren’t imitating.
They were initiating...And the Oath was already forming.
The Spark
By 2012, Mercyful Fate had gone silent, the flame seeming to flicker out for good. But the darkness never dies—it just waits. And for JP, the time had come to resurrect the ancient rites with a new weapon: the speed and brutality of Florida Death Metal.
JP called George and made the pitch: Let’s bring them back—but bring them back our way.”
Together with Erick Tapia (of Murder Suicide) on drums, they began reworking the old Mercyful Fate classics—not as covers, but as reincarnations, infused with the speed, violence, and darkness of Florida death metal. The trio descended into Simple Kill Studios in Fort Lauderdale with Jeff Martin to record the ritual.
The rules were non-negotiable:
Every musician involved had to love and respect the vision.
This wasn’t a band—it was a coven. A cult. A cause.
But every ritual needs an elder. A figure of power.
That’s when Carlos Giusti entered the circle.
The Elder Joins the Flame
Carlos wasn’t just a friend—he was a believer. A veteran of the Florida underground and guitarist of Abysmal, Carlos saw something in JP early on. When JP was only 16 years old, Carlos handed him an American-made BC Rich, a weapon of true tone, and said:
“You’re going to write music on this that changes the world.”
And now, he was ready to help fulfill that prophecy.
The Recording – A Ritual in the Studio
Together, they entered Simple Kill Studios in Fort Lauderdale with Jeff Martin, and what emerged was not just a recording—it was a ritual. Six Mercyful Fate songs, reimagined and reforged in death metal fire.
This wasn’t sterile, modern metal production.
It was mic’d cabs and sweaty takes.
No triggers. No grids.
This was the way it was done in Morrisound’s glory days.
The Result: Don’t Fuck With the Oath— — an unholy vinyl release into two accursed sides:
Side Holy, with George Stewart channeling death growls alongside clean vocals by Paolo Velazquez, layering ritualistic chants over guitar work that blended classic Mercyful Fate melodies with the speed and precision of Hellwitch.
Side Fukk, featuring the unmistakable voice of Ralph “Dr. Fukk” Viera from Thrash or Die, who brought a nuclear punk-meets-thrash fury, like Possessed jamming with Exodus in a candlelit crypt.
The Tracks: Six Spells for the Faithful
Side Holy – Invocations in Death and Fire
Black Funeral
Death and flame. Unrelenting speed and surgical chaos.
George Stewart pushes his voice higher into pure death metal torment, his growls tearing through the mix like a cursed incantation. Paolo Velazquez chants the clean lines like sacred liturgy, while George summons the infernal—the result is a collision of heaven and hell at breakneck speed, worthy of early Hellwitch.
Into the Coven
What was once mystical is now malevolent. A faster, more punishing arrangement transforms the original into a full-blown black ritual, driven by heavier riffing that cuts with precision and purpose. But it’s George Stewart’s performance that drags the song into the abyss—his death growls are pure violence, sounding less like a man and more like a demon unleashed. Carlos Giusti’s solo slices through the darkness like a blade drawn in sacrilege—measured, venomous, and final.
Devil Eyes
Hooked with melody, steeped in blood.
The tempo remains true to the original, but the guitars hit harder and the tone is darker. Paolo’s clean vocals rise like liturgy, while George’s choruses become full-on satanic chants—commanding, seductive, and impossible to resist. It’s not just a performance—it’s an initiation, pulling the listener into the ritual with every repetition.
Side Fukk – The Thrash Desecration
Leave My Soul Alone
Dr. Fukk rips into the track like a beast, spinning the song into a Slayer-tinged berserker anthem.
Nuns Have No Fun
Filthy, fast, and unholy. Ralph’s vocals carry the venom of early Kreator, but with a playful sneer that’s pure King.
Doomed by the Living Dead
Paolo returns to duet with Ralph in a call-and-response from the catacombs. Their voices clash like angels and demons locked in battle. Legacy in the Shadows
Don’t Fuck With the Oath was never made for mass appeal. It was pressed in limited vinyl, hand-assembled, and passed like a relic to those who understood. The band didn’t just cover Mercyful Fate—they exhumed it, reclaimed it, and set it ablaze with death metal fire. This wasn’t a tribute. It was a spell. And as long as it plays...
the Oath remains unbroken.
The Oath is eternal.
Don’t Fuck With The Oath !!
Track Credits
Side Holy – Invocations of Death and Fire Black Funeral
Black Funeral
JP Brown – Guitars
Paolo Velazquez – Clean vocals
George “Holy” Stewart – Death growls
Mario Cianci – Lead guitars
Damian Hormila – Bass
Erick Tapia – Drums
Into the Coven
JP Brown – Guitars
Paolo Velazquez – Clean vocals
George “Holy” Stewart – Death growls
Carlos Giusti – Lead guitars
Damian Hormila – Bass
Erick Tapia – Drums
Devil Eyes
JP Brown – Guitars
Paolo Velazquez – Clean vocals
George “Holy” Stewart – Death growls
Carlos Giusti – Lead guitars
Damian Hormila – Bass
Erick Tapia – Drums
Track Credits
Side Fukk – The Thrash Desecration
Leave My Soul Alone
JP Brown – Guitars
Ralph “Dr. Fukk” Viera – Vocals
Mario Cianci – Lead guitars
Damian Hormila – Bass
Erick Tapia – Drums
Nuns Have No Fun
JP Brown – Guitars
Ralph “Dr. Fukk” Viera – Vocals
Mario Cianci – Lead guitars
Damian Hormila – Bass
Erick Tapia – Drums
Doomed by the Living Dead
JP Brown – Guitars
Ralph “Dr. Fukk” Viera – Vocals
Paolo Velazquez – Additional vocals
Mario Cianci – Lead guitars
Damian Hormila – Bass
Erick Tapia – Drums
