King Diamond - Fatal Portrait (1986)

'Fatal...' is the debut album by the lord of creepiness King Diamond and his band of unmerry monks and ghouls who have carved a career out of theatrics. Without a doubt King Diamond is probably the only metalhead to continue with the horror theme on a successful basis, but I'm sure as hell that some people would've taken an age to get used to those high pitched cries of Mr Diamond, and there are some who find those shrill wails to uneasy on the ear. For me, King Diamond have always been what metal should always be about, those pure molten guitars, those Gothic atmospherics and haunting melody and vocal. 'Fatal...' would prove to be the start of something big for these guys, and whilst not as Satanic as Mercyful Fate, KD still conjure dark spirits and ectoplasm. 'Fatal...' offers us nine solid tracks which are drenched in Gothic grandeur and made all the more bone shuddering by Andy LaRocque's sublime guitars and those ground shaking drums of Mikkey Dee. KD have surfed the wave of mid '90s grunge and never once strayed from their horror-themed path, always attempting to create nightmarish plots and hideous characters amidst those metal screams. King Diamond as a vocalist is unique, although I originally found his style inaccessible, but such was the Hammer Horror style of subject that I found myself drawn into his theatre of terror. KD tell stories through their songs, almost as if a horror film is coming to life in the music, and creating such conceptual ideas is no easy task, but KD have made a career out of their Satanic tales. A perfect soundtrack to any night in by the glow of a full moon... 7.5/10