9 is the seventh studio album by Danish heavy metal band Mercyful Fate. 9 was recorded during February and March 1999 and was released on 15 June 1999 through Metal Blade Records. This album continues the heavier sound that was introduced in their previous album Dead Again, and also marks the continuation of the Satanic and occult-based lyrical themes which were prevalent during the band's first incarnation and were reintroduced on 1994’s Time album, as the primary lyrical focus. 9 was Mercyful Fate's last studio album before their twenty-year hiatus from 1999 to 2019.