Metal Overview: King Diamond (Part 3)

Happy Halloween fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

We’ve had a spooky good time with King Diamond this October, haven’t we? From the classic tales of the 80s at the beginning of the month, all the way to the more chaotic times of the 90s just a few short weeks ago, it’s appropriate that we conclude my look at this amazing storyteller’s work on Halloween day itself. What tales has the king written for us? Are they as well crafted & scary as everything that has come before? Well, let’s not waste anymore time and find out!

House Of God (2000)

It seems that King Diamond just can’t catch a break when it comes to his lineup! After the release of Voodoo 2 years prior, guitarist Herb Simonsen was replaced by Glen Drover. On top of that, Mercyful Fate was put on hold in 1999 after the release of 9, but that did give our spooky leader time to record the next King Diamond album, and after recording & production from February to April of 2000 at Nomad Recording Studio in Carrollton, Texas (Along with their new bassist Paul David Harbour), he finally got his next tale complete. Released on June the 20th of that year, House of God was the 1st release of the 2000s, and it was a doozy! Peaking at no. 60 on the Swedish charts for 1 week, the time after the album’s release was a little rough. Guitarist Glen Drover and drummer John Luke Hebert were replaced by Mike Wead and Matt Thompson respectively, and the new form of King Diamond had taken shape.

As for the story, we got something really unique here. Loosely inspired by the myth of Rennes-le-Château (Take a look here. It’s very interesting if you’ve got the time), we find an unnamed protagonist lost in the woods, surrounded by a pack of wolves ready to kill him. Oddly enough, a she-wolf with blue eyes arrives and scares the others off, and guides him towards a small church away from the woods. Once inside, things change into the most magnificent thing you’ve ever seen, and the she-wolf transforms into a stunning woman by the name of Angel. Our protagonist immediately falls in love with her, and the two spend their days making out all over the holy structure. However, it turns out that there’s a curse upon the church, as their must always be a guardian that watches over the place, and Angel has been trying to find somebody to take her place, or else she will die within a week. Feeling sorry for her, the protagonist signs the pact, and she’s let free at the cost of her memories with him. Time goes by, and he loses him mind due to heartache & isolation, but it’s what underneath the holy structure that changes his mind in ways that are unfathomable. I won’t spoil it, but I will say it’s definitely a twist that’ll make you think.

Best Track? This is another one of those cases where the title track of the album hits it out of the park for me. At this point in the story our protagonist and the wolf reach the church in question, and it’s just an amazing sight for him. Not only that, but we see the transformation of the wolf into Angel, and it contrasts with what he just saw as he entered the holy ground. Storywise aside, there’s some great instrumentation going on in the song. All throughout the tune, we got a combination of guitar & organs playing that’s just a perfect mix, as they blend seamlessly with one another until they’re inseparable. The drums play more of a supplementary role, but they’re not out of the picture in anyway, and King’s vocal performance never goes full-blown falsetto, as it’s maintained at this nice raspy kind of tone. Definitely a slice of metallic heaven!

House Of God

Worst Track? From top to bottom House of God has a wealth of great tracks, and the overall concept of this album is truly special. The only thing I can say bad about this record is that it comes across as a little too clean is terms of sound quality & production. If this is intentional, and means to represent the purity (at least on the surface) of the church in the story, then I think it’s genius! The good news is that if this isn’t the case, this cleanliness really seems to be around in the beginning of the album, so it’s not as bad for some listeners as they might think.

House Of God. Maybe a little too clean in places, but damnit if this isn’t a fun record to start off the 2000s with! If you’re curious about how King Diamond sees god, then you might want to find this release for yourself. Next album!

Abigail II: The Revenge (2002)

If The Graveyard from the 90s was more of a stumble, Abigail II: The Revenge is King Diamond falling flat on his face, and breaking his nose. Released on the 29th of January, 2002, this is a textbook example of an iconic artist making a sequel to a classic piece of material that never needed it in the first place! Despite the return of Hal Patino during the album’s recording process (The 1st album since The Eye from 1990), Abigail II seemed cursed. King Diamond never went on tour for the record due to illegal downloading, and thus Metal Blade didn’t provide any backup. Despite the curse, Abigail II would go on to chart at number 24 in Finland, and number 42 in Sweden.

The story for Abigail II does come across as interesting as first. The year is 1863, 18 years since the events of the original album. We find out that Abigail is still alive, and is the half-sister of O'Brian, who was the leader of the horsemen that were intending to keep her entombed so she wouldn’t return. Thanks to her half-brother’s intervention, she’s still on this Earth for whatever reason. While out in the forest on a walk, a storm causes her to get lost....only for her to find the mansion where it all began. Though the gates are shut tight, she manages to see the spirit of the original Abigail, who unlocks the gate so she can get inside. Once within the manor, she finds Jonathan LaFey still very much alive, but sitting in a wheelchair due to his fall down the stairs. Alongside his bald & imposing servant Brandon Henry, he calls himself the count of the manor, and hasn’t been able to move on from Mirriam’s death. Seeing Abigail as a reincarnation of his wife, and gets her into bed with him and rapes her in an attempt to “Produce an heir”. After that, Abigail decides to seek vengeance, and that’s all I’ll say.

Best Track? There really isn’t any. There are some tunes towards the front that are at least okay at best, but overall there wasn’t a single song that came across as memorable to me. The Wheelchair came close, but even then it let go from my brain. It’s definitely got some rhythm to it, but that about it.

The Wheelchair

Worst Track? Take your pick everybody! I said it above, and I’ll say it again here (And again in a moment): this album was pointless! The original Abigail from 87 was phenomenal, and a horror classic to boot! The initial idea behind this sequel certainly could have worked if it was made with care, but there wasn’t any. This feels like a release that was done just for padding, and the story just feels like it was rushed. I really don’t understand what happened here, but I can say without hesitation that it wasn’t anything good.

Abigail II: The Revenge. A great idea in theory, but horrible in execution. If there was more effort put into everything, then this album could have been great. Instead, it marks the only King Diamond effort to ever be considered truly bad. I don’t recommend Abigail II to anyone but the most hardcore of fans, cause otherwise I suggest that you ignore this release. Luckily, our horror liege knew he made a mistake, and set out to fix what he had done.....and the result is nothing less than a classic!

The Puppet Master (2003)

Holy crap was this a turnaround! After the rather lazy Abigail II: The Revenge from 2002, King Diamond realized that it was not the best work he’s ever done. Fortunately, he knew to correct his mistakes, and just a year later on the 21st of October, 2003, this correction would come in the form of The Puppet Master! For anyone who were turned off by the semi-clean nature of House of God, or vomited by the noise of Abigail II, this album is an exceptionally big breath of fresh air. This album feels much more like his work from the 80s, and maybe a bit of the 90s as well. Though it has modern (At the time at least) production and recording behind it, the vibes that The Puppet Master gives off feel very much like old-school King Diamond.....and I love it!

As for the story, we got something bizarrely seasonal......and emotional. We meet up with the narrator of the album at a nighttime puppet show in Budapest during Christmas. This show is particularly known for both its life-sized, almost "grotesque" puppets, and for the puppet master to somehow be able to make the puppets move without strings during the final act. After the show, he meets a lovely woman by the name of Victoria, and the two hit it off spectacularly. A year later however, his love goes missing, and he sets out to find her. Upon seeing the obese wife of the puppet master doing some rather unscrupulous things, and follows her in hopes of find Victoria. Sadly, he gets jumped by somebody, and is knocked out cold. It’s then revealed to the listener that the puppet master finds people to become new puppets for his show: first he conducts a ritual to take the soul from the narrator, but his eyes are given “eternal life” thanks to an accident during the ritual. Secondly, his eyes are taken out of his body, and placed within a puppet ready to be used for whatever show the puppet master has in mind. This horror is compounded even further when the narrator spots his beloved Victoria sitting on a shelf, and her blue eyes are the dead giveaway to identifying the woman he loves. From there it’s only heartbreak after heartbreak, as the two lovers can do nothing but sit on a shelf, and speak with each other through their eyes. I will not lie when I say that The Puppet Master gets me to cry.....and I bet it will for many of you as well.

Best Track? As per usual, the title track is the best thing on here. Unlike other stories that King Diamond has penned, it’s obvious from the first few notes & lyrics that something wrong almost immediately. Despite being at a Christmas show, there’s this uneasy tension as the song plays. When we finally get to the show itself, the puppets don’t feel warm or inviting, but instead come across as sad somehow. Like their life was taken away and made into something hollow. All things aside, from the drumming, to the guitar work, and to King’s voice.....it’s obvious that this song come in with a lot of subtly & force.

The Puppet Master

Second place would go to So Sad, and it’s a tear jerker! At this point, both King & his love are puppets, and they can only communicate to each other through their eyes. It does come across as a little hokey at the beginning, but after that it’s obvious that this song is anything but. Played almost like a ballad, the emotion coming from King and his puppet paramour is really strong. You can sense the sadness emanating from both voices, yet at the same time their love for one another is still very strong. Not wanting to seen them separated, you started rooting for some kind of hero to come in to their rescue.....even though it probably won’t.

So Sad

Worst Track? Now I know horror doesn’t always have happy/good endings, but this marks one of the terribly few times where I’d want there to be one. King Diamond’s always ended his albums on downers (Or at the very least, neutral/bittersweet-like), and this marks the only time that maybe he should have had a happy ending. The emotion that comes off of this story is equally horrifying, tragic, and bizarrely touch at times. Really tugs at my heart strings if I’m being honest with you.

The Puppet Master. An absolutely chilling and emotional album, it’s sure to get you into the dark or serious side of the Christmas Spirit......and to get you to cry. If there was ever a King Diamond release that surprising, it’s this one.....and I highly recommend it. Next album!

Give Me Your Soul...Please (2007)

With the success of The Puppet Master, King Diamond’s new success seemed to bring a bit of revitalization back into the band after a somewhat rocky start to the 2000s. The anticipation for the next release was high, but something seemed off as a few years passed, with only a compilation & live album released in the meantime to show that he was still around. Then 2007 (June 26th of that year to be exact) came around, and Give Me Your Soul...Please was released. It ultimately ended up being the weakest album of King Diamond’s career: the instrumentation was weak, the vocal work was weak, and the atmosphere & storytelling were weak (more on that in a moment). However, I can’t actually hold it against King. Why?....because of health reasons.

Sometime after The Puppet Master’s release, King’s health began to shake. Shows were shortened or canceled, and touring seemed to come and go at the drops of a hat. All of these issues ultimately came up in 2010, when King Diamond went for a triple bypass surgery on his heart. The operation was an amazing success, and coupled with quitting smoking, his health & singing became better than ever. Beforehand however, his health issues affected his work, and Give Me Your Soul....Please suffered because of this.

As for the story, we got what might be the most simplistic that he’s ever penned. As stated in the Wikipedia article:

“At the beginning, a sister and brother are waiting in the afterlife. The brother is to go to Hell, so the sister decides to find another soul for him so that he can follow her to Heaven ("The Dead"). She takes off to a house in Neverending Hill, where King Diamond lives with his black cat, Magic ("Neverending Hill"). The girl tries to contact him for help but she only manages to haunt him ("Is Anybody Here?", "Black of Night"). As the darkness grows, objects are moving on their own, lights flicker ("Shapes of Black") and the temperature drops to freezing levels ("Cold as Ice"), and haunted by the bodyless ghost with only a head ("The Floating Head"), King uses black magic to contact the girl ("The Cellar", "Pictures in Red"). She reveals that her father chopped up her brother with an axe, splashing her with his blood, then choked her to death before shooting himself in the head. The "Thirteen Judges" mistakenly think that the brother committed suicide, so she needs to find a soul free of sin for him ("Give Me Your Soul"). She wants Diamond's soul but, since she finds him full of sin when she gazes at him, he pleads with her to leave and find another soul before sunrise ("The Girl in the Bloody Dress"). The girl decides to come to "THIS house" (implying a visit at the listener's home) ("Moving On").”

Gonna go for a weird route this time around, a pick a song that’s the best and worst track of the album. As usual, King Diamond always hits it out of the park with a title track, and despite the album’s issues, Give Me Your Soul is pretty good. We’re finally given a glimpse at what ended the life of the little girl that torments King, and it’s pretty sad. Not only that, but you find out why her brother suffers as well, and it generates a lot of sympathy from the listener. The guitar work is nice, as well as the drumming, but this song does coax out a little more force from King’s voice. He still doesn’t go full-blown falsetto, but he does seem to raise the volume a little more when he can.

Give Me Your Soul

So what makes this tune the worst at the same time? Well, it all comes down to timing. Give Me Your Soul was the first single for the album, and it came out one day......after the infamous Chris Benoit murder suicide. If any of you are even casual fans of wrestling, you’ll know that this act single handedly erased the career of one of the most iconic wrestlers, and probably accelerated WWE’s move to PG, where the company has stayed to this very day. Regardless, given the subject matter of the song and what happened in the murder-suicide, it’s a pretty eerie coincidence.

Give Me Your Soul....Please. If I’m being honest, it’s not a bad album. It’s got some fun points, and everybody seems to be having fun. However, the lack of strength in King’s voice just seems to weigh everything down, and this makes this the weakest album of the band’s career. It’s not an album I highly recommend, but it can be enjoyed if you’re not in the mood for anything that came before it.

And that was my final look at King Diamond everybody! The 2000s were certainly an interesting time for the king, and fortunately for us & him, he still walks among us in this realm. Not only that, but with The Institute coming sometime in 2020, we can feel his spooky presence once again. With that being said, I hope that my look at this horror genius was to your liking, and November has a few things in store as well....so see you all tomorrow!


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If you’re curious about listening to these albums, click on the links below:

House of God

Abigail II: The Revenge

The Puppet Master

Give Me Your Soul.....Please

My Top 5 Practical Anime Of All Time

Hey fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

I think it’s a safe bet to say that for a massive horde of you (Myself included), anime is a form of entertainment that let’s us relax and turn our brains off for a little bit. For a small amount of time, we can enjoy some peace & quiet in some of our favorite animated worlds, and not have to worry about the drudgery that is the real world. However, there are always a few shows out there that bring something a little more intellectual to the table. Though they still have an entertainment factor to them, they also have something for the brain as well. Something that’ll give you some.....real world information and knowledge? As silly as this sounds, I know of 5 shows that embody this mix of entertaining & educating, and they’re series you should seek out! So with that out of the way, here are what I consider to be the top 5 practical anime of all time. Let’s begin.

5) Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma (Opening)

If this manga didn’t go on as long as it did, and if maybe they aired the show a little more closely, I may have put this up a tiny bit higher on the list. Even with that said, this is one of the most surprising anime on here! Though there are plenty of typical Shonen tropes here, and there have been other shows with cooking elements, Shokugeki no Soma is the first show I’ve watched where it incorporates real world cooking techniques and dishes. Sure, the cooking is over the top in many points in an episode, but they all come back to something we’ve possibly eaten. The cooking on the show is popular enough that there’s actually a cookbook for it out there, but as far as I know it’s never been released in the west. Still, I find it fascinating that A Shonen show can simultaneously teach you how to cook, while at the same time keep a viewer entertained and smiling. That’s always a good thing in my book!

4) Laid-Back Camp (Opening)

And here we come to a rather bizarre anime. On the surface, it plays along like a typical Moe anime. The cast is composed of cute schoolgirls who do things together, all the while being happy & bubbly. However, that would be doing the show something of a disservice, as there’s actually a little more going on with Laid-Back Camp. This show is one of two things: it teaches you about camping & the proper usage of camping equipment, and it’s a show that’s genuinely relaxing. It doesn’t go too deep into the various aspects of camping, but you learn little tidbits here and there. The real strength of Laid-Back Camp is in how easy it is to watch, and how it subtly tells you to take it easy once in a while. Not only that, but there’s a real charm with the setting & characters that’s incredibly endearing, and because of that I highly suggest you watch this show!

3) Oshiete! Galko-Chan (Opening)

Another show that comes across as odd, only this time it’s a bit more female-centric. Running from January to March of 2016, this 12-episode series (Along with an OVA) asks some of life’s most interesting questions. Things like “Is it true that people with big boobs have big areolas, as well?” and “Is it true that virgins use pads and non-virgins use tampons?”. Again, the premise is female-centric, but every once in a while something concerning guys crops up. However, the biggest thing about Oshiete! Galko-Chan is just how much it defies expectations & stereotypes. Galko for example looks like just about every other Gyaru schoolgirl, but actually get embarrassed by sexual things, dresses up in Gyaru clothes & dyes her hair/tans her skin in tribute to her sister, and her biggest dream is to actually be a mom. The whole entire main cast defies expectation & stereotypes, and that’s what makes this show so good! It has you throw aside stereotypes constantly, and it makes you think about how you interact with others. I’d say Monster Musume does something similar, but it’s focused on nowhere near as much as what goes on here. Regardless, Oshiete! Galko-Chan is a wonderful time! It may be more for girls/women, but it can be enjoyed by anybody. Speaking of enjoyed by everybody.....

2) My Hero Academia (Opening)

Confession time: I’ve only ever watched season 1, and even then only the first 8 episodes. Still, I had to put this ode to superheroes on the list, and for good reasons. First, this game remarkably teaches the viewer Japanese.....through the use of Puns! I’m not kidding, as many of the names that the various characters have are all based around puns. For example, Bakugo’s family name translated from it’s kanji means “Big Explosion”, while Deku’s (A name that’s also a pun, as it sounds like the Japanese word for “You Can Do It!”) given name is “To come out a long time”. That’s pretty neat, but it’s the moral implications that makes this show so neat.

Make no mistake: My Hero Academia, regardless of the season you’re watching, is typical Shonen. Just about every trope you can think of about the genre is here, and it’s not shy about showing them. Yet.....I believe that’s a good thing. There’s the standard trope of taking risks to advance one’s self & receive a greater reward, but there’s also displays of inequality, moral ambiguity/greyness (Which is done really well most of the time throughout the series), and there also emphasis on community without the neglect of the individual. Not only that, but My Hero Academia may very well be one of the most optomisitc anime out there. In a bizarre way, the show reminds me a lot of Overwatch: it knows when to be dark, grim, and serious, yet a far amount of the time is bright, cheery, and genuinely happy. With the world going to hell as badly as it is, maybe a bright Shonen show like My Hero Academia can give us hope in these bleak times. Maybe.....it can keep us safe. In any case, I highly suggest you seek this show out, and give it a watch.

Now, I was considering putting My Hero Academia right at no. 1 spot on this list. It’s mix of emotions, not to mention the atmosphere & spin on superheroes and supervillains, really tugged at my heartstrings somehow. However, there was one show that managed to barely squeak past this behemoth.....and it came out just a few months ago. 

1) How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift? (Opening)

Another confession: I’m not finished watching this show....but, I am near the end of it. However, that won’t stop me from talking about the most practical anime ever made. First things first: I love every....single....character! The main cast is delightful, the secondary cast is great, and even the background characters have a charm to them. The “Bad Guys” are really just two bumbling dorks trying to get away with some new scheme, but they try so hard it’s kind of endearing. This love of the character’s lasts pretty much throughout the entire anime & manga, and that’s incredible if you ask me!

The next thing that makes this show so practical is that it teaches you real-world exercising techniques, and ways to take care of yourself! Every time there’s a food item on screen, you see it’s calorie count appear right next to it. It’s a clever way to show how healthy/unhealthy the things we eat are, and it doesn’t shove it into your face. Not only that, but all of the various exercises (With or without equipment) show off which muscles are worked on, and there’s even a few do’s and don’ts related to exercise & health. On top of that, but everything is explained clearly to anybody who may not know about this kind of self-help, and it never feels like you’re being talked down to. Really cool if you ask me, and a great show to boot!

And those were my top 5 practical anime of all time. Simultaneously entertaining & informative, these shows should help you learn something new if you let them. Well, with that out of the way Halloween is soon closing upon us, and I’ve got one last look at King Diamond in the works. So see you all on Halloween Day, when we’ll examine his output.....in the 2000s.


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If you’re curious about where I got the MHA info from, check these videos out:

My Hero Academia Teaches Japanese With PUNS! - Gaijin Goombah

My Hero Academia's Greatest Lesson! (feat. Joey the Anime Man)

Metal Overview: King Diamond (Part 2)

Welcome to part 2 of my look at King Diamond fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

At the beginning of the month, we say the king of horror metal establish his domain in the 1980s. Him along with his other servants crafted 4 of the finest metal releases in that time, and said records would become legendary. However, it was now the 1990s, and it was a new time for Heavy Metal. Would the king be able to keep hold over what goes bump in the night, and still be a force of scares? Well, take a look below to find out!

The Eye (1990)

Contrary to what plenty of elitists might say, Heavy Metal didn’t die in the 90s. It didn’t just magically disappear, and Grunge didn’t “kill” the genre (Read here for a rant I did earlier this year). Yes, Heavy Metal did lose some popularity, but it never went away, and neither did King Diamond. The vacuum left after the departure of Mickey Dee left kind of a permanent mark upon the band, but they never became a bad band. Far from it in fact! Upon acquiring the services of Snowy Shaw a year prior during their tour in the U.S., they made their way to  Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen, Denmark to conjure upon the arcane forces, and on the 30th of October 1990, The Eye was released. Sadly King Diamond wouldn’t tour for this album, as while it managed to get onto the Billboard 200, it only charted at no. 179, and the label wouldn’t give them any support for it.

Storywise, The Eye presents itself differently when compared to King Diamond’s prior 4 releases. Instead of ghost stories told by a narrator, we’re instead treated to a piece of historical fiction set around the bloodthirsty era of the French Inquisition. Centered around actual events during this time, we as a listener are shown these events through the lens of a magical amulet known as The Eye. The artifact grants incredible power, but if you stare into it too long it’ll microwave your mind in a matter of seconds. It’s a considerably more ambitious undertaker when compared to the material from the 80s, yet it succeeds quite easily, and because of that makes it one of the king’s most entertaining albums of the 90s.

Best Track? Eye Of The Witch! From the opening keyboard & guitar notes, you’re in for a rather different experience than anything from the band’s output in the 80s. You’re somehow enchanted by the instrumentation once the drums kick in, and you feel some kind of eldritch force once King begins singing. It’s an absolute blast from beginning to end, and if you skip it you’re insane!

Eye Of The Witch

Worst Track? Personally, there isn’t a single thing wrong with The Eye. Despite the fact that the drum work was done on drum pads rather than actual drums (Even that fact doesn’t cause issues for me. This aspect would only be pointed out by exceptionally picky listeners.), the storytelling is still top notch, the vocal work is equally fantastic, and the instrumentation is chilling to the bone. Definitely an album to listen to during this month!

The Eye. To date one of the most intriguing King Diamond albums ever released, and perhaps the most hypnotic as well. If you like your dark fantasy mixed in with some equally dark real world history, then you’ll like this record. Next album!

The Spider’s Lullabye (1995)

The period following the Eye was rife with issues. Snowy Shaw left the band, and Hal Patino and Pete Blakk were replaced by Sharlee D'Angelo and Mike Wead respectively. Yet this lineup didn’t record anything, as King Diamond reunited with Mercyful Fate in 1993 thanks to a cease of hostilities, and would balance between both Fate and King Diamond (The Band). His eponymous band would be composed of guitarists Andy La Rocque & Herb Simonsen, bassist Chris Estes, and drummer Darrin Anthony, who previously was in the Texas metal band Mindstorm. Once the new crew was gathered together, they went to the recording studio from September through October 1994 to crank out their sixth album, and on June the 6th, 1995, The Spider’s Lullabye was released.

The story this time around is considerably more simple (More on that in a moment). We’re introduced to a recluse named Harry, who’s massively afraid of spiders. Upon answering an ad to the newspaper, he travels to a hospital that has the ability to cure all kinds of phobias, where an he meets the kindly Dr. Eastmann. At first it seems like things might go well for Harry, but this “Treatment” turns out to be a session of torture, as the Dr’s assistant Nurse Needle Dear (Yes....that’s her name) unleashes a wolf spider on him. The next day, Harry complains of an odd feeling on his neck, along with spider bits & intense pain. Eastmann dismisses the complaints, but little does he know that the coming night will be quite interesting.

Best Track? To The Morgue has got to have the most sinister guitar work out of everything on The Spider’s Lullabye. From the slower paced stringwork during the chorus, to the more wilder parts, it easily complements the thunderous drumwork, and King’s vocal work goes between his patented wraith-like falsetto and more downbeat yet sinister tones with ease. Not only that, but it manages to conclude the miniature story on this album nicely, as the spiders decide to pull the strings at the hospital. I can’t spoil what happens, but suffice it to say it’s not a surprise if you’ve payed attention to the webbed tale.

To The Morgue

Worst Track? At the end of the day, The Spider’s Lullabye is just a 90s equivalent of Fatal Portrait from the decade before. Better production & better sound quality, but it doesn’t have the cohesiveness of storytelling as much as the prior 4 albums. If anything, the storytelling is slightly weaker on this album, as there are only 4 songs to tell the story instead of 5, and they’re the last tracks of the album. This results in a tale that’s not quite as impactful as Fatal Portrait......or the stories of the last 4 releases for that matter.

The Spider’s Lullabye. By no means a bad album, but a step backwards in terms of a solid story across an entire album. Still it’s one that you should seek out, and is a mild favorite of mine. However, odd times were coming to the kingdom, and King Diamond would move in a direction few people would ever expect. Next album!

The Graveyard (1996)

So here we reach the only real stumble of King Diamond’s career, and it goes by the name of The Graveyard. Released on September the 30th, 1996, the album came out amid bizarre times. Like I said earlier, and in other posts prior to this one, Heavy Metal never truly went away. It may have lessened in terms of popularity, but if anything it somehow blossomed in terms of variety. However, the one thing that Heavy Metal did suffer from in the 90s was a changing of the guard. Some classic bands changed what made them so great a decade prior to a considerably more commercial ouput, while others weren’t able to survive the musical onslaught of the 1990s. Luckily, King Diamond never truly went down the sellout path.....but he did step onto it with a single foot. A year or so prior to the release of this record, they were opening for Metallica. Let me repeat....they were opening for Metallica! Hetfield and the gang weren’t in full sellout mode by the mid 90s, but the sellout bush was beginning to show a blossom or two, and to see a band like the caliber of King Diamond open for them is a crime. Whether because of the experience with Metallica or because they want to adapt for a wider audience, King & the band created The Graveyard with appeal for a bigger audience.

Ironically, this change actually kind of helped The Graveyard. It would go on to be one of the most successful King Diamond albums to date at that time, peaking at #23 in the Finnish Charts and remaining for two weeks in the Top 40 chart. Sadly it would be the last album that Darrin Anthony would be on, as after The Graveyard’s release he left the band due to a car accident. His replacement would come in the form of Chastain drummer John Luke Hebert, and without spoiling anything.....he’s a nice addition.

Storywise, we find that King is once again a character in the tale. Taking on the role of an employee for crooked and immoral Mayor McKenzie, King one night walks in on the mayor diddling his kid! A daughter no less who goes by the name of Lucy. King doesn’t stay quiet about this, and thanks to the machinations of the mayor is locked up in Black Hill Sanitarium. Years go by, and King is a shell of his former self, gone mad & hellbent on revenge against McKenzie. One night he manages to escape the sanitarium after strangling his nurse, and hides inside a graveyard to avoid the cops. While hiding in the graveyard, King kills anybody who happens to travel through it at night, and not long after comes across an urban legend. The legend states that if you die in the graveyard & lose your head, your soul is trapped within it forever, and this gives King an idea on how to exact his revenge. So he manages to capture Lucy, and calls the mayor to the graveyard for a perverse game. Before the mayor are seven graves with identical gravestones that each say “Lucy Forever”, and while blindfolded has 3 guesses as to which one holds his daughter (Who by the way was still alive as she was buried). Will our..... “hero” succeed in saving his kid, or will King receive the revenge he deserves? The answer may surprise you.

Best Track? Digging Graves is just an absolutely sinister song, but it’s also my favorite at the same time. By this point in the story, King has Lucy with him at the graveyard, and is beginning the process of setting up his little game for McKenzie. There’s a weird king of tragedy in this tune, as you can tell that he doesn’t want to harm Lucy, and Lucy saw him as a friend of sorts before his incarceration, but King’s hunger for revenge overrides the concepts of right and wrong, and in a sense he doesn’t care about the girl’s life. Putting the story aside, the band create a really eerie atmosphere with the instrumentation, and King’s voice is a little more subdued, yet still retains his patented sinister feel. Definitely a song to not skip!

Digging Graves

Worst Track? Really the biggest issue of The Graveyard is it’s style. Compared to pretty much everything beforehand, this album has a considerably more commercial feel to it. Note: I didn’t say the album was a play for more mainstream success. King Diamond has, had, and will never be a sellout, but this is the only time that he & the band ever made a record that was more easily accessible by the public. On top of that, the album isn’t as supernatural as everything before. There’s still some spooky aspects no question, but it doesn’t rely on them as much as what came before it. King Diamond in interviews prior to the album’s release that this album was more socially minded, as it talks about pedophilia & how sometimes the perpetrators get away with it (May have spoiled the ending with that). However, despite all of this.....

I actually recommend The Graveyard! It may be a little more geared towards radio play and it might not be as scary as prior releases, but it’s this ease of access that makes this record a great place to start for some potential King Diamond fans. Even veteran fans who want something easier to listen to might like this album if they’ve never listened to it, and while it not a massive favorite of mine, it’s certainly one of the king’s more interesting releases of the 90s. However, for some of the King Diamond faithful The Graveyard was seen as a step backwards, but like any smart king who may have screwed up a little, he knew how to correct himself when his subjects were watching.....so let’s take a trip to Louisiana to see what he did!

Voodoo (1998)

With the release of The Graveyard, King Diamond did a bit of backpedding in terms of his patented spooky feel. It’s easier accessability & reduced scare factor turned many fans off, and guitarist Herb Simonsen (Who would be replaced by Glen Drover) and bassist Chris Estes left the band afterwards. However, the acquisition of drummer John Luke Hebert proved to be an incredible addition to the band, as he & Andy LaRocque were the dominant forces on the cryptic record (Instrumentationally of course) by the name.....of Voodoo! Released on February the 24th of 1998, this album is something of a spiritual successor to Abigail (Ironic, given what’s to come): we return to a haunted manor, innocent people are involved, and there are some genuine scares involved. Not only that, but by this point King Diamond was comfortable with his schedule of Mercyful Fate one year and his own band the next, and it shows on Voodoo. It was also a pretty big success in Finland, as it managed to peak at no. 27 for 4 weeks.

As for the tale before us, we got ourselves an interesting setup. It’s 1932, and the Lafayettes have just moved into a colonial manor on the Mississippi, north of Baton Rouge. The family is composed of David, his pregnant wive Sarah, and Grandpa (Presumably David’s). On the property of the manor happens to be the site of a voodoo graveyard, and the noises coming from it at night worry the Lafayettes. They have a meeting to discuss what they should do, but unknown to them their house servant, Salem, is a practitioner of the craft, and is afraid at what they might do. So he consults spirits of the Loa (Including Baron Samedi) to find out what he must do, and the answer is quite clear.....kill the Lafayettes. Thus, Salem is sent on his want to accomplish this goal, and the results are.....interesting to say the least.

Best Track? One Down, Two To Go has got to be one of, if not the most hypnotic tracks on Voodoo. It starts out rather dreamy, and King Diamond’s voice is equally as dreamy & soft. Once that beginning period is done, it immediately goes into an incantation of screeching guitars and almost tribal-like drum work, yet it never lets the listener go as it’s somehow still captivating to the mind. King’s voice is particularly interesting to me in this song, as he occupies a bizarre middle ground. He does have his patented screech and softer parts, but it’s when he straddles the line that I find fascinating. Simply the best track of the album!

One Down, Two To Go                               

Worst Track? Trying to pick a bad song on Voodoo is like trying to pick a bad Lindt truffle or chocolate bar. There’s nothing bad on this album at all, and it’s a crime against the bayou and the Loa to even remotely suggest that there’s a bad song on here! Even the shorter tracks have so much atmosphere to them, it’s sad that some people might not like them.

Voodoo. An eerie King Diamond album if there ever was one. It’s unique story ranks it up there with The Eye as the two dominant releases of the 1990s. If you like your horror metal more in the southern mysticism realm, then Voodoo is for you. Massively recommended!

And that was part 2 of my look at King Diamond. A considerably more up-in-the-air time for the band, but a period that gave us some of the most interesting releases in the horror master’s discography. Well, part 3 will be coming at the end of the month, but beforehand I think something fun & lighthearted might be in order. See you soon!


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If you’re curious about listening to these albums, click on the links below:

The Eye

The Spider’s Lullabye

The Graveyard
 
Voodoo

The Top 5 Greatest Anime Chests (For Breast Cancer Awareness) No. 3

It’s time for my annual tradition where I observe some of the best chests for breast cancer awareness month, fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

This year’s list is gonna be a little different. I confess that in prior lists I may have been a little ridiculous with my choices, but this time around I’m going for a hint of reality with my choices. Make no mistake: eventually I’m going to get somewhat over the top with a couple of the ladies on this list. At least in the beginning however, I’ll be a little more restrained with the ample bosom’s I’m examining, and starting things off.....

5) Midnight - My Hero Academia

I’ll be talking about this series a little later on this month, so I won’t say too much here. I will say that when My Hero Academia decides to do fan service, it pulls it off really well! Though I was tempted to put the behemoth that is Mt. Lady here, I’m actually gonna go for the more reserved R Rated Hero herself, Midnight. It’s ironic that I say reserved, because she was far more wild & risque in her youth, but that doesn’t stop her from showing off her body in her uniform that’s basically like a second skin. Sticking to her as tight as a needle in a vein, it shows off the goods admirably, and her chest is quite nice. Not over the top in terms of size, but by now nicely shaped they are.

4) Kurumu Kurono - Rosario + Vampire

I’ve talked about this series a while ago, and I’ll state it again here: the manga is 10 times better than the show (Despite the show getting me a dear friend). That being said, the one thing that doesn’t change between the show & the comic is the second girl that the main character meets, Kurumu. A highly buxom succubus, she knows that she’s got good looks, and isn’t afraid to use them. Whether it’s through trickery or less subtle methods, she’ll use every part of her to get what she wants. As a succubus, it’s not surprising that her breasts are larger than some. Still not within range of “Oh dear god your back!”, but definitely a bit heftier than normal.

3) Yoko Littner - Gurren Lagann

Okay, now we’re getting a little crazy!

When we first encounter her at the beginning of the series, we find out that she’s 14 years old.....bullcrap she’s 14! As creepy as this may sound, she’s got the body of someone in her late teens rather than early/mid teens. As she gets older her body & her age becomes far more believable than before, and her figure seems humble in a bizarre way. But when she’s 14? Let’s slap some H-cup boobs on her! Now make no mistake: I love me a chest that a bit on the big side. Some of my favorite female characters in anime are quite gifted in the breast department, but Yoko (Despite me liking her character) is for the lowest common denominator......and I’m sometimes part of that group. Don’t judge!

2) Rachnera Arachnera - Monster Musume

You know, for a while I had considered putting this curvaceous woman at the no. 1 spot, and for an equal amount of time she was number 1. After some research, I  managed to find somebody bigger that this H-cup hottie, but that won’t stop me from taking about a character that surprises me to this day. Despite oozing an immense amount of sexuality, Rachnera Arachnera also has an immense amount of smarts to complement her looks with. Despite being a little bit of a hypocrite, and maybe too much into bondage, there’s something alluring about this eight-legged woman that I can’t put my finger on. Hmmmm.....

1) Miharu Sena Kanaka - Girls Bravo

She's on the right.

Let me start with the following: Girls Bravo is a trash anime! Now, I love the unholy hell out of this show. The premise is dumb, the story is dumb, the characters are dumb (Despite most of them being genuinely charming), fan service is rather constant (......even though I like constant fan service in some cases), and overall everything is downright brainless. However, I think Girls Bravo knows it’s stupid, and just rolls with it. Case in point is the girl we’re immediately introduced to in the 1st episode, Miharu. Now, she is quite possibly the sweetest character in all of the show. Despite knowing next to nothing about how things on Earth work, and being rather innocent & oblivious, her heart is very warm and kind. Of course, that could be due to her M-cup breasts....in fact, that might be the reason why. Even so, this pink-haired cutie earns the number 1 spot this year ahead of the blackened weaver above her.....but only just.

And those were my top 5 anime chests for Breast Cancer awareness, version 3. Again, I added a hit of realism this time around, but of course that all dissolved away into things big & bouncy. Well, I got more King Diamond for all of you, so see me in a few days for that!


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If you like to see who I talked about last year, click on the link below & enjoy:

The Top 5 Greatest Anime Chests (For Breast Cancer Awareness) No. 2

Metal Overview: King Diamond (Part 1)

Happy first of October fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

It’s that time of year once again. The air gets a little colder, the leaves are falling, the spirits are bolder, and our thoughts turn to sweets & frights. We’re breaking out the costumes, getting our some scary anime and/or video games, and playing some Heavy Metal that’s perfect for this month. Last year I challenged myself by taking a look at the career of Portugal’s pride & joy, Moonspell. It was a lot of fun, but for 2019 I wanted to challenge myself. I wanted to cover somebody that might very well embody October & Halloween, and everything in between. The individual in question I chose (Along with a friend of mine) was none other than Kim Bendix Petersen, but you all know him by his stage name......King Diamond.

That’s right, King Diamond! I made a mention of him back in my 2nd edition of my favorite singers & bands list (Which you can read here), but that little blurb wouldn’t have done this man justice. Since the early 80s, this man brought his wraith-like presence to Mercyful Fate, but when things went south, he left the group to pursue a campaign of conquest in the realm of horror on his own terms, and from 86 onward would come to craft some of the most spine-chilling tales ever made for Heavy Metal. However, to cover the stories penned by this king in a single post would go against his wishes, and thus I’ll be talking about his tales over the entire month. With that out of the way, let’s get into part 1 of my look at King Diamond....and be sure to have the lights on while you read!

Fatal Portrait (1986)

With Mercyful Fate cranking out 2 great releases in the early 80s, it seemed that the band was poised for greatness. Sadly, after said releases came out, the band unraveled due to King Diamond & Hank Shermann having a falling out due to creative differences (Hank wanted to take MF in a more commercial route, and King wouldn’t have any of it). In response, King took guitarist Michael Denner and bassist Timi Hansen with him as he left, later acquiring the services of guitarist Andy LaRocque and drumming icon Mickey Dee. Once getting the new band members, they decided that “King Diamond” should be the new name of the group, as it was already an established name & it would make getting record deals easier.

In July of 1985, Diamond and Co. began recording their debut album at Sound Track Studio in Copenhagen, Denmark. On 25 December in the same year, they released their debut single "No Presents for Christmas", and on the 17th of February 1986, through Roadrunner Records, released their first record, Fatal Portrait. The album would go onto number 33 on the Swedish album chart, and the single for the album (Halloween) would be released on June the 6th of that year.

Best Track? The Candle has gotta have one of the goofiest yet highly atmospheric & badass openings on Fatal Portrait. For about a minute & 30 seconds, the buildup comes across like something you’d hear in a black-and-white horror movie, yet the sinister tones throughout it gives you the impression that it’s not joking around. Once the buildup stops, you’re treated to a sonic barrage ghostly guitar & drumwork, not to mention King’s patented usage of falsetto when he sings. It might seem silly for a moment, but The Candle gets serious when it needs to.

The Candle

This also leads into the biggest aspect of Fatal Portrait, and that’s the storytelling. Among the first 4 tracks and the final one, we’re treated to a rather grim ghost story. The narrator of the album sees a face in "every candle that he burns". This face speaks one word to him: "Jonah". So he finds an old book, speaks a rhyme from within the tome, and frees the spirit from the candle. It's the spirit of a little girl named Molly, who tells him that seven years before, Mrs. Jane (Her Mother) kept her 4-year-old daughter Molly in the attic until she died of starvation. Before, Mrs. Jane painted a portrait of her daughter and put it above the fireplace, so that Molly would become immortal; however, Molly made the portrait speak to her mom, so that Jane would know about Molly's pain. Mrs. Jane then speaks a rhyme and burns the portrait. A free spirit of Molly returns to haunt her until she goes insane. Pretty dark stuff, yet it’s somehow fun at the same time.

Worst Track? Really the only issue with Fatal Portrait is that the concept behind it doesn’t extend to all of the songs. The story fits perfectly within the 5 tracks it’s allotted (And works well), but every other song just grazes the frightening tale. I can’t hold it against King however, as I’d have to guess that he didn’t make a full-blown story because he had just left Mercyful Fate 2 years beforehand, and was probably getting used to making material on his own.

Fatal Portrait. A fantastic way to start a career, and was proof that not only could King Diamond be great while in a band, but was just as good in a solo career.

Abigail (1987)

Fatal Portrait proved that King Diamond was just as fantastic on his own, as he was inside Mercyful Fate. Sadly, it didn’t quite grasp the story concept behind it. Enter the classic known as Abigail. Released on June the 15th, 1987, Abigail is what happens when you take the prior release and refine every aspect that didn’t quite work. Not only that, but some new components of existing elements were added (Instrumentation, vocal work, production, etc), most especially a massively improved story. Let me set the scene......

It’s the summer of 1845. Miriam Natias and Jonathan La'Fey have just inherited a mansion from the previous owner. It seems that said mansion must have issues, as a group of seven horsemen ride up to him & state that if he & his wife stay, then “18 will become 9”. Not heeding the cryptic warning, Jonathan & Miriam stick it out.....but things take a turn for the spectral. On their first night, Jonathan happens to meet with the ghost of the manor, Count de La'Fey. Finding out that he’s related to the Count, the specter tells him the sordid tale of what happened years before. On the 7th of July, 1777, the Count finds out that his wife cheated on him, and was carrying his bastard child. In a fit of rage, his pushes his wife down the stairs, killing her after her neck breaks, and the child becomes stillborn. He cremates his wife, and for whatever reason mummifies the fetus & places it in a sarcophagus to preserve it. The count then tells Jonathan that Abigail is trying to comeback through Miriam, and that he must kill his wife in order for the vengeful spirit to not come back. I won’t say anything else, but suffice it to say that this record’s story is considerably more meaty than that of Fatal Portrait.

Abigail would go on to have quite the legacy. In addition to selling over 175,000 copies in North America alone, Beavis and Butt-head watched The Family Ghost music video on the episode Bungholio: Lord of the Harvest, and Capcom would pay tribute to the album in their game Final Fight, as they named the (male) boss of its 5th stage as Abigail. In a rather touching moment, King Diamond would pay tribute to his father in the liner notes of the album, say that he was "the bravest and noblest man" he ever knew. Actually gets me to tear up a little.

Best Track? Bit of a tie between the haunting Omens, and the title track. The former I like because of a nice little bit of organ playing around the middle (Even though everything else is awesome), and at that point in the story things are really hitting the fan. As for Abigail the song, things are even worse in the story. With the spirit of Abigail now in control of his love, Jonathan confronts the spectral fetus in an effort to get it out of his beloved. I can’t spoil anything more than I have, but suffice it to say you might not look at parenthood the same way ever again after listening to this.

Omens

Abigail

Apart from that, what really makes Abigail so good is the storytelling. There was more certainly a story on Fatal Portrait and it was well done, but it was only contained within 5 tracks. Here? Every single track helps out the story, and nothing goes to waste. Not only that, but Abigail is horror I actually like! Sure things get dark & spooky, but King Diamond seems to be having fun telling the story at the same time, so there’s a perfect balance between both sides. This feeling would transfer to just about every other record the band makes, and this get the group my respect.

Worst Track? Rarely am I ever going to say anything bad about King Diamond. All throughout my look at this band, I’m pretty much going to do nothing but praise these guys. In the case of Abigail, I dare any of you to find something bad on this album. From top to bottom this is a well-crafted record, filled with great storytelling, vocal work that’s spine-chilling, instrumentation that’s well done, and the atmosphere is just wonderful.

Abigail. One of the creepiest horror stories that I enjoy, and a fantastic metal release as well! If you didn’t like the lack of storytelling on Fatal Portrait, then you’ll absolutely love this record. However, despite being another feather in the king’s cap, it didn’t mean that Abigail would be a tyrant of the 80s. Like any wise ruler, it was more that happy to share power of the kingdom with other like minded individuals, and with the next 2 albums to come......it was in very good company. Next!

Them (1988)

Abigail was a phenomenal release. Not only was the storytelling a massive step up from Fatal Portrait, but the musical craftsmanship was of staggeringly good quality. Sadly, guitarist Mike Moon and bassist Timi Hansen would leave the band, but luckily replacements came soon in the form of Pete Blakk and Hal Patino respectively. At the sametime, a lawsuit from Gene Simmons of KISS fame was delivered to the band (Presumably because of how much of a dick he was). Luckily, the arrival of Them would silence the critics of the new bandmates and Mr. Simmons. Released on July the 18th in Europe, July the 21st in Japan, and September 13th 1998, Them is the musical & lyrical evolution of King Diamond’s previous two albums. Deeper atmosphere, meatier storytelling, haunting instrumentation, and vocal work from a wraith of a singer. Them would go on to sell in North America alone, which is pretty impressive if you ask me.

This time around King isn’t the narrator, as he’s now a full-fledged character. Playing the role of a young man, he and the rest of his family (His Mother & his sister Missy) are welcoming back their elderly grandmother to their manor home after she spent time in an asylum. All seems fine at first, but things begin to go downhill as soon as granny is living with them again. All of a sudden spectral voices known only to King as “Them” are speaking to everybody, influencing them to listen to dear old Grandma, who speaks to her grandson about the “House of Amon”, which just so happens to apparently be where they live. The only one not affected by “Them” & granny is Missy, who suffers a tragic fate for defying her elderly relative. I can’t say anymore, as it would ruin the rest of the story. That being said this is King Diamond, so you might have a clue as to what happens next.

Best Track? Welcome Home immediately pulls you into the world of Them. Granny is back home, the family is getting things ready, and King is the first one to greet his elderly relative. Though it should be a happy reunion, it’s obvious from the first few notes & vocal work.....that this reunification isn’t exactly a pleasant one. Regardless of it’s atmosphere, Welcome Home is a great song musically as well. The drum work is just solid, the guitar work is simultaneously haunting & thunderous, and King Diamond’s vocal work is fantastic.

Welcome Home

A nice 2nd place track is the ode to granny’s favorite drink, Tea. At this point in the story, King’s Grandmother is now beginning to enact her plan, and all she has to do is bring the rest of the family into it. King’s Mother is the first to be affected, and then King himself. As the song plays, there’s this hypnotic-like feeling as you listen to it. It’s infused in the instrumentation, the vocal work, etc. It does come across as a little hokey at first, but a few seconds in, it’s obvious that this Granny’s evil plan is no joke.

Tea

And the other thing I like about Them is the sense of mystery it has. Though we’re given the fact that King’s Grandmother isn’t on the up & up, and we’re told that Amon might be more than just the mansion, you never actually find out what “Them” are. Are they spirits that followed Amon to serve him, vengeful spirits that desire to see King & his family suffer, bloodthirsty demons, or maybe even spirits from the cosmos? You never really know, and I think that’s kind of what makes Them so good. That, and the craftsmanship of course.

Worst Track? As with Abigail, there’s not a single bad thing on Them. Though there are 3 tracks in the one minute range (4 on the remastered edition), they add to the atmosphere the album has, and I found myself for whatever reason not being able to skip past those tunes. Almost as if.....“Them” were trying to visit me and telling me to stay. Uh oh.

Them. Absolutely disturbing and tragic, yet there’s a bizarre fun factor that keeps a listener engaged with the album until the end. Out of everything that King Diamond released in the 1980s, this record might be the one I recommend to anyone the most (Apart from Abigail). I say might, because this woeful tale doesn’t actually end here. In fact......

Conspiracy (1989)

Upon completion of the tour for Them, drummer Mickey Dee would leave King Diamond, with the main reason being that he felt that it was slowly becoming more about the king, alongside becoming less and less happy with what he was doing. Dee would go on to have a brief stint in Hair Metal icons Dokken (Don Dokken to be more specific), and shortly after that would eventually find his resting place in the bosom of the titans known as Motörhead, yet King Diamond never did forget his former bandmate, and when the time came to make the followup to Them, he knew to call him up. So, after some time recording at Rumbo Recording Studios in Canoga Park, California (The 1st time recording in the US to be exact), King Diamond would put out Conspiracy. Released on August the 21st, 1989, the record would go on to chart at number 41 on the Swedish album chart, number 64 on the Dutch album chart, and at number 111 on the Billboard 200. Pretty impressive stats if you ask me!

Storywise, we find ourselves sometimes after the events of Them. King reprises his previous role, albeit much older. He’s returned to his former home to reclaim what is his. However, he still has unanswered questions about his sister's death, his mother's involvement with his diabolical therapist, and his own madness. Trudging on despite the roadblocks set before him, he attempts to solve this problem. Help comes in the unlikely form of the spectral inhabitants of the house.....Them! Upon reaching a deal to reunite King with someone important from his past (You might know who) in return for getting the house back. However, his Mother and his therapist have their own plans in motion, and it’s clear that both sides will go head to head eventually.

Best Track? Bit of a tougher one to pick this time around. Conspiracy has such a good collection of songs, it’s hard to pick which one is the best. If I had to pick my favorite track, I’d have to go with The Wedding Dream. Though I do think it’s a little hokey with the wedding music played on organs at the beginning, at the same time it adds to the atmosphere nicely. By this point, King’s character is having visions of what may happen to his mother. He sees her in a wedding dress, and standing next to her is King’s therapist, seemingly her husband to be. Thinking that this will spell out her end, he begins to conjure up plans to stop this supposed wedding to keep his mom safe. Coupled with some great instrumentation & vocal work, The Wedding Dream is stuck in my head.

The Wedding Dream

In addition to the music, Conspiracy is a considerably more meaty record than the previous 3 releases when it comes to it’s length. Fatal Portrait plays for 41 minutes & 41 seconds, Abigail goes to 40 minutes & 16 second, and Them is 43 minutes and 14 seconds long. Conspiracy beats them all, as it runs for just about 47 minutes (46 minutes and 58 seconds to be exact). None of the prior 3 records are small by any means, but Conspiracy manages to stick in your head for a longer period of time simply due to the fact that (alongside it’s quality) it plays for a good length of time.

Worst Track? My only complaint is that if you didn’t listen to Them before you put Conspiracy on your sound-system of choice, then you might not understand some of the things mentioned on here. You can still listen to this record and be thoroughly entertained (Kinda like playing Borderlands 2 without playing the original game), but you might be confused at some of the things mentioned.

Conspiracy. A phenomenal sequel to a great horror story, and a fantastic album in it’s own right. I challenge anyone to listen to Them & this release back to back, and not be entertained. Most definitely recommended, and a great way to close out his time in the 80s!

And this was part 1 of my look at King Diamond. These first 4 records weaves tales of the macabre, and are so imaginative you wished that they were all books. So with the base of his domain established, he gazed upon the decade that was the 1990s, and pondered what he would do next. See you all in 2 weeks for part 2!


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If you’re curious about listening to these albums, click on the links below:

Fatal Portrait

Abigail

Them

Conspiracy