Black Metal History Month- Diamond in the Rough, King Diamond's "Conspiracy"

One element we have not yet discussed which is more relevant in 2025, and taken for granted during the release of King Diamond's early solo career, is that the albums were produced by the band. Roberto Falcao who is credited as the producer for the album's following "Abigail" which he engineered, was also the band's keyboardist at the time. Granted as engineered my guess here is he set up the mic placement in the studio and handled the technical elements more often associated with a producer, though producers also have some creative input in the recording process, this was clearly King's show, so he was dictating the sounds he wants as Falcao was at the soundboard. Why does any of this matter go into "Conspiracy"? you ask. 

In some ways, the stakes were higher due to the success of  "Them". This explains why they brought in Chris Tsangarides, who was the big metal producer at the time having worked with Thin Lizzy, Ozzy, and Judas Preist. Chris's job aside from mixing the album was to produce the guitar solos. You can hear how he homogenized "Sleepless Nights" into something that had more in common with Ozzy's middle-of-the-road work at the time. From King Diamond's perspective, he worked on the sessions for Priest's "Sad Wings of Destiny album so that meant something. "Sleepless Nights" which was the most focused song of this album, certainly stands the test of time better than the opening track. 

When this came out I was a teenager and King Diamond was my favorite artist so I was just happy to get a new album, so while I loved it and appreciated it was continuing the "Them" story, it hit differently than that album. "Lies" does not crunch or punch like the thrash adjacent to previous work, it is more like arena metal. But lyrically this song was relatable when it came to just telling authority figures what they wanted to hear to not get locked up. Also, something to consider is the time of this album's release things were changing Soundgarden released "Louder Than Love"  and Faith No More changed the game with "The Real Thing" so King Diamond was one of the last defenders of the faith, even Judas Priest dropped "Painkiller" the following year to prove there was no middle ground in metal anymore it was getting heavier or go home to survive the changing tides of music. Meanwhile King Diamond is making creepy power ballads like "Visit From the Dead' in his own vacuum. 

"The Wedding Dream" pushes the story's narrative forward, but in some ways at the cost of the songwriting. "Amon Belongs to Them" might be the album's most underrated song. It packs more of a punch than the bulk of the album. It holds more groove than every song but "Sleepless Nights". I think where some of this album's strengths do lie is the guitar playing is more melodic, but the flipside is that it's also not as heavy. There are some interesting sounds on the instrumental "Something Weird". "Victimized" is a song I had forgotten about until listening back to this album. It's also a little more aggressive than the direction this album was heading, and not unlike what we heard back on "Give Me Your Soul Please".  While he sings the word conspiracy I am not sure why this was not just the title track, but here we are. Weirdly, this album ends with an instrumental. While it still sounds like something in his wheelhouse, feel it's an odd way to end it. I'll give this a 10 as it's an ambitious task and King Diamond did it and kept his momentum, while making an album that bridged him over to mainstream metal audiences that were not already onboard for "Them"

pst69

Black Metal History Month -Moonfall : "Odes to the Ritual Hills"

Seems like when it comes to new black metal, a great deal of EPs are being released, I am not sure if the global economy or the music biz almost dying during Covid factors into a niche like this, but here we are This duo from Finland is comprised of members of Beherit and Ceremonial Torture. They have a lo-fi raw black metal sound that is not trying to just attack you with blast beats, as they seek to bridge sounds from the genre called Dungeon Synth into their take on early black metal. To their credit a growling thump of bass drives the backbone of the first song, which is not something you typically hear in black metal, in fact, the synths are pretty dominant in the mix and the typical static buzz of tremolo-picked guitar is not found in the mix. The drums are felt more than heard here. The only drawback I hear that I am allowing them to change in the songs after this are the vocals which sound like he is violently clearing his throat the entire song.

Things get weirder on the title track which has more atmosphere thanks to the synths playing a larger role in their center stage mix, as the distorted bass seems to wander a bit looking for where the drums went, which accent it more than giving marching orders. For the course of this nine-and-a-half-minute song, they never seem to find the drums. I often feel like black metal bands are less likely to smoke pot than some other genres of metal, but this song puts that theory to the test. The keyboards wander off like they decided to go score an 80s fantasy movie.  

At over five minutes I can't write the last track off as just an outro. It's a synth ambiance that does not really go anywhere and is time that would have been better spent writing another song. As it was the previous song was already testing my limits when it comes to synth dominance. That said I will give this album a 7, I think there are some good ideas and interesting sounds that offer a fresh take on the genre, however, they lean too heavily on the synth sound and could stand to dial them back a bit.

pst -68

Iron BoneHead Productions · Moonfall - Countess Carody

Black Metal History Month- Diamond in the Rough, King Diamond's "Them"

Continuing through the iconic catalog of King Diamond. We are at his third solo album. His storytelling becomes more pronounced, and the production is not as dark and reverb-heavy as the previous album. This album features bassist Hal Patino replacing Timi Hansen. Pete Blakk takes over for Micheal Denner, forcing Larocque to really step it up. Mikkey Dee's drumming steps up with the recognisible fill leading into what is King Diamond's most famous song. The shrill call of "Grandmaaaa..." is his calling card for novice listeners. The bass is not as present in the mix as it was on "Abigail" and the drums are taking more of the spotlight. Rightfully so this is the pinnacle of Dee's playing. Andy also makes his mark with some memorable solos. In some ways, the songwriting brought more thrashing to compete with where the music was going, but the songs are still very hooky.

Dee's playing gives a more urgent drive to the uptempo energy powering "Invisible Guests". Despite the darker gothic melodicism giving the album its theatrical nature, the blood-pumping intensity, kept King Diamond from lagging behind bands like Slayer and Testament who were rising in popularity at this time. He was still just as relevant in the conversations regarding the heavy music of the day. King himself reached a perfect middle ground with his vocals, he can play the characters of the story while still singing aggressively, even with his high falsetto wails. Another example of where his metal yodels do not feel as dated as say Fates Warning. 

"Tea" is the first song that slows down into something more melodic and flowing though the verse riff gets gritty as needed with a powerful chug. the song This is also the song that lays the story out without sounding like an awkward musical narrative. "Mother's Getting Weaker" is punchier, with the riffing getting more aggressive to convey the stakes being raised for Mother. The trade-off between his more baritone moan and his falsetto is well balanced, the phrase "just looking forward" finds him in more of a growl, which would go on to inspire bands like Emperor. "Bye Bye Missy" is also one of King Diamond's most underrated songs, it is understandable why he does not play it outside of the story of the album in a live set with "Welcome Home" the real live staple. But the verse riff to this song is great with its crunch. 

"A Broken Spell" does not hit as hard as the previous songs, but was better than the bulk of shit coming out in 1988. "The Accusation Chair" finds them getting heavier. The vocals lock in more with the guitars than the previous song. When his vocals shift into more of a Gullom-like croak at the end of the song it's very effective at carrying the mood of the story. "Twilight Symphony" continues to play off their songwriting momentum. It is also one of the album's stronger choruses. This is technically the album's last song as it ends with more of an outro. I'll give this album a 10, it's almost a 10.5, given the grandiose nature, but these songs in many ways work best as the larger concept than on their own.

pst67

Black Metal History Month- IZROD : "Ulica, trnje i kamenje"

 

Not sure Bosnia is a hotbed of Black Metal but as war-torn as that region has been over the years, it would make sense that wrathful emotions might manifest in music. "S&P" does find them blasting into a place so aggressively that it almost feels more like death metal. The sonic nuance of the guitars keeps this raw reckless thrashing rooted in black metal. This is only a three-song EP, so while I appreciate the energy expressed in this raw outburst of violent darkness, I am going to need to hear them touch upon a wider range of sonic colors in the other two songs to be convinced they are not a one-trick pony. The guitar solo that surfaces on this song feels like Slayer jamming in the 80s. The vocals have more purpose at some times than others. They basically just give this chaos a voice. 

With a three-song EP, every moment matters. Yes, there are four tracks but the first is just an intro. In the second song, you can hear the more Eastern European influence in chord progressions as some carry a wild gypsy madness to them. In 2025 some idiots think all regions of the world create black metal with equal ability, but white people can't understand rap music, these guys create something unique to the region they are from as it brings the energy of their lives to this music creating a more original whirlwind of chaos than the previous song gave us. This is something these guys should and hopefully will continue to build off of. 

On the last song, it's moments of clean guitar that sell me more than the more metallic thrashing sound, though the guitar did improve on this one since the first song. I appreciate the dynamic loud-to-soft contrast they work off of here. There is a dissonance that haunts the chords giving them more personality which is what all black metal should search for where they stand out as their own unique individual sound rather than being so quick to conform to what black metal "should " sound like. It does build into a more menacing countenance of sound.  I  will give this a 9, for embracing a more original sense of who they are and allowing their region to flow through them. This album drops this week on Signal Rex. 

pst66

Black Metal History Month - Final Dose :"Under the Eternal Shadow"

 

The UK-based band is billed as being Black Metal meets punk, but to my ears, they are more Black Metal than not. Sure there are some crude arrangements with the band going after things with a primitive aggression. To me, Venom always felt more like a punk band than a metal band. The snarl of the vocals is very metal. Are the chord progressions very stripped-down and simplistic? Yes, but the same could be said of Watain or Darkthrone at times. Sometimes what is perhaps their punk influence raises its head up in a manner that sounds closest to perhaps GISM. They write songs more like a grindcore band where they throw in twists and cram as many riffs into the song even if those riffs are simple. There is even singing on "Rite of Spring". Sometimes it is functional chaos coming at you. "Rite of Spring" is the first song that impresses me. 

"Servant" is more of an interlude than a song. There are crude industrial elements in play. Normally raw black metal is not my thing. But this at least does not sound like it was recorded in their garage. A little more punk flows in the veins of the savage thrashing to "Dark Paradise". But this does not sound like some guy recording this all by himself in his bedroom, it's a real band banging this out which goes further with me. It's a fun listen so far. "Wretched' is more blast beat driven in paces, but is straightforward almost like feral rock n roll. This drummer is really laying into his kit and beating the shit out of it. Of course, I will love their detour into death rock for "Locked in the Black Dungeon". 

"Revenge" has some hardcore influence in its angry charge but there is just as much metal flowing in its veins. It's a fund sound, not the most groundbreaking thing I have heard, but you can bang your head to it.  The last track is melodic but more of an outro than a song. I'll give this album a 9, as it won me over, it's better than expected, and while I am not sure how often I will listen to it, it's a worthwhile investment for fans of bands like Devil Master and Midnight, perhaps more black metal than either of those projects. 

pst65

Black Metal History Month- Diamond in the Rough, King Diamond's "Abigail"

A lot was going on when this album was released in 1987. Thrash was kicking things up big time and they had to step up their game here and get heavier to stay current which they did with profound grace on songs like "A Mansion in the Darkness" which is a ripper. This album marks King's committing albums to a full conceptual story arc. LaRocque was writing more marking a new technical sense to the arrangements, not making them complex just to be complex or getting caught up in the math, but very intricate yet organic shifts. King's singing also reaches new heights. His highs are higher and lows are more of a demonic growl. All of this and there is a more aggressive darkness that gives this album an untouchable vibe. 

"The Family Ghost" was oddly one of the singles from this album, despite the title track being the show stealer. This song is still great, there is just nothing as iconic as the song 'Abigail' though it's all far beyond what anyone else in metal could do at the time. The guitar that leads into "The 7th Day of July 1777" is stellar, this is one of the album's stronger songs. The storytelling really unfolds on this one but it never feels lyrically cumbersome. Nor does this album feel dated to me when I listen back to it. That says a lot as I bought this album when it came out 38 years ago and keep returning to it. 

"Omens" is really well written and, in some ways perhaps the most accessible song on the album as the guitar playing is more melodic than aggressive. The tense palm-muted bridge groove creates urgency. When it comes to the most underrated King Diamond songs' "the Possession" should be at the top of the list. The riffing is killer, and the vocals fit like a glove over them. The chords that are picked out leading into the solo section are just great songwriting. "Abigail" should be in the top 10 metal songs of all time. The arrangements are heading in a more progressive direction on this album and the last song is proof of that fact. In some ways, it is like Judas Priest but more nuanced guitar playing. This album is one of the rare legendary occasions where I go beyond the bounds of how I normally rate albums to give the elusive 11. It goes all the way up.

pst64

Grave Infestation : "Carnage Gathers"

Taking a break from black metal to review this Canadian Death Metal band. They take you back to the early days of the genre and feel like a mix of Death and Obituary. I'm sure if you are really into this era of death metal other bands could be a reference point, as I can also hear a little Entombed, but once you get mired down into some of those bands they begin to all sound the same. They like many others focus on hyperaggression and paint their songs with a similar shade of blood red. It works well on the opening track but by the second song, some of the blasting begins to blur. I can make out the word extermination, but the gurgled gutturals are spewed in a manner that just sprays their bile as a layer on the riffing. 

I like the fact they have a very dark sound. "Inhuman Remains" is a little more nuanced and finds the buzz saw guitars grooving more than the previous song. "Black Widow" makes me think of early Slayer but with Tom's vocals replaced by this gurgling growl. It gives this a more putrid mood, but is more dynamically limited than even the vocals on "Show No Mercy".  This song shows they are making more of an effort to write songs than half the death metal bands occupying my inbox. 

There is more of a frantic blitz to "The Anthropophagus". The album's cover art refers to this song, which is about a 17th-century French Cannibal who was a hermit who starved to death. You would think a cannibal would have the sense to live closer to his food source. The growls are not articulated enough to understand the narrative they have chosen to tell this story which is a shame. It is not until the solo section that some melody creeps into the otherwise chaotic barrage of the title track.  The moshing mood of "Drenched in Blood" comes and goes. There is only marginally more form and function than the previous song. 

"Murder Spree" closes the album out. The need for ultra-heavy riffing sometimes makes these guys stray from the foundational elements of metal. This song finds the band trying to balance it out but the need for speed seems to be winning by the halfway mark. What bands need to focus more on is what emotions are they going to be able to convey that will set them apart from the rest of the pack. This is not the area of the band that is most defined though at times they make an effort. I will give this album an 8 more the overall mood and effort the do put in is more than most death metal bands.

pst63