KING DIAMOND will embark on a North American headlining tour later year. The trek will commence on November 2nd and run through December 4th. Support will be provided by Uncle Acid And The Deadbeats and Idle Hands.
Comments KING DIAMOND, “Watch out North America, we are coming for you this Winter. I’m very proud to bring two special and amazing guests to you. Their names are Uncle Acid And The Deadbeats, plus Idle Hands. Make an appointment now… kingdiamondcoven.com.”
Uncle Acid And The Deadbeats notes, “As the long nights draw in and the temperatures drop, I can’t think of a better artist to creep around North America with than the legendary KING DIAMOND. You’ll all be in for a treat…See you there!”
Adds Idle Hands, “Touring with the iconic KING DIAMOND is nothing short of a dream and we are excited to make it a reality.”
See all confirmed dates below. VIP packages with KING DIAMOND are available for the first time ever on this tour. Visit kingdiamondcoven.com to purchase your ticket or VIP upgrade now.
KING DIAMOND will be touring in support of The Institute, his first studio album in twelve years! Fans can expect the debut single to arrive this Fall and an album in 2020; in the meantime, a tour teaser with a sneak peak of the new stage set can be viewed here
KING DIAMOND remarks about the upcoming full-length, “For reasons unknown to you, it is clear that you have no way of making it to The Institute on your own at this point. Therefore, we will bring The Institute to you. You don’t want to miss this special opportunity for treatment only we can give you. It could be for your own good, you know…”
KING DIAMOND w/ Uncle Acid And The Deadbeats, Idle Hands:
Well known for his time with MEGADETH, KING DIAMOND and his own power metal band EIDOLON plus more besides, Canadian guitarist Glen Drover is back with a brand new project – WALLS OF BLOOD. The album, titled “Imperium” featuring an esteemed assortment of metal vocalists such as Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens (JUDAS PRIEST, ICED EARTH), Chuck Billy (TESTAMENT), Todd La Torre (QUEENSRŸCHE) and Henning Basse (METALLIUM, FIREWIND), is set for release on 22nd February via Metalville.
MSF Senior ManagerAlison Booth recently caught up with Glen to chat about the album in more detail, as well as various other subjects, including the story of a career highlight at the UK’s Download Festival. You can read a few excerpts from the conversation below and the full interview is on the audio player:
Discussing “Imperium”, Glen stated:
“I think it’s the strongest album I’ve ever done, period. This album for me, you know I worked on it sporadically over six years and I’m just really proud, I love the whole album. I couldn’t be happier right now.
It was all people that I really wanted to work with and some, in fact most of them, were singers I might not have worked with before, but wanted to.
And then there were situations where I would approach somebody that I wanted to have on the album and then I would write a song around his type of style – something I knew he would probably be comfortable with and be able to deliver.”
On Matt Cuthbertson, who provides vocals on the track ‘Walls Of Blood’:
“Yeah he did a really good job. The band Untimely Demise, they’re from Canada and I really liked his, he’s got the raspy, growly voice like a lot of bands do – but he has more of an identity I think. I find, with all due respect to the bands that do sound similar in the vocal department, sometimes I can’t tell them apart. But there are some that have an identity, ‘oh yeah, that’s him or that’s her’ or whatever, you know. And he’s one of those guys and I just thought he’ll do really well on the song. Shawn wrote the lyrics and away we went.”
Talking about what’s next for WALLS OF BLOOD and if there’s any possibility of touring, Glen revealed:
“I’m gonna wait to see how it’s received and how I feel about it down the road. One thing I can say is that I probably wouldn’t do another album with multiple vocalists, because I’ve already done that now and it’s a little bit harder. I’m very, very happy that I did it and I’m extremely proud of the album like I mentioned, but I don’t think I would do that again. I would do an album with one singer.
As far as touring, no not at this point because of everything I just said, but is it possible that I could streamline it where it’s one line-up of say four guys, yeah and play shows, absolutely possible. If I’m gonna do it, I’m gonna know when the time comes and it would be very easy to do that. I have a couple of vocalists in mind, one in particular, I’m not gonna mention his name, that I know would be able to do all the different material that’s on the album.”
Reflecting on highlights from his career, Glen reminisced about a MEGADETH performance:
“Highlights, there’s a few. And you know, speaking of the UK, I gotta say, that’s probably if I had to pick one particular event it would’ve been the first time we played Download. We played there twice, but you know you can’t forget that.
We played on the main stage. I remember we were back waiting as the into was about to be rolled. And I was looking out in the field on the main stage at Download and there was a lot of holes. I went ‘oh shit, I was hoping it was going to be full!’ And then just before the intro, I looked my other way and in droves there’s all these people coming down the pathway ’cause one band just finished on another stage. By the time we got on stage there was not a piece of grass you could see, it was just so electric. As far as you could see, everybody was going nuts, you could feel it – it was so heavy with electricity. We played for fifty minutes and it felt like five minutes, literally. That has to be the pinnacle for me.”
“Imperium” Track Listing:
01. Leave This World Behind (feat. Nils K. Rue)
02. Discordia (feat. Todd La Torre)
03. Waiting To Die (feat. Chuck Billy)
04. Blood Sacrifice Ritual (feat. Henning Basse)
05. Tarnished Dream (feat. Tim Owens)
06. Walls Of Blood (feat. Matt Cuthbertson)
07. The Fault Of Man (feat. Henning Basse)
08. Dark Lords Of Sleep (feat. Dan Cleary)
09. Junkhead (ALICE IN CHAINS cover) (feat. Lance Harvill)
10. Seven Spirits (feat. Henning Basse)
On January 25th, KING DIAMOND will release a new DVD/Blu-ray, Songs For The Dead Live, via Metal Blade Records. To celebrate this DVD/Blu-ray, a release party will take place at Saint Vitus in Brooklyn, NY on February 6th at 7PM. Featuring an appearance by Abigail, this event will include a showing of both shows from Songs For The Dead Live: Belgium’s Graspop Metal Meeting in June 2016 and Philadelphia’s Fillmore in November 2015, both of which contain a brace of classic King Diamond and Mercyful Fate tracks before launching into Abigail. To RSVP, please email: kingdiamondparty@gmail.com
There is only one King Diamond, and for more than thirty years the great Dane has been dropping classic albums and putting on shows fans remember for the rest of their lives. Perhaps the only downside to having such a formidable catalogue is that there are just too many great songs to fit into a single set. However, you would be hard-pressed to find a fan who wouldn’t want to hear 1987′s seminal Abigail in its entirety, and Songs For The Dead Live captures this, twice, and in very different locales. The performances of the all-star lineup of musicians, comprising of guitarists Andy LaRocque and Mike Wead, bassist Pontus Egberg and drummer Matt Thompson, are absolutely ferocious, hammering home every single moment.
For a preview of Songs For The Dead Live, videos for “Arrival (Live at Graspop)” and “Sleepless Nights (Live at The Fillmore)” can be viewed at: metalblade.com/kingdiamond – where Songs For The Dead Live can also be pre-ordered in the following formats:
–2DVD/CD 6-Panel Digipak
–Blu-ray (includes audio digital download of Philadelphia Show)
–opaque blue with white splatter vinyl (US retail exclusive – limited to 600 copies)
–root beer marbled vinyl (US webstore exclusive – limited to 250 copies)
–clear pale orange marbled vinyl (US webstore exclusive – limited to 250 copies)
–180g black vinyl (EU exclusive)
–transparent amber marbled vinyl (EU exclusive – limited to 700 copies)
–clear ghost white vinyl (EU exclusive – limited to 500 copies)
–orange-brown/black marbled vinyl (EU exclusive – limited to 300 copies)
–black/purple melt vinyl (Nuclear Blast exclusive – limited to 200 copies)
–orange/red marbled vinyl (Napalm exclusive – limited to 300 copies)
–clear lavender marbled vinyl (EMP exclusive – limited to 200 copies)
–clear ash grey marbled vinyl (Bengan exclusive – limited to 200 copies)
–pink blue marbled vinyl (Ebay exclusive – limited to 200 copies)
Captured on film by director Denise Korycki for Wild Wind Productions, she worked closely with King on every aspect of filming, and throughout the viewer finds themselves front and center as the shows unfold. This includes some inventive camera placement, such as riding in on the back of the wheelchair as it is wheeled out to “Out From The Asylum” at the start of the show, or looking up from the coffin at the commencement of Abigail opener “Funeral”, which adds an extra dimension to proceedings. Naturally, the theatricality that has become synonymous with King Diamond is there in full force, making for an even more immersive experience. The gothic stage set and the participation of actors playing out certain scenes tying into the songs definitely increases the drama and the sense of complete disconnect from the trappings of reality, ensuring that the shows remain riveting from start to finish.
While the setlists are virtually identical, the drastic difference in the two venues make for distinctly different atmospheres. The sweeping, epic scale of Graspop and the virtual sea of baying metalheads makes for a particularly thrilling spectacle, King holding them all in the palm of his hand. The Fillmore show is immediately more intimate, and rather than a mixed bag of metal lovers drunk on a weekend of the heavy stuff, the audience is comprised entirely of the King Diamond devout, screaming back every word, their love for their hero bleeding from every frame. Songs For The Dead Live gives those who missed out on seeing these shows in the flesh a chance to vividly experience them, offering so much deeper an experience than your run of the mill live DVD.
Graspop Metal Meeting track-listing
1. Out from the Asylum
2. Welcome Home
3. Sleepless Nights
4. Halloween
5. Eye of the Witch
6. Melissa
7. Come to the Sabbath
8. Them
9. Funeral
10. Arrival
11. A Mansion in Darkness
12. The Family Ghost
13. The 7th Day of July 1777
14. Omens
15. The Possession
16. Abigail
17. Black Horsemen
18. Insanity
The Fillmore track-listing
1. Out from the Asylum
2. Welcome Home
3. Sleepless Nights
4. Eye of the Witch
5. Halloween
6. Melissa
7. Come to the Sabbath
8. Them
9. Funeral
10. Arrival
11. A Mansion in Darkness
12. The Family Ghost
13. The 7th Day of July 1777
14. Omens
15. The Possession
16. Abigail
17. Black Horsemen
18. Insanity
Jimmy Kay from Canada’s The Metal Voice recently spoke to Former Megadeth, King Diamond guitarist Glen Drover. Drover spoke about his new Band/Project Walls of Blood and his new album Imperium which will be release February 22 2019 via Metalville. He also spoke about his days recording with Megadeth on United Abominations and King Diamond’s album House of God.
Watch the interview here:
When asked about his new project Walls of Blood
“I started this project about six years ago. What happened was for fun in between whatever I was doing at that point, I got Henning Basse (Firewind, Mayan) to sing an old Eidolon song that I’d always loved but unfortunately was destroyed by mediocre vocals. So I gave Henning the lyrics but not the original music, I didn’t want him to listen to the original melodies and he just loved it and we did the track and it came out killer. Then shortly after that I had started talking to Todd LaTorre from Queensryche and he said yeah let’s do a song. So I thought to myself you know what how about an album that’ll have multiple guest singers on it. Ten songs, ten different singers and that was the original design and that’s what ended up happening in the end. I think we did a good job and making everything sound real cohesive with all the different singers. It’s pure heavy metal, there’s some pretty heavy stuff on it you know, there’s a lot of melody too.”
When asked if he would Tour with Walls of Blood
“I compare my situation to Jake E Lee’s Red Dragon Cartel, Jake formed a band and released an album that had different singers. I think he was testing the waters, since he had not been in the industry for sometime. Then he did a tour and it turned out really positive and then on Jake’s second album he decided just to have one singer and tour. I feel the same way let’s see how it goes on this album, test the waters and then I am open to anything that makes sense in regards to touring.”
When asked what he thinks of Megadeth’s United Abomination album today
“I think it came out really well, it’s a very strong album, there are songs on there that I favour more than others of course but overall I think it’s a great album. My favorite albums by Megadeth are the first three ones, especially So far So good, So What and Peace Sells But who’s Buying.”
When asked about his experience working on the album with Dave Mustaine and if Dave sang him the solos to reproduce
“Dave I got along with him really well, he wasn’t a taskmaster with me you know I always went in very prepared. I did my homework so much that he really didn’t question a whole lot. When it came to solos I would do something and then Dave would go why don’t you try something like this. Dave was not singing all the notes in the solos he was just kind of mimicked the melodies and the flow of the tempo of the solo. That’s what it was like for me I can only speak for myself. “
“I remember doing Sleepwalker, the first song on the album. By the way, that song wasn’t going to make the album thank god it did because it’s pretty much one of the very a few up-tempo tracks because there were too many mid-tempo songs and we needed something that was going to be more of a fast. But Dave didn’t want to do it. In the end what happened was me and Andy Sneap did a demo of it and sent it to the record company and they said yeah we’re using this one. So I guess Dave was overpowered on that sorry Dave but that’s how the story went.”
When asked about his experience working on the King Diamond album House of God
“It was amazed experience. How I got the gig was as I sent an audition tape in the early 90’s to their people while I was still living at home, I was really young. King liked it and we kept in contact and then the situation came up in 1997 and he called me and said you want a job and that was that. It was great everybody got along really well together. In the studio I just went in and had a lot of fun. They flew me into to Dallas and I spent two weeks just doing all my solos. I would do three or four songs a day and then I go back to the hotel that night and work out the songs for the next day and I go in. I also had a great time touring but my lifestyle had changed, I got married and I had a kid on the way, so I couldn’t just rely on the sporadic touring that would happen here and there.”
When asked if he had any regrets leaving King Diamond and Megadeth too soon
“For King Diamond I don’t have any regrets because I’m not sure how much of a difference it really would have made after I left King Diamond, their next album was Abigail two. Yeah it that came out okay but I would say the House of God album is a little stronger. For Megadeth there was issues that came up and I had to go at that point. I couldn’t have stayed any longer because of what was going on and I didn’t have any regrets. If I stayed in there longer there might have been more problems but I I left when I had to and that was that.”
WALLS OF BLOOD, “Imperium”, contains 10 songs of “high-class power metal,” with guest appearances by some of the genre’s most acclaimed vocalists, including Tim Owens (JUDAS PRIEST, ICED EARTH), Chuck Billy (TESTAMENT), Todd La Torre (QUEENSRŸCHE) and Henning Basse (METALLIUM, FIREWIND).
Drover handled all guitars and keyboards on the album, while the drums were tracked by Scott Barrymore and bass by Chris Myles (except the songs “Discordia” and “Tarnished Dream”, which feature bass by Joe DiBiase). All music was recorded, produced and engineered by Drover at Eclipse Recording in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.
“Imperium” track listing:
01. Leave This World Behind (feat. Nils K. Rue)
02. Discordia (feat. Todd La Torre)
03. Waiting To Die (feat. Chuck Billy)
04. Blood Sacrifice Ritual (feat. Henning Nasse)
05. Tarnished Dream (feat. Tim Owens)
06. Walls Of Blood (feat. Matt Cuthbertson)
07. The Fault Of Man (feat. Henning Basse)
08. Dark Lords Of Sleep (feat. Dan Cleary)
09. Junkhead (ALICE IN CHAINS cover) (feat. Lance Harvill)
10. Seven Spirits (feat. Henning Basse)
Jimmy Kay from Canada’s The Metal Voice recently spoke to KING DIAMOND guitarist Andy LaRocque. LaRocque spoke about the new Live DVD CD/ “Songs For The Dead Live”, gave an update on the status of the new KING DIAMOND studio albums and spoke about their upcoming shows.
When asked about an update on the new King Diamond Studio album
“Right now, I’m actually composing some songs for King Diamond for the next album. It’s probably going to be two separate albums, not released with the same package. The next album will be a continuation of the first one, part one then part two.”
When asked about the Theme being about a mental institution in 1920
“Yes that’s correct yeah, to be honest I don’t really know too much about the story with exception to the the very few lines King told me so far. That would be something to talk to King about definitely you know next time you talk to him. I know it’s going to be a complete new story and it’s going to be about life and death and everything in between.”
When asked about the musical direction of the new studio albums
“I would say so far you know from what I’ve been doing I would say it’s getting back more towards the classical style of King Diamond more towards Abigail and the first couple of albums, the fans won’t be disappointed.”
When asked about the release date of the new studio albums
“It’s impossible to say but I know that King has pretty much the full story in his head already and then he has to write down all the specific lyrics and the details. So it’s impossible to say but we’re doing the best we can to finish. So far I have three songs and I’m aiming for five songs and I think King is working on around five songs.”
When asked about the making of the New live album ‘Songs for the Dead Live’ DVD/CD
“It took some time for everything to be finished and we had some technical issues that’s why it took so long. Also there are so many video angles and it takes so long to look through all the video material and shots, then there is the audio mix, it’s insane. Putting everything together just took a very long time it’s two concerts, one from the Fillmore show in Philadelphia USA and also one outdoor show from Europe in Belgium at the Graspop festival. We started recording during the US tour back in 2015, we recorded the Philly show and also the Detroit show to have a backup. We also recorded our own stuff with GoPro cameras throughout to get all the details like a camera in the coffin, a camera on the guitar, a camera behind the drummer, all the details captured. Then combining everything took a very long time.”
When asked Touring plans in 2019
“We’re focusing on trying to get some songs together for the next album and also planning to do some festival shows in Europe this summer with a new set list of course and a new stage show, we’re not doing the Abigail stuff this time around. The show is going to be completely different and hopefully we’ll get to the U.S. too.”
When asked about his memories of recording Abigail back in the 80’s
“December 1986 I think we entered the studio so we kind of knew each other pretty good at that time and we played well together since we just finished touring. So we got into the studio with good songs and it just felt great. At that the time I really think we captured a great atmosphere on the whole album that was just something magic with the songs. I felt very creative and the band was on fire, really on fire.”
KING DIAMOND DVD/Blu-ray, “Songs For The Dead Live”, will be released on January 25 via Metal Blade Records.
Graspop Metal Meeting track listing:
01. Out From The Asylum
02. Welcome Home
03. Sleepless Nights
04. Halloween
05. Eye Of The Witch
06. Melissa
07. Come To The Sabbath
08. Them
09. Funeral
10. Arrival
11. A Mansion In Darkness
12. The Family Ghost
13. The 7th Day Of July 1777
14. Omens
15. The Possession
16. Abigail
17. Black Horsemen
18. Insanity
The Fillmore track listing
01. Out From The Asylum
02. Welcome Home
03. Sleepless Nights
04. Eye Of The Witch
05. Halloween
06. Melissa
07. Come To The Sabbath
08. Them
09. Funeral
10. Arrival
11. A Mansion In Darkness
12. The Family Ghost
13. The 7th Day Of July 1777
14. Omens
15. The Possession
16. Abigail
17. Black Horsemen
18. Insanity
On January 25th, KING DIAMOND will release a new DVD/Blu-ray, Songs For The Dead Live, via Metal Blade Records.
There is only one KING DIAMOND, and for more than thirty years the great Dane has been dropping classic albums and putting on shows fans remember for the rest of their lives. Perhaps the only downside to having such a formidable catalogue is that there are just too many great songs to fit into a single set. However, you would be hard-pressed to find a fan who wouldn’t want to hear 1987′s seminal Abigail in its entirety, and Songs For The Dead Live captures this, twice, and in very different locales. Boasting eighteen songs per set, each of the two shows – Belgium’s Graspop Metal Meeting in June 2016 and Philadelphia’s Fillmore in November 2015 – feature a brace of classic King Diamond and Mercyful Fate tracks including “Welcome Home,” “Halloween,” and “Eye Of The Witch” before launching into Abigail. The performances of the all-star lineup of musicians, comprising of guitarists Andy LaRocque and Mike Wead, bassist Pontus Egberg and drummer Matt Thompson, are absolutely ferocious, hammering home every single moment.
For a preview of Songs For The Dead Live, a new video, “Arrival (Live at Graspop)”, can be viewed here:
Fans can also watch “Sleepless Nights (Live at The Fillmore)” at: metalblade.com/kingdiamond – where Songs For The Dead Live can be pre-ordered.
Captured on film by director Denise Korycki for Wild Wind Productions, she worked closely with King on every aspect of filming, and throughout the viewer finds themselves front and center as the shows unfold. This includes some inventive camera placement, such as riding in on the back of the wheelchair as it is wheeled out to “Out From The Asylum” at the start of the show, or looking up from the coffin at the commencement of Abigail opener “Funeral”, which adds an extra dimension to proceedings. Naturally, the theatricality that has become synonymous with King Diamond is there in full force, making for an even more immersive experience. The gothic stage set and the participation of actors playing out certain scenes tying into the songs definitely increases the drama and the sense of complete disconnect from the trappings of reality, ensuring that the shows remain riveting from start to finish.
While the setlists are virtually identical, the drastic difference in the two venues make for distinctly different atmospheres. The sweeping, epic scale of Graspop and the virtual sea of baying metalheads makes for a particularly thrilling spectacle, King holding them all in the palm of his hand. The Fillmore show is immediately more intimate, and rather than a mixed bag of metal lovers drunk on a weekend of the heavy stuff, the audience is comprised entirely of the King Diamond devout, screaming back every word, their love for their hero bleeding from every frame. Songs For The Dead Live gives those who missed out on seeing these shows in the flesh a chance to vividly experience them, offering so much deeper an experience than your run of the mill live DVD.
Graspop Metal Meeting track-listing
1. Out from the Asylum
2. Welcome Home
3. Sleepless Nights
4. Halloween
5. Eye of the Witch
6. Melissa
7. Come to the Sabbath
8. Them
9. Funeral
10. Arrival
11. A Mansion in Darkness
12. The Family Ghost
13. The 7th Day of July 1777
14. Omens
15. The Possession
16. Abigail
17. Black Horsemen
18. Insanity
The Fillmore track-listing
1. Out from the Asylum
2. Welcome Home
3. Sleepless Nights
4. Eye of the Witch
5. Halloween
6. Melissa
7. Come to the Sabbath
8. Them
9. Funeral
10. Arrival
11. A Mansion in Darkness
12. The Family Ghost
13. The 7th Day of July 1777
14. Omens
15. The Possession
16. Abigail
17. Black Horsemen
18. Insanity
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