The King is dead, long live the King! "King Diamond," the unstoppable
force, the legend, the dynamic bringer of evil, gets a much deserved
tribute from his many legions of followers in this exemplary collection
of the King's greatest gifts to mankind. Even he himself couldn't
have thought that after all these years, in the wake of the collapse of
the original Mercyful Fate, that breaking on his own could have led to
such an immense influence amongst today's Black Metal elite.
Not to be undercut however, this latest tribute features not only the likes of
Sweden's Dark Funeral, who do a ripping rendition of "The Trial," or
the aggressive Death Squad In Aeternum doing "Abigail," but how about
Destiny's End, led by former Helstar vocalist James Rivera, raining down
their windswept storm of traditional metal on the unlikely "Dressed in
White?"
Some of the highlights here, aside from hearing some of
Extreme Metal's most intense performers suck it up and actually
condition themselves to emulate the greatness of the original, include
Usurper's version of "Charon" from "The Fatal Portrait" release,
Aurora, also hailing from the same state of disgrace as the King
himself - or Denmark - who do a blazing version "Eastmann's Cure" from the
"Conspiracy" album. And if you're questioning why, don't! This one's a
searing rendition of an outstanding cut that if it doesn't cure you,
it'll kill ya!
Fallen Empire, however, and yes, I couldn't have said it
better myself, does indeed turn some heads on their cover of one of
"Voodoo's" supreme offerings, "The Exorcist!" As we skim further below
the surface here, many of the obvious choices are of course on display
in full black splendor, but aside from some of the already mentioned
obscurities, it's a venomous mix of old, new and everything in between
from the best of underground - literally, rising briefly on their night
wings to pay homage to the undisputed leader of black magic and
blasphemy. The Devil gets his due after all!
