King Diamond performed to a sold out crowd in NYC after a four-year North American hiatus.

In the winter of 2010, our lovable Satanist, King Diamond, put his musical career on hold due to multiple heart attacks which required triple bypass surgery. Since then, he made an appearance with Metallica in 2011, and the following year performed at the Sweden Rock Festival after recovery. However, not much was done in the form of a North American tour.

After the announcement from one of the architects of Black Metal was going to perform no one expected his only NYC performance sold out in less than three hours.

Opening the night was Jess and The Ancient Ones hailing from Finland. The band performed well and was a good lead up to King Diamond. They have a lot of potential to be a great band. Their sound is unique and comparable to Grace Slick mixing Coven with a hint of Ghost BC and DevilsBlood.

The stage was the exact scale from the Wacken Festival. The Sigel of Baphomet hung beautifully with inverted crosses on each side of it. The devil had paid it’s dues and we waited, anticipating, with our devil horns raised in the air along with our cellphones. The red, blue, and green lighting reminded me of the Third Circle of Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy.

King Diamond opened his set up with a classic, the The Candle from the Fatal Portrait album. He sang from behind the stage cemetery gates for the first few songs. This added to the vaudeville element to his performance. The crowd was given the chance to meet grandma during the song “Welcome Home.” While the band played little from Abigail and Them, they did perform the Grammy Nominated track, “Never Ending Hill” from Give me your Soul.

Those in attendance were fortunate to witness a special rendition of Merciful Fate’s “Evil” and “Come to the Sabbath.” Rarities like “Eye of the Witch” and “Puppet Master” were played for to the delight of older fans. Diamond ended the night with the sinister sounding song, “The Black Horsemen.”

With the night over, many had witnessed heavy metal history and were elated King Diamond is back and healthy. The future seems bright for him and all will be waiting for him to once again conquer The Big Apple.

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King Diamond:
Website | Facebook | Twitter

Jess and the Ancient Ones:
Website | Facebook

Kind Diamond sSe list: The Candle, Sleepless Nights, Welcome Home, Never Ending Hill, Let It Be Done, The Puppet Master, At the Graves, Tea/Digging Graves/A Visit from the Dead, Evil (Mercyful Fate cover), Come to the Sabbath (Mercyful Fate cover), Shapes of Black, Eye of the Witch, Cremation, The Family Ghost, Black Horsemen, and Insanity.

About The Author

Anya was born and raised in Donestk, Ukraine, and emigrated to NYC when she was 8 years old. In her early teens she discovered Power Metal and many artists from the European metal scene. Her passion for photography grew from her concert experiences. There is nothing more exciting than capturing those small moments on stage that musicians have with their instruments. She enjoys taking photos from the crowd and is not afraid to step into mosh pit to take photos of the fans in action. Photography has influenced Anya in other ways. When she's not in the photo pit she can be found teaching preschool where photography is a big part of my daily curriculum. Photography is more than a hobby it is a passion, which allows her to combine all her interests into one.