Utterly possessed. King Diamond's old band belt out true black metal, not afflicted by the reaching for under-production for shock value, this is sharp, dynamic metal for the kids who truly want to worship the horned one. At once creepy, grim, nightmarish and yet oh so professional, this exists on a diet of blood and candle wax, the King screaming, screeching and grimacing through the Gothic caverns. Echoing through the speakers are demonic wails, searing guitars and drums which sound like phantom hooves entering the passageway.
When I first got into metal I thought King Diamond was some kind of gimmick until I heard the fiery yells of his constructed hell. Forget Judas Priest, this is real metal for the occult-obsessed lunatics. 'Come To The Sabbath' creaks like one of those Dennis Wheatley novels your dad used to read, meanwhile 'The Oath' reeks of that early Iron Maiden stench that so many kids had invade their nostrils. Black smoke billows from the stereo, witches scrape at the windows and King Diamond's spooky lore goes in through one ear, and embeds itself in the human psyche like some kind of parasite. One moment thrash, the next a creeping gargantuan spider of darkly sweet flickering. Ghastly, ghoulish and yet pure metal through and through. Made for the black circle of vinyl. And that, dear metallers, is what you call an album cover!
8/10
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