King Diamond (band)

History

Formation, ''Fatal Portrait'' and ''Abigail'' (1985–1987)

The band was formed in 1985 by vocalist King Diamond, guitarist Michael Denner, and bassist Timi Hansen. The three had recently departed from the group Mercyful Fate, which fell apart due to musical differences between Diamond and guitarist Hank Shermann. According to Diamond, when he, Denner, and Hansen decided to form a new band, they chose the name "King Diamond" to "get better deals", and because the name was already known from Mercyful Fate. To round out the line-up of the King Diamond band, the group hired drummer Mikkey Dee and guitarist Andy LaRocque.

In July 1985, the band began recording their debut album at Sound Track Studio in Copenhagen. On 25 December, they released their debut single "No Presents for Christmas". Fatal Portrait, the band's first full-length studio album, was released on 14 March 1986, through Roadrunner Records. Produced by Rune Höyer and vocalist King Diamond, the album charted at number 33 on the Swedish album chart, and spawned the single "Halloween", which was released on 6 June 1986.

In December 1986, King Diamond began recording their second studio album, once again at Sound Track Studio in Copenhagen. The resulting album, Abigail, was released on 29 May 1987, and is the first concept album based on an original story by vocalist King Diamond. The album was supported by its sole single "The Family Ghost", for which they also shot their first music video, and it went on to chart at number 39 in Sweden, number 68 in the Netherlands, and at number 123 on the Billboard 200. Following Abigails release, Denner left the band due to touring strains. He was subsequently replaced by Mike Moon for the album's supporting tour, during which the band recorded the live album In Concert 1987: Abigail (however it was not officially released until 1991).

''"Them"'' and ''Conspiracy'' (1988–1989)

Following the completion of the Abigail tour, guitarist Mike Moon and bassist Timi Hansen were replaced by Pete Blakk and Hal Patino, respectively. On 18 July 1988, King Diamond released the third album "Them", which was recorded at M.M.C. Studio in Copenhagen, Denmark. Another concept album, "Them" charted at number 38 on the Swedish album chart, number 65 on the Dutch album chart, and at number 89 on the Billboard 200, making it King Diamond's highest charting album in the U.S. to date. Another music video was also shot, this time for the single "Welcome Home". On 1 November, the group released The Dark Sides EP, a collection of previously released material as well as one unreleased track.

Following the completion of the supporting tour for "Them", Mikkey Dee left King Diamond. However, he was rehired to play drums on the band's follow-up album, after which he was replaced by Snowy Shaw. On 21 August 1989, King Diamond released its fourth album Conspiracy, which charted at number 41 on the Swedish album chart, number 64 on the Dutch album chart, and at number 111 on the Billboard 200. A continuation of the storyline from "Them", Conspiracy was the first King Diamond album to be recorded in the United States; it was tracked at Rumbo Recording Studios in Canoga Park, California. A music video was also made for the track "Sleepless Nights".

''The Eye'' to ''House of God'' (1990–2000)

In June 1990, King Diamond began recording its fifth studio album The Eye at Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was released on 30 October 1990. The drums on the album were performed by drummer Snowy Shaw using drum pads. It debuted at number 179 on the Billboard 200. However, the band did not tour in support of the album due to the lack of label support. Following The Eye, Hal Patino and Pete Blakk were replaced by Sharlee D'Angelo and Mike Wead, respectively. However this here line-up ended up not recording any material, as vocalist King Diamond reunited with Mercyful Fate in 1992 (he would balance recording and touring with both Mercyful Fate and his eponymous band throughout the 1990s).

After recording and touring with Mercyful Fate, King Diamond reformed his eponymous band in 1994. With the line-up of King Diamond, Andy La Rocque, as well as guitarist Herb Simonsen, bassist Chris Estes and drummer Darrin Anthony from the Texas band Mindstorm, the band spent September through October 1994, recording their next album. Released on 6 June 1995, The Spider's Lullabye was the band's first album on Metal Blade Records, as well as their first studio release since Fatal Portrait to not be a concept album. The album went on to peak at number 31 on the Finnish album charts. In March 1996, King Diamond began recording their seventh studio album at the Dallas Sound Lab. Released on 1 October 1996, The Graveyard saw King Diamond return to writing concept albums. The album also charted at number 23 in Finland. After the album's release, drummer Darrin Anthony was forced to leave the band due to a car accident and was subsequently replaced by former Chastain drummer John Luke Hebert.

On 24 February 1998, King Diamond released the album Voodoo, which charted at number 27 on the Finnish album chart and at number 55 on the Swedish album chart. After the album's release, guitarist Herb Simonsen was replaced by Glen Drover. When Mercyful Fate was put on hold in 1999, King Diamond began recording the album House of God at the Nomad Recording Studio in Carrollton, Texas, with their new bassist Paul David Harbour, who had replaced Chris Estes. Released on 20 June 2000, the album peaked at number 60 in Sweden. After the album's release, guitarist Glen Drover, drummer John Luke Hebert and bassist Paul David Harbour were replaced by Mike Wead, Matt Thompson and Hal Patino respectively.

Later years (2001–2017)

In May 2001, King Diamond began recording its tenth studio album once again at the Nomad Recording Studio. Released on 29 January 2002, Abigail II: The Revenge is a sequel to 1987's Abigail. It was also the first King Diamond album since 1990's The Eye to feature bassist Hal Patino, who rejoined the band during the recording process. King Diamond did not tour in support of Abigail II, as Metal Blade could not provide tour support, due to illegal downloading. Despite this, the album went on to peak at number 24 in Finland and at number 42 in Sweden.

On 21 October 2003, King Diamond released their eleventh album The Puppet Master, which charted at number 36 in Sweden. Besides featuring the band, the album also featured additional vocals from Livia Zita, who is also King Diamond's wife. During the supporting tour for The Puppet Master, the band recorded the live album Deadly Lullabyes, which was released 21 September 2004. In April 2006, former bandmate Mikkey Dee (currently with Scorpions, formerly with Motörhead) made a guest appearance at King Diamond's sold-out gig in Gothenburg, Sweden. On 26 June 2007, King Diamond released their twelfth album Give Me Your Soul...Please. The album went on to peak at number 25 on the Finnish chart, number 28 on the Swedish chart, and at number 174 on the Billboard 200. The track "Never Ending Hill" also garnered a Grammy nomination for "Best Metal Performance" (the group's first). A music video was also made for the album's title track.

In late November 2010, King Diamond was rushed to the hospital after having several heart attacks. There it was discovered that three of his arteries had been blocked, which meant he had to undergo triple bypass surgery. Following a successful operation, he returned home to rest. Diamond also stopped smoking entirely, changed his diet and began getting regular exercise, according to his wife. On 27 January 2012, Diamond made a special appearance at the "5th Annual Nomad Recording Studio Throwdown", performing three songs: "The Family Ghost", "Evil" and "Burn". On 9 June 2012, the entire King Diamond band played at the Sweden Rock Festival. They were also joined on stage by Michael Denner, Hank Shermann, Mikkey Dee and Volbeat's Michael Poulsen. Vocalist King Diamond stated that the band was expected to begin writing new material for their thirteenth studio album in the fall of 2012.

On 19 July 2014, the band announced that Patino had been relieved of his duties, for reasons very similar to why he was fired from King Diamond in 1990. He was replaced by Pontus Egberg, formerly of Lion's Share and the Poodles. In October, King Diamond announced a new compilation titled Dreams of Horror which was released in November through Metal Blade Records, covering the band's entire career. In December, Egberg became an official member of the band.

King Diamond took part in the 2015 Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival along with bands such as Slayer (who was chosen as the headliner), Hellyeah, The Devil Wears Prada, Thy Art Is Murder, Jungle Rot, Sister Sin, Sworn In, Shattered Sun, Feed Her to the Sharks, Code Orange and Kissing Candice. The tour ran from 26 June through 2 August. At the 8 July 2015 show in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, King Diamond was forced to perform without his signature face paint due to a severe eye infection, in which doctors advised against the use of any makeup. He said that there was no negative feedback from the fans. The band then embarked on a U.S. tour from October to December 2015 with Exodus, where the Abigail album was performed in its entirety.

''Saint Lucifer's Hospital 1920'' and planned future albums (2018–present)

By 2018, King Diamond had begun work on its thirteenth studio album, which would be divided into two parts to connect with its theme. The first part of the series was later revealed to be titled The Institute; the title has since been changed to Saint Lucifer's Hospital 1920. Originally intended for release in 2020, it faced multiple delays before its planned release in 2026, due to frontman King Diamond taking his time on perfecting new material by both the King Diamond band and the reunited Mercyful Fate. The first single from the album, "Masquerade of Madness", was made available for streaming on 8 November 2019. On 25 January 2019, the band's first-ever live DVD/Blu-ray, Songs for the Dead Live, was released. The band then embarked on a North American tour with Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats and Idle Hands.

On 15 October 2024, during a performance at the Port Authority of San Antonio, King Diamond debuted two new songs called "Spider Lilly" and "Electro Therapy". On this tour, which was supported by Overkill and Night Demon, the band was joined by Myrkur on keyboards, and she appears on the studio recording of "Spider Lilly", which was released as a single on 17 December. It is also the debut single from the band's forthcoming "Horror Trilogy", with the first part titled Saint Lucifer's Hospital 1920. During the Summer of 2025 King Diamond went on a European tour, however some of the July dates had to bed cancelled due to King Diamond having strep throat.

In November of 2025 vocalist King Diamond was honored by the Danish Arts Foundation and was given the lifetime honour for his “very special efforts and contributions to Danish art and cultural life.” In addition Diamond will receive a yearly 189,000 Danish Krona (about $26,000) grant from the foundation for the rest of his life.

Artistry

King Diamond is usually considered a heavy metal band even though they have been known to get somewhat experimental with some of their work.

Lyrically, King Diamond is known for creating conceptual works that feature recurring stories that include the supernatural, horror, fate and death. His lyrics have been described as a "gothic horror romance in metal form, delivered with technical precision and theatrical grandeur." In an interview with Blabbermouth.net, Diamond stated a lot of his lyrics are drawn from real-life, but some comes from his imagination "to make a story flow, you change some of the things that you've experienced. When an album is done and I read through all the lyrics, I get a little uneasy when I see how much of myself I've put into the stories. But then again, I know that no one's going to know unless I tell them exactly what's what, and I'm certainly not going to do that. But it's drawn from everywhere."

The band is known for their massive production during live performances featuring fog in order to create creepy on stage theatrics. The lead singer King Diamond is also known to use a microphone stand consisting of a femur bone and a tibia bone in the shape of a cross, while also dawning his signature Corpse paint. CBS News described him as a "menacing figure live".

Members

Main article: List of King Diamond members

Current members

• King Diamond – vocals, keyboards (1985–present)
• Andy LaRocque – guitars, keyboards (1985–present)
• Mike Wead – guitars (2000–present)
• Matt Thompson – drums (2000–present)
• Pontus Egberg – bass (2014–present)

Discography

Main article: King Diamond discography

• Fatal Portrait (1986)
• Abigail (1987)
• "Them" (1988)
• Conspiracy (1989)
• The Eye (1990)
• The Spider's Lullabye (1995)
• The Graveyard (1996)
• Voodoo (1998)
• House of God (2000)
• Abigail II: The Revenge (2002)
• The Puppet Master (2003)
• Give Me Your Soul...Please (2007)
• Saint Lucifer's Hospital 1920 (2026)

Awards and nominations

Grammy Awards

Loudwire Music Awards

Decibel Hall of Fame

Danish Arts Foundation

Metal Hammer Germany

References

References

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60. (23 December 2014). "Bassist Pontus Egberg officially joins King Diamond". Blabbermouth.
61. (18 April 2015). "Slayer 2015 Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival Tour Schedule".
62. (10 July 2015). "King Diamond Forced to Perform Without Makeup at Milwaukee Show". [[Loudwire]].
63. "KING DIAMOND ANNOUNCES ABIGAIL IN CONCERT 2015 TOUR WITH EXODUS". [[Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles]].
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66. (13 May 2025). "KING DIAMOND On Long-Awaited New Album From His Namesake Band: 'I Want To Make Sure It's The Best Material I've Ever Released'". [[Blabbermouth.net]].
67. (19 August 2019). "KING DIAMOND To Release 'The Institute' Album In 2020; Fall 2019 North American Tour Announced". [[Blabbermouth.net]].
68. (10 June 2025). "ANDY LA ROCQUE Says Plan Is To Finish Recording KING DIAMOND's 'Saint Lucifer's Hospital 1920' Album Before Christmas". [[Blabbermouth.net]].
69. (22 February 2021). "New KING DIAMOND Album Will Sound 'More Organic', Says Guitarist ANDY LA ROCQUE". [[Blabbermouth.net]].
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71. (23 October 2023). "KING DIAMOND Is 'Checking The Possibilities To Really Come Out With Something Next Year'". [[Blabbermouth.net]].
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