Hellride Music - KING DIAMOND – The Puppet Master

This my review for King's new album (from www.metal-invader.com)

KING DIAMOND – “The Puppet Master”
(Massacre)
Total Time: 55:50

KING DIAMOND is one of the bands that I grew up listening to. As a teenager during the 80’s, KING DIAMOND’s music left its mark on me with albums like “Fatal Portrait”, “Abigail”, “Them” and “Conspiracy”. I still consider those albums monumental and some of the best in the history of heavy metal (not to mention the MERCYFUL FATE albums that preceded them). Accordingly, I feel like there is a special bond linking me with this band, and therefore every new King Diamond release (whether it’s with his band or MERCYFUL FATE) is a very special event for me. A little more than a year has passed since 2002’s controversial “Abigail II” (which only as a story proved a worthy sequel to the original “Abigail” as musically it was way inferior) and King returns with his 11th album titled “The Puppet Master”. Yes, you guessed right it’s another concept album from the horror master. Well, the news are very good indeed. In my opinion “The Puppet Master” is easily the best KING DIAMOND album since 1990’s “The Eye”! King Diamond always maintains an excellent level in his albums in terms of musicianship, vocal performance and song arrangements. So what makes “The Puppet Master” so special that it stands out from the albums he released in the last 13 years? It simple, the compositions are much better. Inspiration is a strange and vague thing but it seems that King and Andy La Roque (who once again share the credits for the album’s music, with Andy’s input increased this time) had a lot of it this time. Just listen to songs like the title track, “Magic”, “Blue Eyes”, “The Ritual”, and “Blood to Walk” (to name a few) and you’ll see what I mean. The riffing is fascinating, King’s vocal harmonies, melodies and theatrical performance are simply alluring, and the song structures and arrangements can only described as divine. This time King got everything right at the same time. The songs are multi-dimensional without being wearisome, while the atmosphere generated by the music and lyrics, although based in horror, touches almost all human emotions, such as fear, surprise, sorrow, anger without being predictable. I don’t know how to put it otherwise, but musically “The Puppet Master” is the most Europe-oriented album that King has produced for many years, if you know what I mean. The album is also characterised by the female vocals employed in many songs and the extensive use of keyboards (more than usual). Regarding the soloing and guitar leads no comments are needed as the combined efforts of Andy La Roque and Mike Wead are guarantees of melody, skill and quality. As I said earlier the quality musicianship is a constant in all King’s albums so there is no need to expand on that. The conceptual theme of a KING DIAMOND release is an inextricable part of each album as it contributes to the album’s feeling and often hints the directions that the music should follow to produce a successful combination. Once again King comes up with an extraordinary blood-curdling horror story, which can also be partly considered as a love story (!!!) as it contains many such elements. It takes place in Budapest on the 18th century and is appropriately set on Christmas time (“there’s no presents, not this Christmas”). I will stop here because I don’t want to spoil the experience of following the story by listening to the songs. I will just say that it’s one of the most original and compelling stories he has come up with. Well, I am almost finished with the review except one thing. The god-damn rating! Well it’s one of those times that it’s really difficult to decide. Normally, a release of such quality should get a 5 or 5.5 out of 6. Yet I’ll give it a 4.5 for two reasons. Firstly, there is some recycling of musical ideas and melodies included. Although this is inevitable in the case of an artist as peculiar and prolific as King Diamond (who with his band and MERCYFUL FATE combined has released 20 albums in 21 years), it still is a negative. Secondly, King with his releases in 1986-1990 period has himself set extremely high standards, based on which his albums thereafter are judged. Nevertheless, this album is easily in the year’s top releases. After FORCE OF EVIL’s impressive debut release the fans of the KD/MF family have one more major reason to celebrate. The King is on the incline again!
4.5/6
Themis “the invisible guest” Pamfilos