Formed: 1985
From:
Copenhagen,
Denmark
Last Known Status: Active
Latest King Diamond News
Below is our complete King Diamond news coverage, including columns and articles pertaining to the band. Some articles listed may be indirectly related, such as side projects of the band members, etc.
Note: We began associating news directly with bands in late 2003. Therefore, earlier band news may not be listed on this page.
Displaying records 1 - 20 of 123 1 2 3 ... 6 7 Last
Gama Bomb Added To Bloodstock Lineup
There’s yet more thrash for Bloodstock with Northern Irish upstarts Gama Bomb landing an opening slot on the Ronnie James Dio mainstage. The band is looking forward to churning up the Catton Park turf, commenting:
“Bloodstock: it’s just like Woodstock, but for heavy metal types, and replacing the love and peace with chips and Carling! And Slayer! Our UK fans have been asking for this for years, and now the dream is real. So pack your tent, back up your arse with bananas and send the word – The G-Bomb are comin’ to Bloodstock!"
The band’s fourth album, "The Terror Tapes," will be released next Monday 22nd April on AFM Records. Check out the new video for "Terrorscope" right here.
British heavy metal standard bearers Beholder also step in to an early mainstage slot on Saturday. Frontman Simon Hall says “For Beholder to actually be asked to do this, without me dropping to my knees and pleading like a bitch is a true acknowledgment of where the band is right now. To be on the best Bloodstock line-up ever is something we’re not going to approach lightly, and on Saturday 10th August, let’s show the rest of the world how true British Metal fans rule all!!”
The currently announced lineup is: More...
Volbeat And King Diamond Offering Free Song
Volbeat's latest album, "Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies," features a guest appearance from the legendary King Diamond.
Today, King Diamond and Volbeat are pleased to release the Jacob Hansen mastered version of this track, titled "Room 24", as a FREE download gift to the fans. Get the song at this location.
The track "Room 24" features a massive coup for Volbeat with the guest appearance from King Diamond, the legendary front man of Danish metal pioneers Mercyful Fate, and one of Poulsen's musical idols. Volbeat reveals, "I'm a huge fan of Mercyful Fate and King Diamond. Having King on the record is a huge privilege. Normally, it's not something he does. He wrote his own lines, and it is half my lyrics and half his. It's a weird, scary story, and he's the perfect person for it." More...
Ten More Bands Confirmed For Bloodstock 2013
The organisers of Britain's, Bloodstock Open Air festival have announced a further ten bands for this year's edition of the event, including Bay Area thrash metal legends Exodus and Death Angel, as well as 3 Inches Of Blood, Scar Symmetry, Dying Fetus, Xerath, Bloodbound, Vanderbuyst, Scarab and The Prophecy. The event will take place at Catton Park from August 8 - 11th and will be headlined by Slayer, King Diamond and Lamb of God.
King Diamond (Headliner)
Lamb Of God (Headliner)
Slayer (Headliner)
3 Inches Of Blood
Amorphis
Accept
Anthrax
Avantasia
Bloodbound
Dark Funeral
Death Angel
Devildriver
Dying Fetus
Ex Deo
Exodus
Firewind
Fozzy
Hell
Kataklysm
Municipal Waste
Negligence
The Prophecy
Scar Symmetry
Scarab
Vanderbuyst
Whitechapel
Xerath
Slayer To Headline Bloodstock 2013
American thrash metal legends Slayer has been confirmed as the third and final headliner for next year's edition of the Bloodstock Open Air festival in Derbyshire, England. The event will take place at Catton Park from August 8 - 11th and will also be headlined by King Diamond and Lamb of God. A statement from Slayer guitarist Kerry King reads: "Can't wait to hit the stage at Bloodstock! Metal Festival in England? Fuck yes!! It's going to be hell on earth and I'm looking forward to having a party with all my British friends."
The organisers of the festival added: "We are thrilled to announce that seminal thrash metal legends, SLAYER are confirmed as the third and final headliner for Bloodstock 2013. The Californian four-piece will close the Ronnie James Dio stage on Sunday night at Catton Park, bringing their face-melting, monster riffs to the metal hordes."
The lineup for the festival is now as follows: More...
King Diamond Signs With Metal Blade
Metal Blade Records is pleased to announce that the Grammy Award nominated King Diamond has signed a new 3 album worldwide record deal. King Diamond comments:
"This is gonna be awesome! Another perfect piece of the puzzle. We have the full backup of Metal Blade, and there's an understanding between us that goes much, much deeper than before.
"Our new business setup will noticeably benefit the fans in so many ways. You must have already noticed some of all the cool new stuff that is happening. Now we can't wait to get out there and start touring again!"
Metal Blade also issued the following statement:
"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. More...
Lamb Of God To Headline Bloodstock 2013
American heavy metal outfit, Lamb Of God has been confirmed as the second headliner for next year's edition of the Bloodstock Open Air festival, closing the main stage on the second day of the festival. The organisers have also confirmed two more bands for next year in Swedish black metal veterans, Dark Funeral and Finnish heavy metal group, Amorphis, who had this to say about their performance:
"Greetings from Hell-sinki's 5K studio where Amorphis is finishing recording our forthcoming 11th album. Our agent gave us the great news that we are booked for Bloodstock Festival 2013! Bloodstock has become one of the best European metal events, so it's an honour to be part of the festival again. We promise to put on an epic show, so keep the horns up and see you at Bloodstock next summer!"
The festival will take place from August 8th- 11th in Walton On Trent, Derbyshire and will feature the following bands, with many more to be confirmed: More...
King Diamond To Headline Bloodstock 2013
The organisers of the British metal festival Bloodstock Open Air have announced that Danish heavy metal icon, King Diamond, will be one of the three headlining acts at next year's edition of the event. King and his cohorts will be closing the main stage on the first day of the festival, which will also include performances from German metal legends, Accept and Greek power metal outfit, Firewind, amongst other names yet to be announced.
Speaking on the band's performance at Bloodstock, King Diamond stated: "I'm looking so much forward to this, we all are. Finally back in England! The people at Bloodstock have gone the extra mile to make this possible, and will be expanding the stage to fit our full production. This is gonna be DARK and very HEAVY!"
The festival will take place from August 8th - 11th (no main stage performances on the 8th) and now features the following lineup, with many more bands to be announced:
King Diamond (Headliner)
Accept
Anthrax
Firewind
Fozzy
King Diamond Answers Fan Questions
King Diamond has posted a video clip online of drummer Matt Thompson answering fan-submitted questions. The video, recorded before the Summer festival season during rehearsals in Vejle, can be viewed below.
You can also check out recently posted footage of King Diamond holding a press conference at the Sweden Rock Festival here.
King Diamond Press Conference Posted Online
King Diamond, who will be appearing at the upcoming Hellfest in France this month, conducted a press conference at Sweden Rock Fest on June 8th, 2012. A 23 minute clip of the press conference has now been posted online. Check out the footage below, in which the band discusses a wind range of topics including the Swedish metal scene and Mercyful Fate.
Hellfest 2012 Lineup Finalized
The finalized lineup for Hellfest 2012 has been announced. The festival will run from June 15-17, 2012 in Clisson France. Mainstage headliners are as follows:
June 15:
Megadeth
Lynyrd Skynrd
Gotthard
June 16:
Guns N Roses
Within Temptation
June 17:
Black Sabbath
Motley Crue
Blue Oyster Cult
Other headline acts for the various stages include:
June 15: King Diamond, Cannibal Corpse, Amon Amarth
June 16: Machine Head, Entombed, Behemoth, Saint Vitus
June 17: Lamb of God, Trivium, Children of Bodom, Dimmu Borgir, Biohazard More...
Surprise King Diamond Performance Clips Posted
Clips from a surprise King Diamond performance were posted up on YouTube today. King appeared at Tree's in Dallas on January 27, 2012, where he announced the winners and presented the awards for the 5th annual Nomad Recording Showcase Throwdown. The showcase benefited the Blue Star Connection charity.
King went on to perform "The Family Ghost," "Burn" and "Evil," much to the surprise of the crowd. The makeup-less King Diamond performed with a band featuring Michael Harris on guitar, Neil Brincks on bass, J.T. Longoria on guitar, and Matt Thompson on drums.
Check out the clips here:
King Diamond Announces Two Festival Performances
King Diamond makes his majestic return to the stage at Sweden's Rock Festival and France's, Hellfest . King Diamond states on Hellfest's official Web site that he will be headlining the Mainstage 2 on Friday, June 15th, 2012. Blabbermouth.net has confirmed his June 9th, 2012 appearance at Sweden Rock Fest in Sölvesborg, Sweden.
Andy LaRocque, Hal Patino, Matt Thompson and Mike Wead provide the music for King Diamond's horror show.
Headline News
King Diamond Announces Return To Stage
Metal legend King Diamond will return to playing concerts. The official King Diamond/Mercyful Fate Website, Coven Worldwide, issued a statement regarding new booking agents. King Diamond will use Nick Storch at ICM for booking concerts in North and South America, and Paul Ryan of the Agency Group to book Europe and the Rest of the World.
King comments: More...
OpEd
Heavy Metal Done Holiday Style
There are easily hundreds of heavy videos that fit the Halloween mood, but the Christmas holiday doesn’t get nearly as much love from the metal world. But never fear, metal doesn’t disappoint, and there are a few bands that have gone the extra mile and released videos to help get you through the uncomfortable family gatherings, drunk quarreling siblings, and even the off-key caroling. So whether you’re a die-hard celebrant who can’t sleep all night until Christmas morning or a scrooge with a “bah humbug!” on your lips, check out these video clips to keep your holiday fully metal.
Twisted Sister – “O Come All Ye Faithful”
Twisted Sister is notorious for awesomely cheesy videos with ridiculous opening segments, and covering a Christmas classic certainly wasn’t going to change that. Enjoy it for the amazingly goofy guy happily spreading Twisted Sister cheer, the rocking rendition of an old holiday standby, or even just enjoy it for the dancing MILF!
Metallica Footage With Mercyful Fate Posted
King Diamond, who underwent major heart surgery in 2010, joined Mercyful Fate members Hank Shermann, Timi Hansen and Michael Denner and Metallica on stage in San Francisco at the long 30th Anniversary celebration to perform the legendary Mercyful Fate song "Satan's Fall" and a medley.
A video of the performance can be seen here:
Glen Drover "Betcha Can't Play This" Video Posted
Glen Drover's new "Betcha Can't Play This" video segment featured in Guitar World Magazine has been posted online. You can check out the instructional video, his second for the magazine, in the player provided below.
Critical Solution Reveals New EP Tracklisting
Critical Solution has revealed the tracklisting for its upcoming EP "Evidence Of Things Unseen." The new five-track EP was recorded at Andy La Rocque's Sonic Train studios in Varberg, Sweden. You can view the EP's tracklisting below.
1. Dead Man Walkin'
2. Sad Hill
3. Crime Of Passion
4. Seek And Destroy (Metallica cover featuring Andy La Rocque)
5. War Machine
King Diamond Posts Health Update
King Diamond's wife, Livia has posted a message online regarding the health of her husband, following his recent triple bypass. Her message reads as follows:
"Hi Everyone,
"Some of you have been asking for an update on King's health, so I thought I'll write what's been going on.
"King has just finished his cardiac rehabilitation program this past Friday, and graduated with flying colors. Thanks to the wonderful people at the rehab center, his exercise regimen help him gain a lot of muscle, and start on the road of building up good endurance. We will start regular exercises now to get the endurance up to nice levels.The examinations by his heart surgeon and cardiologist revealed that his health is steadily improving, and they all expect him to feel better than ever, 15 years younger than he really is. More...
OpEd
Have A Heart: Pro-Love Heavy Metal Music
Happy Hallmark card day everyone! Whether you're spending today with your loved one or your right hand, there's no denying that romance will be all around you today. Turn on the radio and you're likely to hear Lionel Richie's "Hello" or some other such soppy rubbish which you'll be told all day is a "classic." So why should we at Metal Undergound.com be any different? While there's never been one countdown that everyone agrees with, I'm going to take you through ten hard rock and heavy metal songs that I feel express the positive side to this strange phenomenon we call love.
For the opposite side of the spectrum, you can also check out our ode to anti-love metal as well.
10. Anal Cunt - "In My Heart There's A Star Named After You"
Yes you read that right correctly, the first song in our countdown is by the masters of offensive grindcore, Anal Cunt. You wouldn’t expect the band that wrote, "I Pushed Your Wife In Front Of The Subway" and "Women: Nature’s Punching Bag" to be included here, but the band actually wrote a whole album dedicated to the subject of love, albeit a very tongue in cheek one. Here’s the last song from the "Picnic Of Love" album, "In My Heart There’s A Star Named After You." It may seem a little silly to include in this list, but isn't love a silly old thing in the end?
9. KISS - "I'll Fight Heaven To Hold You"
We don’t want to overload this countdown with soppy ballads that belong is bad 1980s movies, so we’ll be leaving "Beth" way out of this. Instead, here’s a love song by KISS that covers all the usual topics traditionally found in ballads, but rocks hard. KISS have never been afraid to talk about love (as well as what Gene Simmons considers love, let's not mention "Lick It Up" here,) and more often than not, they could really pull off a great love song, which they've definitely done here, though not in the traditional way. From the "Crazy, Crazy Nights" album, this is "I’ll Fight Hell To Hold You."
Column
Sunday Old School: BMHM Part 2. King Diamond
As many people are aware, February is Black History Month in the United States of America. Always one to respect cultures and take part in something, we here at MetalUnderground.com are dedicating this month to the history of Black Metal. We will be looking at some of the biggest names in the genre, those who helped to shape it and some of the promising younger black metal bands in the underground.
It seems every genre of music has it’s great storytellers. Country music has Johnny Cash, folk rock has Bob Dylan, Hip-Hop has Slick Rick and heavy metal? We have King Diamond. King Diamond, (born Kim Bendrix Petersen in Copenhagen, Denmark,) and his image have become one of the iconic staples of metal music, being one of the first heavy metal performers to popularise the black and white face paint which is so common today, particularly in black metal, a genre which King helped launch with his previous band, Mercyful Fate, as well as his eponymous band, which he launched in 1985 with the single, "No Presents For Christmas."
Following the single’s release, the King Diamond band released their first album, "Fatal Portrait," on which five of the songs told a short story about a spirit being imprisoned in a candle. The album is notable for being only one of two King Diamond albums that are not complete concept albums. It gained the band a following, which strengthened tenfold when the group released their next studio album, "Abigail," widely considered to be the best album King Diamond has recorded. This album was solely dedicated to telling the story of a young couple who arrive at a mansion and discover the macabre history the house possesses. A new album followed the next year, simply entitled, "Them," which contained the song, "Welcome Home," perhaps the band’s most well known song, not least for it’s inclusion in the Kevin Smith comedy film, "Clerks 2." A sequel named, “Conspiracy” was released in 1989. Both albums were well received by fans but garnered a lukewarm reception from critics and were the last King Diamond albums recorded with drummer Mikkey Dee, now a member of Motorhead. More...
