Christmas time is here again! King Diamond‘s No Presents for Christmas was originally released in 1985 and now Metal Blade Records is reissuing this 2-track classic on vinyl, just in time for Black Friday. No Presents for Christmas features new cover art and is available worldwide in two new vinyl colors. Side 1 features the title track, “No Presents for Christmas” and Side 2 features “Charon” (from “Fatal Portrait”). In honor of the release, the band has also worked with their US merch company to offer a lithograph signed by King Diamond himself.
Here’s what King had to say: “We are very happy to make No Presents for Christmas available on vinyl again, and with a brand new cover! Livia worked on the glass mansion on the cover – it’s a mansion she designed that I just loved and said we must use this for something! The cover came out exactly how we wanted it to, and it looks like something you would find in the Christmas albums aisle alongside Frank Sinatra. It has the Christmas feeling, but with something dark and sinister when you examine it more closely. I look like a ghost – the ghost of trying to destroy Christmas! This is the first King Diamond song that was ever released and was originally performed live back in December of 1985, it’s very special to us and we hope you enjoy No Presents for Christmas as much as we do!“
Release Lineup: King Diamond – vocals, guitars Andy LaRocque – guitars Michael Denner – guitars Timi Hansen – bass Mikkey Dee – drums
In other King Diamond news, the band recently released a music video for the single “Masquerade of Madness” with David Brodsky and Allison Woest of MyGoodEye Visuals, which can be viewed HERE!
KING DIAMOND and co. have made a music video for the single “Masquerade of Madness” with David Brodsky and Allison Woest of MyGoodEye Visuals.
Here’s what King has to say about the music video for the band’s latest song “Masquerade of Madness“:
“‘Masquerade of Madness’ was released digitally in 2019 before our North American tour. During rehearsals, we took one full day to film ‘Masquerade of Madness’ with David Brodsky and Allison Woest. We spent all day and all night recording while performing the song with our full tour stage show choreography. After the tour, covid happened.
The video was all but forgotten as the world came to a standstill – we never saw a single frame from all the footage. Years later, as things began to pick up and writing began for both new Mercyful Fate and King Diamond records, we wondered, what happened to that video from four years ago? So we decided to check in with David Brodsky and a couple of weeks later, we had the first cut of the video.
I was speechless! I had nothing to criticize and after just a few notes from Andy LaRocque, the video for ‘Masquerade of Madness’ was finished! There’s so much mood and black and white is used in a perfect way with Jodi’s performances. The visuals fit the music flawlessly and this is now among my favorite King Diamond videos along with ‘Sleepless Nights’ and ‘Welcome Home’ – and not to forget of course, our double live DVD.
This new video and the release of ‘Masquerade of Madness’ on 12″ vinyl is our Halloween gift to the fans. We hope you enjoy this as much as we do! Happy Halloween, it’s not just a dream!“
The 12″ vinyl LP features tracks “Masquerade of Madness“, “Welcome Home (Live at Graspop)“, and “Arrival (Live at Graspop)“- all available for the first time on vinyl. Masquerade of Madness features a collectable paper mask and will be available in four color variants worldwide.
US Variants: Bone Black Ice
EU Variants: 180 g Black Clear Violet Brown Marbled
Vinyl Track Listing: Side 1 Masquerade of Madness
Side 2 Welcome Home (Live at Graspop) Arrival (Live at Graspop)
Pre-orders for the 12″ vinyl are now available at this LOCATION and fans can head to one of the below links for new, exclusive merch offered by the band.
About the band: KING DIAMOND is quite possibly the most recognizable and prolific personality ever in heavy metal. Revered by icons as big as Metallica and Pantera to inspiring new upstarts like Goatwhore; KING DIAMOND, the man and the band, have left an indelible mark on the history, and now again, the future of heavy metal.
In August of 2008, KING DIAMOND joined Metallica on stage at Ozzfest in Dallas to perform the Mercyful Fate medley made famous from the Garage, Inc. album. Additionally, KING DIAMOND was featured alongside Motorhead‘s Lemmy Kilmister as a playable character in Guitar Hero: Metallica in 2009.
By 2012, KING DIAMOND was prepared to return to the stage for a select number of shows. The band’s triumphant return to the stage were the highlights of both the Hellfest and Sweden Rock festivals in France and Sweden. Fans at these festivals were treated to the largest and most involved stage production in the band’s storied history. Horror concepts from multiple albums were used in the décor; fans can rest-assured that this show will only get larger and more impressive at future performances.
KING DIAMOND continued to hit the stage from 2013 to 2018 including performances at Rock Hard Festival (DE), Copenhell (DK), Graspop (BE), Metal Days (SI), Bloodstock Open Air (UK), Loudpark (JP), Wacken Open Air (DE), a 2014 North American tour with Jess and the Ancient Ones, Fun Fun Fun Fest (US), toured as a part of the 2015 Mayhem Festival in the summer (US), a fall 2015 North American tour with Exodus as special guests, Sweden Rock fest (SE), Hellfest (FR),and Psycho Las Vegas (US).
In 2019, after the release of the KING DIAMOND‘S first new single in 12 years “Masquerade of Madness“, the band hit the road with a series of live shows in Europe including stops at Summer Breeze festival (DE), Graspop (BE), Hellfest (FR), Rock Fest (ES), and with Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats and Idle Hands as special guests for 19 dates across North America.
KING DIAMOND‘s 30+ year musical career is one of the most storied in history of heavy metal, but the tale is not yet over. The most recent release, 2007′s Grammy nominated album Give Me Your Soul…Please, stands as one of the most critically-acclaimed albums in an already iconic discography. Future albums will feature entirely new horror stories, concepts, haunting orchestrations, and the band’s signature brand of heavy metal from the mind of KING DIAMOND and the talented group of musicians: Andy LaRocque – Guitar, Mike Wead – Guitar, Pontus Egberg – Bass, Matt Thompson – Drums. Many more albums, tours, and ventures lay ahead.
Metal Injection has posted on their YouTube Channel a performance video for JUDAS PRIEST‘s “Electric Eye”, taken from Slay At Home Fest in support of Musicares / The Iggy Fund / NAMI / Cancer Research Institute. DONATE: https://www.slayathomefest.com/donate.
The video is performed by:
Brandon Ellis (The Black Dahlia Murder) Steve DiGiorgio (Testament / Death To All) Matt Thompson (King Diamond)
Watch here:
Just recently Meet Me For Coffee/iHeartradio Podcast, hosted by George Panayi, conducted an interview with the worlds best rhythm section, TESTAMENT’s STEVE DI GIORGIO and GENE HOGLAN. In case you missed it, watch the show here: https://www.facebook.com/104919841183363/videos/1382726615454286
Please Note, STEVE DI GIORGIO is available for studio sessions as well as session bassist for tours. For further information, please contact tarja@splitscreenproduction.com.
The fretless guru, STEVE DI GIORGIO doesn’t need any longer introductions, as he is widely renowned as a pioneer on the fretless bass in heavy metal music, being the bassist of TESTAMENT, DEATH and SADUS, among others. Within his genre, STEVE DI GIORGIO is respected for his playing skills, versatility and incredible technique. He has more than 40 studio album recordings and over 20 years of touring the world.
Jimmy Kay and Former Anthrax singer Neil Turbin from Canada’s The Metal Voice recently spoke to KING DIAMOND guitarist Andy LaRocque. LaRocque gave The Metal Voice his top 6 King Diamond Albums as well as checked in regards to the upcoming King Diamond Album as well as talked his production work with other band at his Studio, Sonic Train Studio
Any news on the upcoming King Diamond studio album? “During Covid 19 we have been working on and writing for King Diamond, I know people have been saying it takes forever but yeah it does. We want to have the best material when we pick out the good songs before we start recording them. Our goal is to go out on the road again when all this Covid stuff is over with but before that we need to have an album out there. We got some pressure yes. King has got the basic lines of the story already in his mind and I have 4-5 songs that are possible for the next album. I know King has got tons of riffs. As soon as he sits down and gets it down on tape it’s going to go fast. “
Did Covid lock down postpone things? “Covid was difficult because we had a few shows booked at 6the time it started, it came like a shock for all of us I believe, we were kind of paralyzed in the beginning and then we tried to make the best out of it and that was just to sit down and write riffs. Yeah we got a little paralyzed with all this happening we just tried to adapt to the new situation and make new plans for the future.”
What would be your vision for the new album? “Melodies of course, super important, without melodies there is no music. I am also envisioning a more organic sound on the album. If you look back to the older albums, when Mikkey (Dee) played, a little up and down in tempos, that makes it dynamic and also organic. So that is one thing I would like to hear on the next album an organic feel. The drummer is a really important thing and I know that Matt Thomson (Drummer) is the right guy to do it.”
Z2 Comics, the leading publisher of music-inspired graphic novels, reveals this fall’s jewel in the crown of the “king” of heavy metal himself: the first-ever comic written by the one and only KING DIAMOND. White Noise Studios scribe Dan Watters and October Faction artist Damien Worm team with The King himself for a chilling new version of the story of Miriam Natias and Jonathan LaFey and an inheritance far more terrifying than even the haunted mansion in which it’s discovered.
To celebrate this unprecedented pairing, Z2 Comics will offer an exclusive brand new Abigail graphic novel picture disc edition of this incredible album, featuring the front cover of the graphic novel, and on the back side, you will find both the original Abigail cover and an alternate cover painting by artist Torbjörn Jörgensen, available only with the deluxe and super deluxe graphic novel package, exclusively through the Z2 website, and available for pre-order now: z2comics.com/kingdiamond
“A graphic novel based on one of my stories is a dream come true for me. Working with a company like Z2 and the writer Dan Watters, and the graphic artist Damien Worm, is making this project the highest class one could wish for. Not just our own fans, but any fan of the horror genre, will enjoy the darkness and creepiness of this project. I simply can’t wait to personally be able to present this to you once we get closer to Halloween. Abigail has risen again.”
The haunting saga of King Diamond‘s Abigail brought to stunning and horrific life by Dan Watters, Damien Worm, and King Diamond himself! Adapting the storyline of one of heavy metal’s most celebrated concept albums, this new graphic novel will reward both longtime fans and horror hounds alike with a story made even more chilling in comic book form!
Publisher Josh Frankel says, “King Diamond is as his name would imply, heavy metal royalty, and we are all his servants. I couldn’t be more honored to reward fans of comics and heavy music with what will most likely be one of the highlights of the year, and a high watermark for Z2’s direct artist collaborations overall.”
With 12 albums released as King Diamond, millions of albums sold worldwide, with over 175,000 of 1987’s Abigail in the US alone. The second album under the King Diamond banner, Abigail, is an undisputed classic and considered his true breakout release, setting the stage for over three decades of devoted fandom. With the new album announced, 2022 will truly mark “the return of the king.”
King Diamond‘s Abigail graphic novel will be released in standard softcover and hardcover editions in comic shops and bookstores alike just in time for Halloween in October 2021, with special deluxe and super deluxe editions available for pre-order now only through the Z2 website (z2comics.com/kingdiamond), which include a special exclusive one-time variant cover vinyl edition in a strictly limited edition of 3,000 copies!
A very unique and sinister piece of dark art will be made available for pre-order, as a companion to the graphic novel on King Diamond‘s personal request. Details will be available on the Z2 website: z2comics.com/kingdiamond
Marc Lopes, vocalist for Boston-based melodic power/thrash group LET US PREY, is the voice behind a new all-star quarantine cover of KING DIAMOND‘s classic song, “A Mansion in Darkness”, from his 1987 landmark record, “Abigail”. The cover was born out of a conversation between guitarists Courtney Cox (THE IRON MAIDENS) and OL Drake (EVILE) about collaborating together on a virtual jam session. Cox suggested one of her favorite KING DIAMOND songs for the cover, and from there they reached out to bassist Jack Gibson (EXODUS) and drummer Matt Thompson (KING DIAMOND). The big question mark was who would handle vocals, to which Cox’s reply was “I know a guy.” Lopes was asked to round out the collaboration and stepped up to the daunting task of delivering his take on the King’s demonic growls and masterful falsetto. The final result according to all parties involved was a “a total blast had by all doing this…for the love of METAL!”
The final video joining together all of the parts recorded by individual musicians was edited by Abel Hernandez and mixed/mastered by Par Mahn, and can be viewed below.
The cover of “A Mansion in Darkness” is how Lopes is starting 2021 after a very productive 2020. After starting 2020 with his vocal performance on ROSS THE BOSS’ latest record, “Born of Fire”, Lopes delivered a shining performance on LET US PREY’s first full-length album, “Virtues of the Vicious”, released by M-Theory Audio. The record – described by Ghost Cult as “imagine if Lamb Of God played power metal like Blind Guardian” or Heaviest of Art simply called “a rather glorious dose of heaviness” – seamlessly blended elements of seemingly disparate genres. LET US PREY’s mix of thrash, death, power and progressive metal elements were underpinned with industrial samples and symphonic keyboards, while Lopes matched those effortless shifts with his vocal performance, excelling at thrash/death metal growls, soaring melodic vocals, and searing Halford-esque highs with layered harmonies. “Virtues of the Vicious” also featured guest appearances from a number of notable metal musicians, including Jon Donais (Anthrax, Shadows Fall), “Metal” Mike Chlasciak (Halford, Testament), Jimi Bell (House of Lords, Autograph) and the late Oli Herbert (All That Remains). The music video for “Halo Crown” – featuring Donais’ performance – can be viewed at https://youtu.be/vLDRDDyuGHk.
The current situation involving COVID-19 has prevented LET US PREY from scheduling live shows, but once the time comes, the group will be ready to continue impressing audiences as they did prior to 2020 on stages in and around the northeastern United States alongside the likes of Soilwork, Suffocation, Soulfly, Life of Agony, Metal Church, Battle Beast, Doro and Scar Symmetry, among others.
The lineup for “A Mansion In Darkness”: Marc Lopes (vocals) Courtney Cox (guitar) OL Drake (guitar) Jack Gibson (bass) Matt Thompson (drums)
LET US PREY is: Marc Lopes (vocals) Jon Morency (guitars) Jesse Near (guitars) Darin Moyen (drums) Justin Brown (bass)
THE ROCK ALCHEMIST – Italian Rock Band from Turin with a strong sonic identity that blends modern rock with progressive, hard, alternative, and pop elements!
Kimmo Kuusniemi’s SARCOFAGUS return with a Historic 2010 Concert Video Premiere on YouTube! Click image to watch the video
