Here's a live review from pre-COVID that I found never got published. This was the same set list, as the 2024 tour, the only changes being the addition of two new songs this time around, and Myrkur as a backing vocalist. Along with the fact he is now five years older, though all of us are as well. So wanted to go ahead and share these thoughts of that show, as they are still relevant, considering we are still waiting around for a new album 18 years since "Give Me Your Soul Please" was released,
I caught the second date of King Diamond’s “Institute” tour and it was clear that the King is still reigning. Bands like Slayer are beginning to retire, yet the King is playing bigger venues than when I first saw him in 1988. He has a new album coming out on the first of the year and a Mercyful Fate reunion making rounds through European Festivals in the spring. Not bad for a 63-year-old who had triple bypass surgery ten years ago. He is certainly hitting his notes more consistently than when I last saw Rob Halford ten years ago, who was 55 at the time. What is it about the King that finds him contining to not only endure but find new success?
If you are a regular reader of my thoughts on spread throughout the internet then you might know the King is my favorite metal artist of all time. You would also know that instead of biased gushing, I hold my favorites up to mythically high standards that most at some point fail to meet leaving a select handful who never disappoint. When it comes to things like a new single dropping or a live show, my mind weighs it against when I first popped the cassette of “Abigail” into my Walkman or saw him on the “Them” tour. Like adidcts craving the nostalgia of the first high, juxtaposed against not wanting to rehash what you have already heard them do..
These might seem like impossible standards for artists to live up to, but the very best can sometimes in different ways. For example, I saw Iron Maiden this summer and it was clear they are pros and have a big energy show. Though it was all business. King Diamond loves what he does and who he becomes. This shone through despite getting the news earlier in the day that his friend and former bass player Timi Hansen died. His production value has increased in terms of the spectacle. The stage was made to look like an asylum where his upcoming album "The Institute"; is set.; He did play the lead single from this album "Masquerade of Madness" which was pretty heavy and fits nicely alongside his other works, making me look forward to the new album. The bulk of the set drew from the first few albums of his solo career "Fatal Portrait", "Abigail", "Them", "Conspiracy" and "The Eye" along with the title track from "Voodoo". Not only does he go out on tour in his 60s, but picks his most vocally demanding work to sing. He knows the fans want his and delivered. I think his appreciation of his fan base and staying true to his brand creates a more fervent loyalty. He sticks to what works and doesn't tamper with that for the sake of mass appeal.
The fact his imagery has been assimilated into modern metal culture he is revered within the community by metal heads who might not have listened to "Give Me Your Soul Please" . But if you ask them who inspired the look of their favorite Scandinavian black metal band they are not likely to say Gene Simmons. The gothic horror story-lines of the concept albums he has pumped out since "Abigail" has strayed from the Satanic overtones of Mercyful Fate and King is less vocal about his membership with the Church of Satan, but I have still admired him for being true to the what he sings about. For someone who delves into a great deal of fantasy, he is very real.
These might seem like impossible standards for artists to live up to, but the very best can sometimes in different ways. For example, I saw Iron Maiden this summer and it was clear they are pros and have a big energy show. Though it was all business. King Diamond loves what he does and who he becomes. This shone through despite getting the news earlier in the day that his friend and former bass player Timi Hansen died. His production value has increased in terms of the spectacle. The stage was made to look like an asylum where his upcoming album "The Institute"; is set.; He did play the lead single from this album "Masquerade of Madness" which was pretty heavy and fits nicely alongside his other works, making me look forward to the new album. The bulk of the set drew from the first few albums of his solo career "Fatal Portrait", "Abigail", "Them", "Conspiracy" and "The Eye" along with the title track from "Voodoo". Not only does he go out on tour in his 60s, but picks his most vocally demanding work to sing. He knows the fans want his and delivered. I think his appreciation of his fan base and staying true to his brand creates a more fervent loyalty. He sticks to what works and doesn't tamper with that for the sake of mass appeal.
The fact his imagery has been assimilated into modern metal culture he is revered within the community by metal heads who might not have listened to "Give Me Your Soul Please" . But if you ask them who inspired the look of their favorite Scandinavian black metal band they are not likely to say Gene Simmons. The gothic horror story-lines of the concept albums he has pumped out since "Abigail" has strayed from the Satanic overtones of Mercyful Fate and King is less vocal about his membership with the Church of Satan, but I have still admired him for being true to the what he sings about. For someone who delves into a great deal of fantasy, he is very real.
Metal needs to have darkness, anger, or danger to it that you feel in its vibration. If not it comes across like they are trying to be something they are not. With King Diamond it's a sense of darkness, perhaps run through a filter of Hammer Horror, but he believes in it enough when he takes on these roles to really sell it to the audience. Alice Cooper might do a similar,r but now it feels edited for Disney, where King Diamond takes that to 11 and does not apologize or blame it on his alter ego. His legacy has all the signs of remaining intact and when the show is over in the next 7 years, he will most likely step from the spotlight with the grace and class his career has run off of. Until that day his most recent show is in the top 3 King Diamond concerts I have attended. If you have yet to see him, make this a priority.
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