In a brand new interview with the Heavy Demons radio present, KING DIAMOND guitarist Andy La Rocque spoke concerning the band’s forthcoming horror trilogy, half considered one of which is titled “Saint Lucifer’s Hospital 1920”. He mentioned (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “We began to file issues earlier than the final U.S. tour. And we nonetheless have quite a lot of issues to file, so we’re engaged on that too, and we’re gonna proceed with that as quickly because the European tour is over. So, we have been actually busy with every little thing.”
Elaborating on the KING DIAMOND songwriting course of, Andy mentioned: “[I] just about [come up with] an entire demo with a programmed drum monitor and a few keyboards on and a few rhythm guitars. And I attempt to make my demos as full as potential with every little thing — aside from the vocals, after all — however generally even with some solos that we will use on the album even, and the best guitar sounds, and hopefully the best keyboard sounds too. Relating to King‘s [Diamond, KING DIAMOND‘s namesake frontman] stuff, he is somewhat extra primary with just a few of the issues. For instance, the guitars — he lets me re-record the guitars. After which I put solo on, after which Pontus [Egberg], the bass participant, places the bass on and all that stuff. So it is somewhat bit completely different, nevertheless it’s fairly full anyway, from his facet. You completely perceive what he desires with the texture and the environment of the track. And as soon as that is performed and we’re okay with the association and stuff, we ship that out to the opposite members within the band to allow them to begin recording. For instance, Matt [Thompson, KING DIAMOND drummer] has his personal recording studio in Dallas, the place he lives. So when he will get the demo from us, he simply mutes the drums, put his drums on, and sends it to me so I can repair the drums and arrange sound on every little thing. Similar with the bass participant and in addition with Mike [Wead], the opposite guitarist — sort of the identical process. And as soon as the drums are performed and we’re okay with every little thing, King is doing the vocals. In order that’s about it. After which, after all, we will go in and alter just a few issues too. If one thing must be added or modified — a rhythm half on the guitar or solo; no matter must be modified — we will try this every time. So it is a fairly artistic process.”
KING DIAMOND launched its spring/summer time 2025 European tour on June 4 on the Sweden Rock Pageant in Sölvesborg, Sweden.
The band’s lineup for the present trek consists of King Diamond on lead vocals, Andy La Rocque and Mike Wead on guitars, Pontus Egberg on the bass, and Matt Thompson on drums. Greek feminine vocalist Hel Pyre, who beforehand performed bass for NERVOSA, is dealing with backing vocals on the trek.
La Rocque not too long ago instructed Finland’s Chaoszine concerning the progress of the songwriting and recording periods for KING DIAMOND‘s subsequent LP: “Proper after the [fall 2024] U.S. tour, we talked about, ‘Okay, let’s simply take a brief break and we begin engaged on the following few songs instantly,’ as a result of we now have many of the songs like a demo factor of many of the songs. However then we had some points with… I am not gonna go into that, however there have been some illnesses, folks had been sick for a very long time, after which the time simply ran out sort of factor. After which we needed to begin planning the European tour [for the summer of 2025]. It is, like, ‘Wow.’ We now will, after going again from this European summer time tour, we’ll simply have a brief break after which return into recording the stuff.”
Requested if all of the lyrics for the following KING DIAMOND album have been written, Andy mentioned: “[KING DIAMOND frontman and namesake has] obtained all of the concepts in [his head]. A variety of lyrics are already performed. He is obtained every little thing in [his head]. A variety of small Put up-it notes in every single place with lyric traces and stuff like that. The entire story is just about there. So we simply want to start out recording the music in a correct means. And we have got demos of quite a lot of issues. I imply, I feel I’ve seven or eight songs sort of already. Demo wants to alter, drums want to alter, just a few issues, we may use that. However King additionally has quite a lot of concepts and songs. So we’ll see what number of of my songs will find yourself on the album — perhaps three, perhaps 4. I do not know. We’ll see. However we now have quite a lot of music, that is for certain.”
Elaborating on the KING DIAMOND songwriting course of, Andy mentioned: “I’d say me and King write the music. That is how we would like it to be. And we attempt to write it as full as potential once we current it to one another. Generally it is not full — it is like a guitar riff, perhaps a click on monitor or a drum machine. And generally it is sort of full, aside from we’d like actual drums on it as a result of normally on the demos it is like a programmed drum machine, issues like that. Generally I play the bass, and we would like [KING DIAMOND bassist] Pontus [Egberg] to play the bass, after all, however for the demos [I sometimes play the bass] to get the whole image of what we would like. And in addition I attempt to make as a lot of the keyboards as potential too. And identical with King. After which once we assume that, ‘Okay, this could be track,’ so we’ll ship it to one another. After which we begin doing association. King can name me and say, ‘I feel it is best to simply take that half out or double that part as a result of that is actually good.’ In order that’s how we work out issues. And perhaps I can inform him, like, ‘That solo part or that part of the track is admittedly good to play a solo on, so perhaps we will use that as a substitute of what but have.’ Issues like that, arrangement-wise.”
Andy additionally talked concerning the new KING DIAMOND songs “Electro Remedy” and “Spider Lilly” which had been first carried out through the band’s fall 2024 U.S. tour. He mentioned: “We had been sort of performed with these songs. That is why we determined to attempt to play them dwell and see the way it works out. And that is what we did. So, for instance, ‘Spider Lilly’ is gonna be on the album. And we play that dwell. And it is also launched on video. So, yeah, that is how we do it. We do not have to attend for a complete album. We thought, ‘We have to put out one thing now for the followers.'”
In the course of the chat, La Rocque addressed his earlier remark that he needed the following KING DIAMOND album to have a extra natural sound, just like the way it was on a few of the band’s early efforts. Requested if he and his bandmates should do quite a lot of “tweaking” within the studio to realize this sound, Andy mentioned: “Not likely. That is what we do not do that time round. We do not do quite a lot of tweaks to it. It is natural additionally in the best way of the enjoying is just not like copied and pasted, stuff like that. It is extra relaxed play. And there could be some belongings you hear which can be like, ‘Oh, yeah…’ We’re gonna preserve that… As a result of that is what we had again within the ’80s too once we recorded an album. Every little thing wasn’t good — extra natural, and never every little thing triggered and sound like everybody else. However we would like a extra acoustic, sort of extra of the acoustic drums, and stuff like that, to make it somewhat bit extra natural. It would not should be good in every single place. It is good, however some issues may not be 100%, solely 99.99, what I am saying? However that is additionally to make every little thing like a extra free or natural really feel to it. After all it is gonna be good. We do not launch something that we’re not pleased with.”
As for when “Saint Lucifer’s Hospital 1920” may see the sunshine of day, Andy mentioned: “We now have been speaking about we now have to have it recorded earlier than Christmas. That is the plan we now have. Then if somebody will get sick or no matter occurs, then if that is not the case, we’ll see. However that is the plan we now have. We now have to file every little thing by Christmas. So which means it is popping out subsequent spring.”
On the subject of KING DIAMOND‘s touring plans in help of “Saint Lucifer’s Hospital 1920”, Andy mentioned: “I do not know. Perhaps subsequent fall [we will be back on the road]. I do not know but. We do not actually have any plans with that but. We’ll see. When the album’s performed, we’re gonna begin engaged on a brand new cycle, so that features touring. However hopefully, sure.”
In a separate interview with Fistful Of Steel journal, King said concerning the standing of the long-awaited new KING DIAMOND album: “Effectively, for starters, the unique title that we had picked was ‘The Institute’. Nonetheless, that has now modified to, ‘St Lucifer’s Hospital 1920’, for the reason that begin of the U.S. tour. There very nicely could also be a monitor on the album referred to as ‘The Institute’. We had been speculated to launch the album this yr, and actually the album was speculated to be utterly completed previous to the dwell reveals, however I simply need to make it possible for it is the most effective materials I’ve ever launched. Proper now, we’re gearing as much as movie the following video for the only ‘Lobotomy’, which will certainly be launched later this yr. Different songs which can be accomplished are an intro monitor referred to as ‘Below The Floor’, ‘The Institute’, ‘The Nun’, ‘Faceless’ and, after all, ‘Spider Lilly’. There’s one other monitor, which I am undecided goes to be on the album but, referred to as ‘Deep In The Darkness 1920’. Andy has been engaged on not less than 5 tracks, considered one of which has as monster refrain that we plan to file with a choir. The plan is that this album would be the first of a trilogy, and I have already got all three album titles.”
Final December, KING DIAMOND launched a studio model of “Spider Lilly”. It was a first-time mixing collaboration with Arthur Rizk, who additionally mastered the monitor. The music and lyrics had been written by King Diamond.
The official music video for “Spider Lilly” was directed by My Good Eye Visuals. A part of the clip was filmed on the very haunted Pennhurst Asylum outdoors of Philadelphia on a journey day through the band’s 2024 North American tour, two days earlier than Halloween. It was solely King himself and actress Jodi Cachia who may take part on that particular day, along with producer David Brodsky, Allie Woest and their crew.
KING DIAMOND carried out “Spider Lilly” dwell for the primary time on the kick-off live performance of the band’s 2024 North American headlining tour, which launched on October 15 at Boeing Heart at Tech Port in San Antonio, Texas. The “Saint Lucifer’s Hospital 1920” trek ran via December 6 in Dallas, Texas. Assist got here from OVERKILL and NIGHT DEMON. Further backing vocals for the KING DIAMOND set had been offered by the particular visitor Myrkur.
In November 2024, the KING DIAMOND reveals in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada (November 20 at Edmonton Conference Heart),Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada (November 21 at TCU Place),Calgary, Alberta Canada (November 22 at Gray Eagle Occasion Centre),Portland, Oregon (November 24 at Keller Auditorium) and Seattle, Washington (November 25 at The Moore Theatre) had been canceled on account of “unexpected circumstances”.
In October 2023, KING DIAMOND launched a music video for the 2019 single “Masquerade Of Insanity”. The clip was directed by David Brodsky and Allison Woest of My Good Eye Visuals.
A month after KING DIAMOND launched “Masquerade Of Insanity” in November 2019, La Rocque instructed The Steel Voice that he got here up with the music for the monitor first earlier than passing it off to King, who “wanted to rearrange just a few issues and alter only a small few issues for making it work along with his vocals. After which, after all, he wrote the lyrics for it,” the guitarist revealed. “So we [went] somewhat forwards and backwards till he felt like, ‘Okay, that is cool, man. That is the best key to sing in,’ and all that.”
KING DIAMOND acquired a Grammy nomination within the “Greatest Steel Efficiency” class for the monitor “By no means Ending Hill” off the band’s final album, 2007’s “Give Me Your Soul … Please”.
“Give Me Your Soul … Please” bought 4,500 copies in the USA in its first week of launch to debut at place No. 174 on The Billboard 200 chart.
KING DIAMOND launched a DVD/Blu-ray, “Songs For The Lifeless Stay”, in January 2019 through Steel Blade Data. The set captured 1987’s seminal “Abigail” album in its entirety, twice, and in very completely different locales: Belgium’s Graspop Steel Assembly in June 2016 and Philadelphia’s Fillmore in November 2015. The performances featured KING DIAMOND‘s present band, comprising of guitarists La Rocque and Mike Wead, bassist Pontus Egberg and Matt Thompson.
