King Diamond
Encyclopedia
Kim Bendix Petersen better known by his stage name King Diamond, is a Grammy Award
nominated Danish
heavy metal
musician
. As a vocalist, he is known for his extensive vocal range, in particular his usage of falsetto
. He is the lead vocalist for both Mercyful Fate
and the eponymous King Diamond
. In 2006, Hit Parader
voted him as the 85th greatest heavy metal
vocalist of all time.
. It was during this time in Black Rose that King Diamond began experimenting with horror themed theatrics as well as shaping a malevolent quasi-Satanic stage persona. In 1980, he left Black Rose and joined the punk-metal band Brats
where he met Hank Shermann
. Soon after, the two of them were asked to help Michael Denner
(also formerly a member of Brats) with his own project Danger Zone. This band included Timi Hansen
and the mentioned musicians would join with King Diamond in 1980 to become Mercyful Fate
.
and the subsequent tour (which saw them play in the U.S. for the first time), King Diamond split ways with Mercyful Fate. With him, he took two of his bandmates (Hansen and Denner) to pursue a solo career under his own name.
Mercyful Fate reunited in 1992 (while King Diamond simultaneously continued his solo career) and recorded five more studio albums. In 2000 King decided to put Mercyful Fate on hold and continue on with his solo career. Though Mercyful Fate continues to remain dormant, the band is still under contract with Metal Blade Records
. Also in 1999, King Diamond and Hank Shermann performed the song Mercyful Fate with Metallica live. This performance also has King Diamond without his famous makeup. In recent interviews, King Diamond has stated that Mercyful Fate will record and tour again when the timing is right, saying "It's definitely not finished."
. In 2004, King Diamond contributed vocals to "Sweet Dreams", which was the final track on the album of Dave Grohl's
heavy metal side project Probot
. In late 2005, King Diamond appeared on the Roadrunner United
- The All-Star Sessions album, contributing vocals for his song "In the Fire", which featured multiple Roadrunner Records musicians (past and present) working together to create individual songs. King Diamond also guested on the Cradle of Filth
song "Devil Woman" in late 2005.
In April 2006, King reunited with Mikkey Dee
(Motörhead drummer) at a sold-out gig at Kåren in Gothenburg, Sweden. In 2001 King referred to Dee as "one of the best drummers of all time and that's something that has bothered us since he left."
King Diamond released his album Give Me Your Soul... Please, on June 26, 2007. Following the release the band received a Grammy nomination in the "Best Metal Performance" category for the track "Never Ending Hill". He was forced to cancel a United States tour due to a herniated disk, causing severe back pain, which puts him in intense pain almost all of the time. He attributes the problem to the long stressful hours spent working on the album.
King Diamond made an appearance at Ozzfest
on August 9, 2008 at Frisco, TX alongside Metallica
, performing a medley of Mercyful Fate
songs previously released on Metallica's Garage Inc.
album. Earlier in the day, he also performed a cover of the Pantera
song "A New Level" with Vinnie Paul
, Scott Ian
, Max Cavalera
, and Nick Bowcott.
In 2009, King Diamond was revealed to be a character for the rhythm game
Guitar Hero: Metallica
, appearing with Mercyful Fate's song "Evil".
On November 29, 2010, King Diamond was taken to hospital, where they discovered several blockages in his arteries due to his heavy smoking habit. They determined that he had several heart attacks and that he needed triple-bypass surgery
. The surgery was performed successfully. On December 11, 2010 it was announced that he was at home recovering. All his musical projects will be on hold for the time being.
King Diamond has changed the design of his make-up often over the years. With Conspiracy, he wore a mesh of black and white line war paint, with some red "blood" made to look like a wound coming out of his forehead. With his album The Puppet Master, he used very little white and mainly had black inverted crosses going up and down his face.
, David Byron
, Alice Cooper
, Ronnie James Dio
, Ian Gillan
, Ozzy Osbourne
and Robert Plant
as his primary influences.
In an interview on public television, King Diamond stated "Religion is a very individual personal thing and nobody in here believe in the same thing anyway. We're individuals and because of that have different thoughts, different feelings, different needs. You've got to respect that in people you know. So I respect you whether you're Buddhist, Christian
, Catholic
, it doesn't matter you know. I never judge people by religious beliefs, never have, and I think everyone should feel good about their life. Believe in Christ
? Stick to it is all I can say. If you have a good thing going man, stick to it. We're talking belief here and there's not a thing you can grasp and say 'Ok, look here I have proof here that what I say is right'."
and Give Me Your Soul... Please
, as well as during live performances. She is also his business partner, and is currently working with him to compile old footage for two planned DVD releases of King Diamond
and Mercyful Fate
live performances. She also helped him make remastered editions of the King Diamond albums The Spider's Lullabye
, The Graveyard, Voodoo
and House of God
.
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
nominated Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
. As a vocalist, he is known for his extensive vocal range, in particular his usage of falsetto
Falsetto
Falsetto is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous edges of the vocal folds, in whole or in part...
. He is the lead vocalist for both Mercyful Fate
Mercyful Fate
Mercyful Fate was a Danish heavy metal band from Copenhagen. Initially active from 1981 to 1985, they reunited in 1992. The band went on hiatus again in 2000, when frontman King Diamond decided to continue his solo career...
and the eponymous King Diamond
King Diamond (band)
King Diamond is the heavy metal band that King Diamond formed after the split up of his heavy metal band Mercyful Fate, and the departure of Hank Shermann. He was joined by most members of the then defunct Mercyful Fate. The Satanic focus was replaced by a focus on horror stories...
. In 2006, Hit Parader
Hit Parader
Hit Parader is an American music magazine focusing on the genres of hard rock, pop, and heavy metal.The magazine was originally started as a pop song lyric magazine by Charlton Publications in 1942. Charlton sold off the magazine before the company went under in 1991...
voted him as the 85th greatest heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
vocalist of all time.
Early days
King Diamond's first heavy rock band was called Brainstorm (1974–76), with Jeanette Blum (Jean Blue) vocal and bass, Michael Frohn (Mike West) guitar and Jes Jacobsen (Jesse James) drums. King Diamond left Brainstorm and began singing with a local Danish hard rock band Black RoseBlack Rose (band)
Black Rose was a Danish hard rock / heavy metal band with King Diamond on vocals. The band was started in 1979, largely inspired by bands such as Judas Priest , Deep Purple and Golden Earring. King Diamond already had a very theatrical stage act, for which he later got fame in Mercyful Fate...
. It was during this time in Black Rose that King Diamond began experimenting with horror themed theatrics as well as shaping a malevolent quasi-Satanic stage persona. In 1980, he left Black Rose and joined the punk-metal band Brats
Brats (band)
Brats was a Danish band formed in 1977 as a punk band. Original line-up featured Hank Shermann on guitar, vocalist Franz De Zaster, drummer Eddie Haircut and bassist Mickey Rat...
where he met Hank Shermann
Hank Shermann
Hank Shermann is a Danish heavy metal guitarist. He began playing guitar in 1977.Shermann is best known for his work with Mercyful Fate, a band influential on Metallica. He has also played with the groups Brats, Fate, Zoser Mez, Gutrix, Virus 7, and his last main focus, Force Of Evil...
. Soon after, the two of them were asked to help Michael Denner
Michael Denner
Michael Denner is a Danish heavy metal guitarist.Denner is a fourth generation musician. Denner is known for playing a Gibson Flying V guitar. He lists his inspirations as Uli Jon Roth, Michael Schenker and Ollie Halsall. He was a member of Mercyful Fate and King Diamond amongst others...
(also formerly a member of Brats) with his own project Danger Zone. This band included Timi Hansen
Timi Hansen
Timi "Grabber" Hansen is a Danish bass player. He played in the Danish heavy metal band Mercyful Fate from 1981 to 1985 and from 1992 to 1993, and King Diamond from 1985 to 1987.He plays with his finger rather than a guitar pick....
and the mentioned musicians would join with King Diamond in 1980 to become Mercyful Fate
Mercyful Fate
Mercyful Fate was a Danish heavy metal band from Copenhagen. Initially active from 1981 to 1985, they reunited in 1992. The band went on hiatus again in 2000, when frontman King Diamond decided to continue his solo career...
.
Mercyful Fate
Following Mercyful Fate's 1984 release of Don't Break The OathDon't Break the Oath
-Personnel:*King Diamond - Vocals, Keyboards, Harpsichord*Hank Shermann - Guitars*Michael Denner - Guitars* Timi "Grabber" Hansen - Bass*Kim Ruzz - Drums...
and the subsequent tour (which saw them play in the U.S. for the first time), King Diamond split ways with Mercyful Fate. With him, he took two of his bandmates (Hansen and Denner) to pursue a solo career under his own name.
Mercyful Fate reunited in 1992 (while King Diamond simultaneously continued his solo career) and recorded five more studio albums. In 2000 King decided to put Mercyful Fate on hold and continue on with his solo career. Though Mercyful Fate continues to remain dormant, the band is still under contract with Metal Blade Records
Metal Blade Records
Metal Blade Records is a record label which was founded by Brian Slagel in 1982. The U.S. corporate office for Metal Blade is located in Agoura Hills, California. It also has offices in Arizona, Germany, Japan, Canada, and the UK. The label is distributed in the U.S. by Sony BMG Music...
. Also in 1999, King Diamond and Hank Shermann performed the song Mercyful Fate with Metallica live. This performance also has King Diamond without his famous makeup. In recent interviews, King Diamond has stated that Mercyful Fate will record and tour again when the timing is right, saying "It's definitely not finished."
King Diamond
In 2001, King Diamond worked out a deal with the band Usurper to sing backup vocals on the song "Necronemesis" in exchange for them shifting their recording schedule around to accommodate the recording of Abigail II: The RevengeAbigail II: The Revenge
- Credits :*King Diamond – Vocals, Keyboards*Andy LaRocque – Guitar, Keyboards*Mike Wead – Guitar*Hal Patino – Bass*Matt Thompson – Drums*Kol Marshall – Additional Keyboards, Strings and Harpsichord...
. In 2004, King Diamond contributed vocals to "Sweet Dreams", which was the final track on the album of Dave Grohl's
Dave Grohl
David Eric "Dave" Grohl is an American rock musician, multi-instrumentalist, and singer-songwriter who is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter for Foo Fighters; the former drummer for Nirvana and Scream; and the current drummer for Them Crooked Vultures...
heavy metal side project Probot
Probot
Probot was a heavy metal side project of ex-Nirvana drummer and Foo Fighters rhythm guitarist and lead-singer Dave Grohl. An album was recorded out of the material and released in February 2004...
. In late 2005, King Diamond appeared on the Roadrunner United
Roadrunner United
Roadrunner United was a project organized by the heavy metal record label Roadrunner Records to celebrate its 25th anniversary. It culminated in an album released worldwide on October 11, 2005, entitled The All-Star Sessions...
- The All-Star Sessions album, contributing vocals for his song "In the Fire", which featured multiple Roadrunner Records musicians (past and present) working together to create individual songs. King Diamond also guested on the Cradle of Filth
Cradle of Filth
Cradle of Filth are an English extreme metal band, formed in Suffolk in 1991. The band's musical style evolved from black metal to a cleaner and more "produced" amalgam of gothic metal, symphonic black metal, and other extreme metal styles, while their lyrical themes and imagery are heavily...
song "Devil Woman" in late 2005.
In April 2006, King reunited with Mikkey Dee
Mikkey Dee
Micael Kiriakos Delaoglou , better known as Mikkey Dee is a drummer/songwriter in the Heavy metal band Motörhead. A Swede of Greek descent, he has been known for his speed and precision since his mid-80s stint with King Diamond.- Early life :Delaoglou began his musical career with local bands...
(Motörhead drummer) at a sold-out gig at Kåren in Gothenburg, Sweden. In 2001 King referred to Dee as "one of the best drummers of all time and that's something that has bothered us since he left."
King Diamond released his album Give Me Your Soul... Please, on June 26, 2007. Following the release the band received a Grammy nomination in the "Best Metal Performance" category for the track "Never Ending Hill". He was forced to cancel a United States tour due to a herniated disk, causing severe back pain, which puts him in intense pain almost all of the time. He attributes the problem to the long stressful hours spent working on the album.
King Diamond made an appearance at Ozzfest
Ozzfest
Ozzfest is an annual festival tour of the United States featuring performances by many heavy metal and hard rock musical groups. It was founded by Ozzy Osbourne and his wife Sharon Osbourne, both of whom also organize each yearly tour with their son Jack Osbourne...
on August 9, 2008 at Frisco, TX alongside Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
, performing a medley of Mercyful Fate
Mercyful Fate
Mercyful Fate was a Danish heavy metal band from Copenhagen. Initially active from 1981 to 1985, they reunited in 1992. The band went on hiatus again in 2000, when frontman King Diamond decided to continue his solo career...
songs previously released on Metallica's Garage Inc.
Garage Inc.
-Disc two:These tracks are a collection of B-sides from artists Metallica were inspired by, throughout the early years of the band.-Personnel:* James Hetfield – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, lead guitar on "Whiskey In the Jar"...
album. Earlier in the day, he also performed a cover of the Pantera
Pantera
Pantera was an American heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas. Formed by the Abbott brothers, Vinnie Paul and Dimebag Darrell in 1981, bassist Rex Brown would join in late 1981 with vocalist Terry Glaze. Looking for a new and heavier sound, Pantera had Terry replaced in 1987 with Phil Anselmo as...
song "A New Level" with Vinnie Paul
Vinnie Paul
Vincent Paul Abbott, also known as "Vinnie Paul" is a heavy metal drummer and producer who is currently a member of supergroup Hellyeah, but is best known for being a member, and co-founder, of the heavy metal band Pantera...
, Scott Ian
Scott Ian
Scott Ian Rosenfeld , better known by the stage name Scott Ian, is an American musician, best known as the rhythm & lead guitarist for the heavy metal band Anthrax. Ian is also the guitarist and a founding member of the crossover thrash band Stormtroopers of Death...
, Max Cavalera
Max Cavalera
Massimiliano Antonio "Max" Cavalera is a Brazilian singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He was the lead singer and rhythm guitarist for the heavy metal band Sepultura, before forming Soulfly in the late 1990s...
, and Nick Bowcott.
In 2009, King Diamond was revealed to be a character for the rhythm game
Rhythm game
Rhythm game or rhythm action is a genre of music-themed action video game that challenges a player's sense of rhythm. Games in the genre typically focus on dance or the simulated performance of musical instruments, and require players to press buttons in a sequence dictated on the screen...
Guitar Hero: Metallica
Guitar Hero: Metallica
Guitar Hero: Metallica is a music video game developed by Neversoft and distributed by Activision. The game was released in North America on the PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360 on March 29, 2009 and on PlayStation 2 on April 14, 2009, with a European release in May 2009...
, appearing with Mercyful Fate's song "Evil".
On November 29, 2010, King Diamond was taken to hospital, where they discovered several blockages in his arteries due to his heavy smoking habit. They determined that he had several heart attacks and that he needed triple-bypass surgery
Coronary artery bypass surgery
Coronary artery bypass surgery, also coronary artery bypass graft surgery, and colloquially heart bypass or bypass surgery is a surgical procedure performed to relieve angina and reduce the risk of death from coronary artery disease...
. The surgery was performed successfully. On December 11, 2010 it was announced that he was at home recovering. All his musical projects will be on hold for the time being.
Stage presence
On stage, King Diamond uses a microphone handle consisting of a femur bone and a tibia bone in the shape of a giant chunk of smegma. King Diamond had previously used a human skull, called Melissa, on stage. In the mid-1980s Melissa was stolen after a performance in the Netherlands.King Diamond has changed the design of his make-up often over the years. With Conspiracy, he wore a mesh of black and white line war paint, with some red "blood" made to look like a wound coming out of his forehead. With his album The Puppet Master, he used very little white and mainly had black inverted crosses going up and down his face.
Influences
King Diamond cites Arthur BrownArthur Brown
-Association footballers:*Arthur Brown , English international football inside right who played for Aston Villa in the 1870s and 1880s....
, David Byron
David Byron
David Byron -Early Life 1967-1969:From mid-60's to early 70's David Byron did a lot of session work for a company called Avenue Recordings singing lead and backing vocals...
, Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
, Ronnie James Dio
Ronnie James Dio
Ronald James Padavona , better known as Ronnie James Dio, was an American heavy metal vocalist and songwriter. He performed with, amongst others, Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Heaven & Hell, and his own band Dio, which means God in Italian. Other musical projects include the collective fundraiser...
, Ian Gillan
Ian Gillan
Ian Gillan is an English rock music vocalist and songwriter, best known as the lead singer and lyricist for Deep Purple. During his career Gillan also fronted his own band, had a year-long stint as the vocalist for Black Sabbath, and sang the role of Jesus in the original recording of Andrew Lloyd...
, Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...
and Robert Plant
Robert Plant
Robert Anthony Plant, CBE is an English singer and songwriter best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the iconic rock band Led Zeppelin. He has also had a successful solo career...
as his primary influences.
Religion
King Diamond stated that he does not follow any specific religion, although he previously professed himself as a Satanist in the past, and expressed concern that religion has led so many people to kill and destroy each other. He stated that he cannot comprehend why religion has caused so much death and destruction when it is logically impossible to prove the presence or absence of any god. He states that he has reached a point in his life where he has completely given up believing in anything religious.In an interview on public television, King Diamond stated "Religion is a very individual personal thing and nobody in here believe in the same thing anyway. We're individuals and because of that have different thoughts, different feelings, different needs. You've got to respect that in people you know. So I respect you whether you're Buddhist, Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
, Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
, it doesn't matter you know. I never judge people by religious beliefs, never have, and I think everyone should feel good about their life. Believe in Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
? Stick to it is all I can say. If you have a good thing going man, stick to it. We're talking belief here and there's not a thing you can grasp and say 'Ok, look here I have proof here that what I say is right'."
Marital status
King Diamond is married to Livia Zita, a Hungarian-born singer who has made appearances as a backup vocalist on the albums The Puppet MasterThe Puppet Master (album)
The Puppet Master is an album by King Diamond released in 2003. A limited edition includes a DVD on which King Diamond is telling the story of The Puppet Master...
and Give Me Your Soul... Please
Give Me Your Soul...Please
Give Me Your Soul...Please is a concept album by King Diamond released on June 26, 2007. The album's concept and cover art are both based on a painting titled "My Mother's Eyes." The black cat featured in the album is based on King's own cat, Magic....
, as well as during live performances. She is also his business partner, and is currently working with him to compile old footage for two planned DVD releases of King Diamond
King Diamond (band)
King Diamond is the heavy metal band that King Diamond formed after the split up of his heavy metal band Mercyful Fate, and the departure of Hank Shermann. He was joined by most members of the then defunct Mercyful Fate. The Satanic focus was replaced by a focus on horror stories...
and Mercyful Fate
Mercyful Fate
Mercyful Fate was a Danish heavy metal band from Copenhagen. Initially active from 1981 to 1985, they reunited in 1992. The band went on hiatus again in 2000, when frontman King Diamond decided to continue his solo career...
live performances. She also helped him make remastered editions of the King Diamond albums The Spider's Lullabye
The Spider's Lullabye
-Personnel:*King Diamond - vocals, keyboards*Andy LaRocque - guitars, keyboards*Herb Simonsen - guitar*Chris Estes - bass*Darrin Anthony - drums...
, The Graveyard, Voodoo
Voodoo (King Diamond album)
Voodoo is a concept album by King Diamond. The album was released in 1998. The album cover is drawn by Kristian Wåhlin.The album was remastered by Andy LaRocque and was re-released in 2009.-Plot:...
and House of God
House of God (album)
-Credits:*King Diamond - Vocals*Andy LaRocque - Guitars*Glen Drover - Guitars*David Harbour - Bass guitar*John Luke Hébert - Drums...
.
Awards
- 2008- Grammy nominationGrammy AwardA Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
in the "Best Metal PerformanceGrammy Award for Best Metal PerformanceThe Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance was an award presented at the Grammy Awards to recording artists for works containing quality performances in the heavy metal music genre...
" category for the track "Never Ending Hill".
External links
- Coven Worldwide – Official website
- The U.S. Coven
- King Diamonds Image Factory
- The Temple of the King
- The Darkness Coven
- The Spanish Coven
- The French Coven
- The Turkish Coven
- Interviews with King Diamond band members Mikki Dee, Pete Blakk, and Andy LaRocque