New King Diamond

[dan of bereavement]

Yup, got a copy from a friend (who I won't disclose their name) Anyway, What do I think? Honestly? Well, aside from the VERY annoying music fade into "You are listening to the new album of King Diamond, Blahh Blahh" every fucking 2 minutes, it's sounding decent, but honestly, So far (mind you I have only listened to the eitire album once), being my favorite band, I was a bit let down . It's very upbeat, and for me, that's a killer for any band, and especially this case. I am sure I will warm up to it more after a few more listenes. Another thing, it seems to be missing all that extra synth/acoustic/moody stuff (that's probably why The Graveyard to me was his most under rated album, and one of his best, due to all the creepy synth, special effect/samples) and vocal and the slower paced/darker mood stuff. That to me makes his albums balanced. Also, I think at least to me, it seems as though he has run out of ideas, as every song has at least one riff where it brings to mind another KD song. Not to say he is actually ripping himself off (actually after 20 something albums you could do that and it would be ok) but some very familiar melodies/rythem sections/ harmonies and lyrics definitely seem inspired by other KD songs/albums. We'll see.

 

[WhiteBeastofWotan]

Yeah i dloaded the leak, and I thought it wasnt very good. Like the first three songs or something are pretty much him just going
ITS DARK! I CAN'T SEE! I NEED LIGHT!

 

[Metal head87]

I didn't hear it yet. But everyone else is praising it.
The only album from him that I didn't like was Abigail II.

 

[dan of bereavement]

I actually think Abigail 2 much better than this one. I didn't like Spider's Lulliby followed by HOG followed by this new one.

I think I'll make a poll on just KD albums

 

[Metal head87]

This is the order of what I voted for...
Abigail
The Puppetmaster
Fatal Portrait
Them.

Abigal- My opinion is, it is one of the best albums I have ever listened to. A virtuous performance from each member in the band, incredible songwriting, captivating lyrics, and ends with THE perfect example of a climax. So many styles were mixed into this album. Speed metal, power metal, neo-classical, prog, traditional heavy metal. The material was very complex, yet so natural. Michael Denner and Andy were an amazing guitar duo. Not quite on the level of Michael and Hank (I often think they were made to play guitar together), but this duo came about as close as possible.

The Puppetmaster- Featured some of King's strongest songwriting, and one of his most powerful vocal performances. Very emotional, with a really interesting story. Once you think about it, the story itself is somewhat allegorical to being in a vegetative state. King's character was alive in that puppet the whole time, but he couldn't move or communicate with anyone (especially after they sent his girlfriend to Berlin).
Not related to the album, but it's pretty cool that he actually did get married to Livia.

Fatal Portrait- There were some flaws in the album. Mostly in the songwriting and direction of the music. King obviously wasn't exactly sure what he wanted to do with his solo band. One moment, he's playing doom metal, the next he's playing power metal, the next he's continuing Mercyful Fate's sound. He's also still trying to find himself as a vocalist and lyricist. But, Michael Denner's guitar playing makes this on of my favorites. He did all the riffs, and like 90% of the leads/themes. This is really one of the only albums where he got the chance to showcase his versatility as a guitar player.
Plus, Dressed In White was a 3 minute song with like 12 leads. You can't get more metal than that.

Them- Nothing short of a landmark in progressive metal. I can't believe it was released in 1988. That album explored territories that metal wasn't really incorporating quite as much. It was probably King's most intricate vocal performances as well, and one of his most classic concepts. Musically, it was brilliant and very original, which can also be said for the lyrics. Coming from a first person view, it also helped place you in the shoes of King's character. He also did a very good job and mixing a very unstable situation (in the story), the way a kid would have probably tried to deal with it.

 

[dan of bereavement]

Out next week!


I'll be buying it on Tuesday for sure.

Still not the best, but once I have the lyriucs and no voice overs I am sure I will be way more excited and digging it more.

 

[Metal head87]

I have the lyrics already.
I can post them if you'd like. But part of the whole experience of a King album is sitting down, listening to it, with the lyric sheet in hand

 

[dan of bereavement]

Exactly, I will wait, but thanks for the offer man.

 

[Metal head87]

I wanted to wait, but I just couldn't help myself.

I really enjoyed it. I listened to it 3 times by now.
Not quite as good as The Puppetmaster, but it's difficult to say right now. This is definitely an album that has to grow on you.

The guitar work is fucking incredible though. Some of Andy's best, without a doubt

 

[DeviousDarren]

I wanted to wait, but I just couldn't help myself.

I really enjoyed it. I listened to it 3 times by now.
Not quite as good as The Puppetmaster, but it's difficult to say right now. This is definitely an album that has to grow on you.

The guitar work is fucking incredible though. Some of Andy's best, without a doubt

Agreed. Mike Wead's not bad either.

 

[Metal head87]

Yeah, Mike also did an incredible job

 

[dan of bereavement]

True, I don't think my issues are with the guitar solos though, just the re using of riffs I guess. Very un-inspired I guess.

 

[Metal head87]

Yeah, it was kind of lacking in originality. I still like it though. I'll probably like it more after some more listening

 

[dan of bereavement]

Yeah me too. I ordered the real version, hope it arrives soon.

 

[JewelThrone]

The new album was somewhat of a disapointment. I knew when the album title was anounced months ago, it was going to be a bit of a disaster, because the album title alone just reeks of cheese. The music isn't as good, and the story is very disjointed.

 

[dan of bereavement]

I agree totally man.

I gave it a lot of listens, and still just kinda meeh.

 

[Metal head87]

I like the music though. The musicianship is also fantastic.
But the story itself is VERY incoherent, and there is way too much redundancy (he has difficulty seeing anything, but then he says he can see the full moon), and a lot of it isn't really explained all that well.
Which is a shame, since it does seem like a good story. If he had someone from outside the band, read through the lyrics, cut out the filler, and express the concept more coherently, this would have been much better.

 

[JewelThrone]

The way the lyrics are written doesn't allow the story grow, and develop. A lot of the verse are incomplete, and repeating choruses too much also kills it.

 

[dan of bereavement]

yeah' true that man.

 

[JewelThrone]

I also have a gripe with the drumming...It's fucking boring!!