The Master of Horror Music: Ranking Every KING DIAMOND Album

SUMMARY

The man known as King Diamond, and the band named after him, had a lot of influence on me growing up. I found it endlessly entertaining to listen to music that also told a story. For those unaware, nearly every album in the KING DIAMOND catalogue is a concept album – the entire thing tells a story, with each song a chapter of that story. Many artists have replicated this approach over the years, but no one has ever told a horror story through music better than King. Each album  incorporates atmosphere, theatrics, and, of course, music into an auditory horror movie. It was hard to find anything more exciting than that for me at a thirteen. I love metal music, stories, and horror movies. In my mind, the amount of creativity it took to effectively combine these elements was on the same level as astrophysicists – my adult brain understands that is far-fetched, but it is no less of an impressive feat to tell some of the stories King has created over the years.

More recently, long-time fans have become frustrated with the lack of new music – the last KING DIAMOND album was released in 2007. Health complications and a triple bypass heart surgery in 2010 were certainly a big part of the delay for King. I think most fans would agree that during this time the most important thing was King’s health and to focus on recovery. No sensible person was demanding new music in the early 2010’s. However, the band first mentioned it was writing material for a new album back in 2012! The band has also been regularly touring again since 2015. Despite numerous teases of new music the only thing we’ve gotten is a live album and 1 new track (“Masquerade of Madness”). As of this writing, there is still no date on a new album.

Let’s not focus on the negatives, though. The history of KING DIAMOND is something that deserves celebration and promotion! Today, we celebrate that history with a bit of a critical “eye” and rank each of the first twelve studio albums from the master of horror music.

CRITERIA

1. Average Professional Review Scores (i.e. Publications)
2. Average User Scores (AllMusic.com)
3. My Personal Scores
4. % of songs on each album I love

• Each Album was graded out of 10 points for each category (40 points total)
• After grading and ranking, I re-listened to every album and took notes before deciding on a final list

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#12 The Graveyard (1996)

The seventh studio album from the KING DIAMOND outfit certainly had some upside. The band backing King never disappoints (a theme throughout the article). This group is lead by long-time guitarist Andy LaRocque, one of metal music’s best unsung guitar players. The Graveyard  is also arguably King’s most committed acting performance. King plays a man with diminished mental capabilities who is taken advantage of by a town mayor and thrown into a mental asylum. The performance portrays both the man’s pain and his obsession with getting revenge. I won’t spoil any stories here, but King’s performance is chilling.

Unfortunately, the story itself is not memorable and the album is overly-long at over an hour in length. The sound production is also very “dry” and loses a lot of the atmosphere prevalent with most KING DIAMOND albums. It certainly sounds cleaner than many of their early albums but does not convey the dark theatricality of the material. In all, this album is missing the substance and creativity fans can typically relay on from a KING DIAMOND album. Established fans will certainly get something out of it, but casual fans or folks just trying out the band should keep away, for now.

Highlights: “Black Hill Sanitarium”, “I Am”

#11 Abigail II: The Revenge (2002)

KING DIAMOND is not immune to the curse of sequels, and 2002’s Abigail II: The Revenge proves it. The album comes 15 years after the release of all-time classic Abigail. While the record attempts to recapture the magic of the original, it falls short in several categories. The album lacks memorable melodies, detailed atmosphere, and – I hate to say it – imagination. As always, the music is performed with consistent professionalism but there are no true standout moments. Some of the dialogue and acting throughout the story are also pretty underwhelming. Unfortunately, Abigail II will forever be remembered as an indistinguishable addition to the catalogue. On the bright side, it introduced long-time band members Mike Weak (guitar), and Matt Thompson (drums).

Highlights: “The Storm”

#10 House of God (2000)

House of God is an album that I’m torn about. The album is dripping in atmosphere, the story provides some thought-provoking moments, and there are a few music highlights. However, King seems flat out tired. After all, this album marked his seventh record in six years between KING DIAMOND and the other group he fronted, MERCYFUL FATE. His vocals and his songwriting sound tired. Many of the tracks fall into the mediocre category. The music arrangements fall flat, and the story-line is pretty sappy and convoluted. The album is certainly more memorable than The Graveyard and Abigail II, but not always for good reasons. 

Looking back over King’s career House of God feels forced and encompasses the theme at the time for King:  quantity over quality. The album is a master class in bringing atmosphere to music, but fails in most other respects.

Highlights: “The Trees Have Eyes”, “Just a Shadow”, “Catacomb”