Metal Blade Records gets in the Halloween spirit with King Diamond CD reissues!

October 29, 2:59 AMHeavy Metal ExaminerMark Morton

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The mid-1990s was a strange time for the King Diamond band. King had moved to America, reformed Mercyful Fate, and essentially was forced to construct a new King Diamond band from the ground up, with American musicians (save Andy LaRocque), and estrablish a relationship with a new record label, after being with Roadrunner for nearly a decade. LaRocque, as well, had his hands full recording and touring with Death for the Individual Thought Patterns album.

It almost seemed like we were never going to get a new King Diamond album OR a tour. How wrong we we were. In 1995, the King Diamond band pulled itself together and began releasing albums and touring again – though now, in 2009, we know not where either of King’s bands currently stand.

So, in the meantime, and just in time for Halloween, Metal Blade Records has unleashed special remastered versions of The Spider’s Lullabye (1995) and The Graveyard (1996) – each with bonus video content and slightly amended album art. What both albums have in common musically versus their original counterparts is that the sound definitely is crisper, the synthesizers and sound effects are brought more to the forefront, and King’s notorious cackle is so sharp, it sounds like he might just burst through your speakers and take your soul.

An interesting aside – We are getting into a period of time now where albums are being reissued that I had the pleasure of reviewing during their initial release. So, to celebrate, here is a transcript of my original review of The Spider’s Lullabye as it appeared in the fanzine Morbid Voice issue #3 back in 1995:

“Now how am I supposed to do an objective review of this album without being biased? Quite simply, I can’t!! So I’ll just have to hype this disc up till you go buy it. I’ll get my complaint out of the way right now. I’m mildly irate, because it’s not a total concept album. Now, on with the praising. Remember Abigail and The Eye? Well, The Spider’s Lullabye is lyrically inferior, but the music is far more superior than anything King has put out in the past. And with a new line-up, And LaRocque (guitar god!) aside, that’s surprising. Apparently, the five-year break did Diamond and LaRocque a lot of justice, because every song on The Spider’s Lullabye is a memorable one. Major points of interest are ‘The Killer,’ ‘The Spider’s Lullabye,’ and ‘To the Morgue.’ So buy it! And if you don’t, well I guess you just don’t like King Diamond and completely wasted your time by reading this review.”

Yes, I was a wily little youth, wasn’t I? Well, with 14 years between the me then and the me now, my tastes have shifted dramatically. Yes, I still like the album, but I feel it is rather uneven when compared with the majority of King Diamond canon. I understand and sympathize with his having to dig in and get his hands dirty, which I suppose is why the album is not a complete concept – nor was the band’s original debut, Fatal Portrait. And sure, it was definitely too much to hope that the band would retain its signature, neo-gothic Scandinavian vibe, since most of the Norsemen were gone. The Spider’s Lullabye resulted in a definite American metal sound, almost archetypal of the power metal movement that was quickly developing in its wake. But again, it is still a decent album, with a good handful of memorable cuts. “To the Morgue” still stands as one of my favorite King Diamond (Mark 2) tracks, with its leaden, doom-shoveling chorus. Still gives me chills thinking about it.

In 1996, Diamond ricocheted with a return to the full-album concept with The Graveyard. This time it was a revenge story gone sour – about a mentally ill person locked up for molesting the mayor’s daughter; a crime the mayor, not the lunatic, actually committed. So, how does he retaliate? He breaks out, kidnaps the daughter, hides her in a graveyard crypt, and taunts the mayor until he comes to her rescue. Unfortunately, it’s not quite the sweet revenge he planned, but it’s a great story and a fun ride. And King, joining in the fun, wrote the following warning in the liner notes:

“Fortunately none of the characters in this story are real; but unfortunately they are all too realistic. Anyway, whether we like it or not, we all have bad thoughts, and that’s perfectly alright, as long as we do NOT act upon them. Therefore, do NOT try to copy or re-enact any portion of this story. If you do, you are simply too stupid to be alive.”

The Graveyard continued this new Americanized Diamond sound, and he lightened up a bit on the banshee wails, but this album, too was not without its glistening moments. “Heads On the Wall” was a wonderful, swooning track that sticks with you long after the album has ended. “Sleep Tight Little Baby” was a terrific example of King’s ability to pluck at the listener’s heartstrings, while remaining consistently mischievous. And “Lucy Forever” possessed a grand epic quality that hinted at King’s past brilliance on Conspiracy.

Ever since 1995, King Diamond has been looked upon as two entities – the hallowed, classic European King, and the latter-day Americanized refurbishment. And since coming to America, King, like every band, has experienced ups and downs with the quality of his output, and this is primarily because hardcore fans probably elevated him to a higher standard than other bands and have grown to expect certain things from him – the same has happened to Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, so you could say that King is in good company. But at the end of the day, the old adage still applies, “what is past is prologue.”