King Diamond is a Danish band and vocalist, the former active since 1985 and the latter singing in the band and with a couple of prior acts dating back to mid-70s. King is one of the definitive metal singers, well-known for his wide vocal range, vivid performance, frequent falsetto, grotesque face-paint and theatrical stage persona. The band was formed when King split with seminal band Merciful Fate and joined up with a team of even more technically sound musicians, probably most notably the excellent neo-classical guitarist and ever-busy Andy LaRocque, who has produced and guested on countless albums, including the classic Individual Thought Patterns with Death, alongside his wingman duties throughout King Diamond's long career.
Probably the most interesting and unique aspect of King Diamond's music, aside from King's vocal histrionics, is the fact that the vast majority of their albums are almost like rock operas. Concept albums are not all that uncommon, but this band's records actually chronicle stories with plot-lines and characters (King plays them all, with a wide range of voices and expressions). Abigail was their second studio album and the first of these metal operas. The story is a Lovecraftian haunted house tale, where a young couple moves into the house that eventually destroys them, while spawning the evil infant, Abigail. The album is cohesive and well-performed. "A Mansion in Darkness" is probably my favorite on it, although the record's even throughout. You get a good feel for the songwriting and the vocal and instrumental style with this one, and I hope you get as much enjoyment out of it as I do. If so, make sure to give the whole work a listen.
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