Metal Blade Records founder and CEO Brian Slagel spoke with Canada’s The Metal Voice about the progress of songwriting sessions for new studio albums from both KING DIAMOND and THE FATE OF THE NAME. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “I had a really good conversation with [King Diamond, who fronts both KING DIAMOND and MERCYFUL FATE] the other day and he is working on both KING DIAMOND and THE FATE OF THE NAME. I may have heard a demo or two that sounded really, really good.
“I do not know when any of these records will come out, too King likes to do things at his own pace, “he explained.” It’s like, ‘Hey, whatever works for you is just fine with me.’ But I was very happy with what I have heard so far. So hopefully everyone will be pretty happy.
“THE FATE OF THE NAME doing a lot of festivals this summer – knocking on wood – as long as they are not canceled. And then they play too Psycho [Las Vegas] party in Las Vegas, which I think will definitely be the only American date. There is a possibility that there may also be a Canadian date somewhere along the line here. But we’ll see.
“But a new one is coming KING DIAMOND record, I hope, in 2023. And there will be a new one too THE FATE OF THE NAME record soon-ish. “
Last month, King said he was working on lyrics for the long-awaited new album from his namesake. With the title “Institute”the group’s first studio LP in 15 years is tentatively next year via Metal blade.
Back in November 2019, KING DIAMOND released his first new song in 12 years, “Masquerade of Madness”. A month later, guitarist Andy La Rocque told The metal voice that he came with the music for the song first before passing it on to King, who “needed to arrange a few things and change just a few small things to make it work with his vocals. And then of course he wrote the lyrics to it,” the guitarist revealed. “We saw [went] a little back and forth until he felt, ‘Okay, that’s cool, man. This is the right key to sing in, ‘and all that.’
skirtsif real name is Anders Allhagetold The metal voice that the preliminary plan is to release “Institute” as “a single album” as part of a two-LP horror concept story, with the second part arriving at a later date. Andy also discussed his vision for the new KING DIAMOND album, and said it will be filled with good “tunes, of course. Super important. Without tunes, there is no music,” he explained. “I also envision a more organic sound of the album. If you look back at the older albums, when Mikkey [Dee] played [drums for the band], for example, it’s kind of up and down in pace, and that makes it dynamic and also organic. So that’s one thing I’ll definitely want to hear on the next album. But by building a dynamic, kind of organic feel, the drummer is a really important thing here, of course. And I know that Matt Thompson [current KING DIAMOND drummer] is the right guy to do this, for sure. “
In March 2019, King told Full metal Jackie‘s nationally syndicated radio show that the next album from his namesake will be “absolutely gruesome” with a story set in a psychiatric institution in the 1920s. “I chose it because I think it’s a very scary scenario,” he explained. “And some of the things that are going on that we want to show on stage are also things that were definitely going on back then when medicine started to take a beneficial turn in history and was actually able to help people live longer. But there were also some experiments that were absolutely horrific. Some of it is involved in the story, but it’s something completely different. here? What is this really about? ‘ Because there is a completely different story that first comes to you in the second part. But in the first part you will get to know a lot of people in a certain place … Some of it takes place here, this world, and some of it takes place in a parallel world. And there’s a connection between what happened to me and what happens to some people in this place and where they suddenly show up. And you will find out why they are there, how they look there and the places. down the road. I do not want to say too much right now, but it will be very scary. “
KING DIAMOND received one Grammy nomination in the category “Best Metal Performance” for the track “Nevering Hill” from the band’s last album, 2007’s “Give me your soul … thank you”.
“Give me your soul … thank you” sold 4,500 copies in the United States in the first week after release to debut at No. 174 on The Billboard 200 chart.
KING DIAMOND released a DVD / Blu-ray, “Songs for the dead live”in January 2019 via Metal Blade Records. The set captures 1987’s groundbreaking “Abigail” album in its entirety, twice and in very different places: Belgium Graspop Metal meeting in June 2016 and Philadelphia Fillmore in November 2015. The performances feature KING DIAMONDs current band, consisting of guitarists skirts and Mike Weadbassist Pontus Egberg and Thompson.
THE FATE OF THE NAME‘s latest studio album, “9”arrived in 1999.
The band’s current lineup includes King Diamond, Hank Shermann on guitar, Bjarne T. Holm on drums, Mike Wead on guitar, and Joey Vera (ARMED SAINT, FATE WARNING) on bass.
In 2019, it was announced Vera would replace the original THE FATE OF THE NAME bassist Timi Hansen for the band’s summer 2020 European festival performances due to Hansencancer diagnosis. Hansen died in November 2019 and THE FATE OF THE NAME2020’s summer festival appearances have since been rescheduled to 2021 and then to 2022 due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.