Fresh Blood. Now Give Us the Album.
King Diamond has been one of my favorite bands for over twenty years, so a lineup shakeup this big gets my full attention. And here’s my honest reaction: if fresh blood is what it takes to finally shake a new album loose, then bring it on.
In a massive shift for the band, Andy LaRocque is out after forty years. Guitar virtuoso Gus G. (Firewind, ex-Ozzy Osbourne) steps in as his replacement, and the band says he’ll compose, record, and tour going forward. LaRocque didn’t just play guitar in King Diamond. He co-wrote the entire catalog, including monuments like Abigail, “Them”, and Conspiracy. That is not a small chair to fill.
Here’s a hot take while we’re at it: I enjoy King Diamond more than Mercyful Fate. No disrespect to Mercyful Fate, who I caught live a few years back and who were incredible. But King Diamond the band is the one I keep coming back to, and LaRocque is a huge reason why.
So this is a big deal, and it might also be a clue. King Diamond’s last album, Give Me Your Soul…Please, came out in 2007. Nearly twenty years ago. They’ve been promising the Saint Lucifer’s Hospital 1920 horror trilogy for what feels like forever. A change at the guitar chair this significant could be exactly why that record has kept teetering on the edge of release. The announcement doesn’t say whether Gus G. is writing for the new album, but I kind of hope he is.
Because Gus G. is an incredible player. He held down lead guitar for Ozzy for years when Zakk Wylde stepped away, and I saw that lineup live. Phenomenal. If this is King Diamond bringing in fresh blood to finally get the new music across the finish line, here’s to hoping we hear it soon.
Source: King Diamond (official announcement, Metal Blade Records)