King Diamond is a Danish heavy metal band formed in 1985 by vocalist King Diamond, guitarists Andy LaRocque and Michael Denner, bassist Timi Hansen, and drummer Mikkey Dee. Diamond, Denner and Hansen had recently left Mercyful Fate and formed a new band using the King Diamond name, which had already been associated with Diamond during the early years of Mercyful Fate. Since the band's formation, more than fifteen musicians have been members of King Diamond at various times. Diamond is the only remaining original member, while LaRocque remained with the band until 2026. The current line-up consists of Diamond, guitarists Mike Wead and Gus G, bassist Pontus Egberg, and drummer Matt Thompson.
King Diamond has released twelve studio albums, two live albums, two extended plays, five compilation albums, and five singles. The band's debut album, "Fatal Portrait", was released in 1986, followed by the concept album "Abigail" in 1987. Three further albums, "Them" (1988), "Conspiracy" (1989), and "The Eye" (1990), were released before the band became inactive around 1992, when Diamond, Denner and Hansen reunited with Mercyful Fate. Diamond reformed King Diamond in 1994 and subsequently divided his recording and touring activities between the two bands for much of the 1990s. Mercyful Fate became inactive again in the early 2000s. King Diamond's studio output subsequently became less frequent, with "Give Me Your Soul...Please" released in 2007, while the band continued to perform live and work on new material.
Vocalist King Diamond, guitarist Michael Denner, and bassist Timi Hansen formed King Diamond in 1985 after leaving Mercyful Fate because of musical differences between Diamond and guitarist Hank Shermann. According to Diamond, the new band was named King Diamond because the name was already known through Mercyful Fate and could assist the band in obtaining recording agreements. Swedish drummer Mikkey Dee and guitarist Floyd Konstantin were initially recruited to complete the line-up. Konstantin was dismissed two weeks before recording the debut album and was replaced by Swedish guitarist Andy LaRocque.
In July 1985, King Diamond began recording its debut album at Sound Track Studio in Copenhagen. The band released its debut single, "No Presents for Christmas", on 25 December 1985. "Fatal Portrait", produced by Rune Höyer and Diamond, was released through Roadrunner Records on 14 March 1986. It reached number 33 on the Swedish album chart and was followed by the single "Halloween", released on 6 June 1986.
King Diamond began recording its second studio album at Sound Track Studio in December 1986. "Abigail" was released on 29 May 1987 and was the band's first concept album based on an original story by Diamond. Its sole single, "The Family Ghost", was accompanied by the band's first music video. "Abigail" reached number 39 in Sweden, number 68 in the Netherlands and number 123 on the Billboard 200. Following the album's release, Denner left the band because of the demands of touring and was replaced by Mike Moon for the supporting tour. During the tour, the band recorded the live album "In Concert 1987: Abigail", which was officially released in 1991.
Following the "Abigail" tour, Moon and Hansen were replaced by Pete Blakk and Hal Patino, respectively. King Diamond released "Them" on 18 July 1988. Recorded at M.M.C. Studio in Copenhagen, the album was another concept album and reached number 38 in Sweden, number 65 in the Netherlands and number 89 on the Billboard 200. It became the band's highest-charting album in the United States at the time. The single "Welcome Home" was accompanied by a music video. On 1 November 1988, the band released the extended play "The Dark Sides", which contained previously released material and one previously unreleased track.
After the tour supporting "Them", Dee left the band. He returned to perform on the next album before being replaced by Snowy Shaw. "Conspiracy" was released on 21 August 1989 and reached number 41 in Sweden, number 64 in the Netherlands and number 111 on the Billboard 200. It continued the storyline introduced in "Them" and was the band's first album recorded in the United States. Recording took place at Rumbo Recording Studios in Canoga Park, California. A music video was produced for "Sleepless Nights".
King Diamond began recording "The Eye" at Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen in June 1990. The album was released on 30 October 1990 and reached number 179 on the Billboard 200. Shaw performed the drum parts using drum pads. The band did not tour in support of the album because of limited support from its record label. Following the album's release, Patino and Blakk were replaced by Sharlee D'Angelo and Mike Wead, respectively. This line-up did not record an album, as Diamond reunited with Mercyful Fate in 1992.
King Diamond reformed in 1994 after Diamond had recorded and toured with Mercyful Fate. Diamond, LaRocque, guitarist Herb Simonsen, bassist Chris Estes and drummer Darrin Anthony recorded the band's next album between September and October 1994. "The Spider's Lullabye" was released on 6 June 1995 through Metal Blade Records. It was the band's first album for the label and its first studio album since "Fatal Portrait" that was not a concept album. The album reached number 31 in Finland.
King Diamond began recording its seventh studio album at Dallas Sound Lab in March 1996. "The Graveyard", released on 1 October 1996, marked a return to concept albums and reached number 23 in Finland. Following its release, Anthony left the band after a car accident and was replaced by former Chastain drummer John Luke Hebert.
On 24 February 1998, King Diamond released "Voodoo", which reached number 27 in Finland and number 55 in Sweden. Following the album's release, Simonsen was replaced by Glen Drover. After Mercyful Fate became inactive in 1999, King Diamond recorded "House of God" at Nomad Recording Studio in Carrollton, Texas, with bassist Paul David Harbour, who had replaced Estes. Released on 20 June 2000, the album reached number 60 in Sweden. Following its release, Drover, Hebert and Harbour were replaced by Wead, Matt Thompson and Patino, respectively.
King Diamond began recording its tenth studio album at Nomad Recording Studio in May 2001. "Abigail II: The Revenge" was released on 29 January 2002 and continued the story of "Abigail". It was the first King Diamond album since "The Eye" to feature Patino, who rejoined during the recording process. The band did not tour in support of the album because Metal Blade was unable to provide tour support, which the label attributed to illegal downloading. The album reached number 24 in Finland and number 42 in Sweden.
On 21 October 2003, King Diamond released "The Puppet Master", which reached number 36 in Sweden. The album featured additional vocals by Diamond's wife Livia Zita. During the subsequent tour, the band recorded the live album "Deadly Lullabyes", released on 21 September 2004.
In April 2006, Dee, then a member of Scorpions and formerly of Motörhead, appeared as a guest at King Diamond's sold-out concert in Gothenburg, Sweden. On 26 June 2007, the band released "Give Me Your Soul...Please". The album reached number 25 in Finland, number 28 in Sweden and number 174 on the Billboard 200. The song "Never Ending Hill" received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Metal Performance. A music video was produced for the title track.
In late November 2010, Diamond was hospitalised after experiencing several heart attacks. Doctors found that three of his arteries were blocked, and he subsequently underwent triple bypass surgery. He later returned home to recover. According to his wife, Diamond subsequently stopped smoking, changed his diet and began exercising regularly.
On 27 January 2012, Diamond appeared at the fifth annual Nomad Recording Studio Throwdown, where he performed "The Family Ghost", "Evil" and "Burn". On 9 June 2012, King Diamond performed at the Sweden Rock Festival, where Diamond was joined on stage by Michael Denner, Hank Shermann, Mikkey Dee and Volbeat vocalist Michael Poulsen. Diamond stated that the band expected to begin writing its thirteenth studio album later that year.
On 19 July 2014, the band announced that Patino had been dismissed and was replaced by Pontus Egberg, formerly of Lion's Share and the Poodles. In October 2014, King Diamond announced the compilation album "Dreams of Horror", which was released in November through Metal Blade Records and covered material from throughout the band's career. Egberg became an official member of the band in December.
King Diamond participated in the 2015 Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival, which ran from 26 June to 2 August. At the 8 July concert in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Diamond performed without his usual face paint because of an eye infection. In October 2015, the band began a United States tour with Exodus during which it performed "Abigail" in its entirety.
By 2018, King Diamond had begun work on its thirteenth studio album, which was planned as the first part of a two-part project. The first part was initially announced under the title "The Institute" before being renamed "Saint Lucifer's Hospital 1920". Its release was delayed several times from an initially planned 2020 release date. The first single associated with the project, "Masquerade of Madness", was released for streaming on 8 November 2019. On 25 January 2019, the band released its first live DVD and Blu-ray, "Songs for the Dead Live". The band subsequently toured North America with Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats and Idle Hands.
On 15 October 2024, during a concert at the Port Authority in San Antonio, Texas, King Diamond performed the previously unreleased songs "Spider Lilly" and "Electro Therapy". The tour was supported by Overkill and Night Demon, and Myrkur joined the band on keyboards. Myrkur also appeared on the studio recording of "Spider Lilly", which was released as a single on 17 December 2024. The song was the first single from the planned "Horror Trilogy", with "Saint Lucifer's Hospital 1920" announced as its first instalment.
During the summer of 2025, King Diamond undertook a European tour. Some dates were cancelled after Diamond contracted strep throat. In November 2025, Diamond received a lifetime honour from the Danish Arts Foundation for his contributions to Danish art and cultural life. The honour included an annual grant of 189,000 Danish kroner.
In March 2026, LaRocque stated that King Diamond hoped to release "Saint Lucifer's Hospital 1920" later that year. In June 2026, he said that the release date had not been determined and that work on the album was continuing. On 24 July 2026, the band announced that LaRocque had left King Diamond and that Gus G, known for his work with Firewind and Ozzy Osbourne, had joined the band as his replacement. In September 2026, Diamond stated that the band's new album was scheduled for release in 2028.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Diamond_(band)
Studio albums
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 (2028)
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…shrink me down again