I came in expecting heavy metal and theatricality, and boy, King Diamond did not disappoint by any stretch of the imagination. The Danish heavy metal vocalist and his powerhouse band, along with full stage production and on-stage cast, invaded San Francisco last Tuesday evening to perform the band's sophomore record in full, Abigail, a concept record laced with a classic haunted house story.
This show's special guests were the one and only Exodus. That's right, THE Exodus. The original thrash metal pioneers from the Bay Area. The energy level was immediately kicked up to ten as these guys took the stage. I had seen them once before back in April. They didn't disappoint them, and they certainly didn't let me down now. The band played for what felt like nearly an hour; pure classic heavy metal the way it should be played: fast, loud, aggressive, and without mercy.
Nearly 45 minutes pass by, and the lights go down. Fog billows across the stage as the opening track emanates through the speakers. The band take their place, and King Diamond appears as an old corpse-like women in a wheelchair rolls out on stage, helping bring the tale of the songs. His signature falsetto vocal range erupts from his vocal chords as the crowd screams the words with him. Strangely enough, he doesn't open with the performance of Abigail, but with a number of other King Diamond classics, in addition to three Mercyful Fate tracks ("Evil", "Melissa", and "Come To The Sabbath").
The opening to "Funeral" begins, and we realize that what has preceded us has all been a build up for the main attraction, a high stakes, brutally theatrical performance of King Diamond's masterpiece of a second record. Fans leaving that evening were not disappointed.
This has been another Shameless Promotion.