King Diamond

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.

Few bands of the era offered as much variety in material from night to night. King Crimson’s propensity for improvisation & fondness for playing its newest material – often unreleased on record at the time of the concerts - is legendary. Fewer bands still, whether by accident or design, recorded so many of their live shows…

An appropriate album for this time of year particularly as we edge closer to Halloween, THEM’s sophomore release, “Manor of the Seven Gables,” attempts to capture that atmosphere. It must first be said that this is my first experience hearing the band so the review will surely reflect that. Skip this paragraph if you are already familiar with THEM. Vocalist Troy Norr originally formed the band in 2008 as a tribute band to KING DIAMOND. The band achieved quite a bit of success including performing shows with Mike Wead and Hal Patino from KING DIAMOND’s band. Now the band is centered around a concept idea of Norr’s with a six-person band assembled including keyboards to really add to the effect of the music particularly when performing their unique live show…