Fatal Portrait

For all its similarities, King Diamond the band is a stylistic departure from the classic Mercyful Fate sound - the songs get shorter, less progressive and more defined (verses and choruses, the like) and the lyrical themes change from the occult to full-fledged ghost stories. Or possessed chains. Or puppet masters... Admittedly, King Diamond is a more grandiose, more theatrical sound to Mercyful Fate's outright diabolical facet but still retains the latter's classic bits: King's signature falsettos (now used more often and in various ranges), great songwriting, and immaculate guitar leads. Fatal Portrait, being their first album, acts like a bridge between the classic Mercyful Fate era that preceded it and the classic King Diamond era that succeeded it, in the sense that it's a slight mix of both the styles and seems experimental in its execution - Halloween with its main riff chugging along the length of the song is very Mercyful Fate-like but the other songs fall in line with what is essentially the later King Diamond sound.

It's not a completely conceptual album - only four of the eight songs are dedicated to this young dead girl's story, which is pretty chilling and one of King Diamond’s more underrated ones. Also because he is playing a range of characters as that of the narrator and the girl child this time, and even other entities on the non-conceptual songs, he experiments a lot with his vocals, singing in a certain voice one moment, then switching to a completely different one the other. It seems to work for the better part but also comes across as slightly awkward and out of place at times. You can attribute this to the vocal shifts being sudden and, sometimes, abrupt, meaning that you'll be least prepared when it happens, thus blighting your initial listening experience. This is especially highlighted on the shorter non-conceptual songs like Dressed in White and Charon, or even Haunted, which is related to and concludes the main story. If you want to get accustomed to King's vocal style, then Abigail and The Eye best serve that purpose; Fatal Portrait does not seem like the ideal starting point to get into the band.

The album starts off strong - the first three songs lend it more than half its credibility and elevate to make it a good listening experience already. The organs, keyboards and synthesisers take center stage, initially at least, to realise the story's demands and there's stronger emphasis on atmosphere to accentuate that feeling of eerie and spookiness. They do accomplish that effect, but whether it sounds legitimately scary or stupidly cheesy depends on your train of thought; I think I occupy the middle ground here. The production may be a bit muffled but it amplifies the atmospheric traits and has an odd charm to it. King's vocal harmonies play a huge role too, and he actually sounds majestic and mesmerising on choruses, where his falsettos lend a certain melody to the sound that's unique only to him and his style. I think The Jonah captures that essence beautifully and is also my personal favourite song here - its progressive composition builds up nicely, and the riveting outro with its never-ending stream of slower, atmospheric riffs has an almost hypnotising effect on you.

In comparison, other songs seem pretty straightforward, with prominence on King Diamond's signature trait: guitar melodies. Abundance of them. The leads go from being graceful and elegant on the longer songs to frenetic yet soulful on the shorter ones. There's no dearth of badass riffs that are plenty fast and traverse between power and speed metal styles and sometimes in line with traditional heavy metal. Mickey Dee's ever-present behind the drums to breathe immeasurable gusto into the sound and while his moment under the sun as a monstrous force of nature wouldn't come until Abigail, the sheer power he lends to the music here is what made King Diamond an absolute unit of a band in its early years. On the other hand, Timi Hansen with his basslines maintains a restrained approach of less is more for the better part of the album but hearing him rip it apart in concurrence with the final guitar melodies on The Portrait is one of metal's many delights and probably my favourite moment on the album. Skeptical Mercyful Fate fans rejoice, you have not been let down!

But let down you may be once the story takes a pause and the shorter songs come into play, as the album then begins to lose some steam. Mind you, these are pretty fun songs in isolation but their awkward placement makes them seem somewhat directionless and abrupt, now not seeming a collective unit as an album but rather as individual songs with varying directions. It's a minor, and maybe a very personal, niggle and most people may not notice or care altogether. And it does not seem to shroud the good bits, of which there are plenty. Mercyful Fate may have been the beginning of the legend but King Diamond is what made them boys a household name - one couldn't argue the appeal and novelty of evocative and saturated album covers, chilling and well-written story concepts, creepy and iconic characters, and whimsical, over-the-top concerts. Fatal Portrait is the embodiment of all that - a fantastic debut in nearly every way that laid the foundation for the band's future, and even better, classics.

Although I've always dug Mercyful Fate's first pair of albums, still have much to discover in terms of King Diamond's total output, whether it's with his former Danish cohorts or all out on his ever twisted lonesome. Such a devilish adventure begins with Fatal Portrait, recently brought to my dormant attention by a fellow regal bower whose legendary archival quest has only just begun.

I'd heard the spooky tales about Abigail - next female protagonist in line after skeletal Melissa - but it's fitting my first audience with the royal mastermind consists of the 1986 classic, sure to spur following encounters often mentioned as essential listening to the ruminating metal head on the street. (If anything, I'm left musing if modern day Swedes Portrait took their cue from its stark moniker...) Let's now toss a coin to the eponymous Ferryman in order to venture further down this dark yet energetically yowled rite of passage.

Unsurprisingly, things begin to the tune of gloomy keys and disjointed wailing, courtesy of you-know-who, before longest starting track properly settles into a rangy stride of tail-gunned guitar and perniciously tumbling drums, thus settling the album's expected melancholic tone. Worth noting, while the main rhythmic riffs on Melissa and Don't Break The Oath won me over for all time in respect to Mercyful Fate - one of the coolest band names this side of purgatory - the leads throughout Fatal Portrait are simply downright killer, making me hop in a frenzy, foaming at the mouth in anticipation of such old school axe wizardry. In short, each track features some kind of long lost and nostalgic bout of stirringly cathartic finger work.

Wicked song titles aside, Fatal Portrait rules from cloaked head to toe; there's no shortage of winners here, while its creepy artwork perfectly presages the overt funereal rockiness found tucked away within its cobwebbed nooks and crannies. Finally, even if it'd take several repeat listens to further dissect and analyze this nightmarish fun fair of groovy nocturnal anthems, the first spin instantly compelled me to crawl out of my cave as to render mild justice as well as properly receive MA's newest aspirant.

(To put it jocosely, welcome to the freak show!)

Metalheads tend to overrate challenging albums and underrate simpler, more melodic ones. This album is of the second variety.

Let's get it straight - "Abigail" has a mediocre B-Side and "Conspiracy" is overproduced. King's best offerings are "Fatal Portrait", "Them" and "The Eye". Of these three, "Fatal Portrait" is the closest to a catchy, hard rock album. As these days most metalheads are desensitized to heaviness, and need droopy, flaccid strings to feel anything, the sonic nature of this record good therapy for their warped musical faculties, and can be used to bring their taste closer to a normal person's.

The album is pretty straightforward. There's an early moment of doominess and shuffling about with "The Jonah", which augurs the more progressive nature of King's next offerings, but the majority of the songs are based mostly around hooking you in. I'm not sure if this album was more of a commercial attempt, aimed at securing a larger audience, but it doesn't really have the conceptual shallowness and radio accessibility that that would entail, and it wasn't accompanied by any videos, so I'm lead to believe that King just wanted a lighter, more melodic record because he's King Diamond and he does what he wants. As easy listening as it might be to the seasoned metalhead, it's still a King Diamond record, so it's a bit weird and has an aura which might turn away the uninitiated ear.

The production sounds similar to Mercyful Fate's "Don't Break The Oath" - it's clear, but also lacking in the low-mids, making the guitars sound thin and the drums like a click track. The effect this has (aside from sounding like shit in headphones) is that it makes the album more ethereal. The keyboards further contribute to the effect, and they're mixed in in a tasteful enough way to where they work without you noticing them, which is the golden standard for a metal keyboard.

The key song here is "Halloween". Phantasmic and evocative of the moon, ghosts, candle flames, witches (basically Goethe's "Faust"), this song, and the whole album when I think about it, carries on like a fairytale from hundreds of years ago. Considering the lyrical and visual content, "Fatal Portrait" perpetuates in an enchanting, rather than a dark and disturbing sort of way, as it tries to seduce you to the dark side of softer metal albums with all its melodies. King's evil woman voice adds a layer of malicious feminine energy to it, and makes it more metal by pushing one of its dimensions into the extreme.

Overall, it's great. I also love the album cover. You have to give it to a King Diamond - he had a sense of both the grotesque and the beautiful. Aside from the flames and demonic vacancy of the woman's stare, as she's held hostage in whatever corner of her mind the demons consigned her to, this album art is beautiful. Worn on a shirt, it still has a miniscule, though far greater chance of helping you get laid than any other of King's album covers, especially "Conspiracy".

It is Halloween, and of course I needed to write this review! Mr. Kim Bendix Petersen, more well-known as King Diamond, had stormed the world of metal music in Mercyful Fate prior launching his solo band. He had felt festive in 1985 with 'No Presents for Christmas', and again with 'Halloween' which appeared on this debut album, 'Fatal Portrait', in February 1986. It really is THE Halloween anthem for all metalheads; what else could possible come first in the mind than this song when thinking about Halloween?! Okay, there's that German band, but I got KD in my mind first.

Let's talk about this masked singer... His masks are practically unbeatable, even in the year of masks, 0 AD COVID-19! The one in 1986 featured an upside down cross on forehead, bat wing eyes and black ooze dripping from mouth, and was the same he used in MF. The image is everything? Wrong! There's more to him... His falsetto vocals might derail one into deep pit of madness. Incredibly cutting high-pitched voice: The voice of ghosts, as how I feel it is, or of a banshee. It is utterly demonic. There's more or less echo utilized, giving an impression it at times comes from "the other side", especially when he howls. He also uses normal voice or growled one, sometimes together, for highly theatrical effects. Mostly I enjoy his outlet, but at times I tolerate it, even after 3 decades of listening to it. This is one of two KD albums that has no full album concept (the other is his 1995 album 'The Spider's Lullabye'). Without giving out too much, it is a grim ghost story of 6 songs (IF you count 'Voices from the Past' in, which I certainly do).

'Fatal Portrait' does somewhat differ from Mercyful Fate, even though it features two more guys from MF, namely Michael Denner on guitar and Timi Hansen (R.I.P.) on bass. Andy LaRocque (real name: Anders Allhage) plays second guitar and Mikkey Dee (real name: Micael Delaoglou, of Motörhead fame) is on drums. Anyway, these songs are at times similar to multi-riff epics of MF with heavy anvil-hammering tempos. While consisting of NWOBHM (Angel Witch, for example) / traditional metal, KD material is a tad more speed metal -infused. The tone is eery, absolutely dire at times, in a good way, that is, and 'Charon' and 'Halloween' are totally bad-ass. Fast yet melodic guitar solos are very tasty, as expected from Denner/LaRocque duo; they are like small symphonies inside the songs (I love how the first solo explodes in on 'Halloween', and 'Dressed in White' strongly reminds of Iron Maiden). The bass guitar is its own entity, thickening the whole. The drumming includes double kick drumming already, and some reverse beats. The musicianships are already very skilled. The sound is airy, thanks to reverb, but also rather heavy; pure 1980s.

The song-smith is good, yet it isn't totally "classic", as a whole. However, there are no bad riffs to be heard, and the durations are short-ish. There's a tale told, but it isn't one of KD's best, and that can also be heard in compositions. The album's structuring also leaves room for improvement. And that improvement truly happened! If one had a CD player back in the day, there is a bonus track on CD editions: 'The Lake'. It is similarly melodic and haunting like 'Lurking in the Dark' for example, and should have been on the album (it was first released on the 'Halloween' single).

While not top-3 album from KD in my opinion, 'Fatal Portrait' is a must-own for who love metal and horror alloyed. Do not look into her eyes for too long, or you'll surely be enchanted! Watch out, beware... Bollocks, that was from that German band...

(Originally written for ArchaicMetallurgy.com)

To start, I don´t think King Diamond needs an introduction; many of the reviews previously posted have done so. I will go directly to business; however, I have to address something first: Fatal Portrait is NOT Mercyful Fate´s third album as some fanboys like to say. We need to understand that although the frontman of both bands is the same, the personification tends to be also alike and even the voice resembles both acts; Fatal Portrait doesn´t intend to be a sequel of Mercyful Fate´s previous work. I strongly believe the album stands alone as the beginning of what in my opinion is the groundwork for the most important heavy metal concept albums of the ´80s, such as Abigail, Them, and Conspiracy.

King Diamond´s over the top vocals are undoubtedly recognizable and that was the driving force as well as the natural transition of Fate´s fans to embrace the new project. As I said before, both bands share certain similarities but I think the sound developed in Fatal Portrait demonstrated a more melodic music approach, variety of vocal textures and songwriting, and the first attempt of horror narrative. For instance, “Haunted” and “Lurking in the Dark” display plenty of melodies both in King´s vocal acrobatics and La Rocque/Denner guitars duo. On the other hand, there are also more straight forward rocker songs like “Charon” and “Halloween”. King did not want to live in the shadow of Mercyful Fate and that´s something you can tell in Fatal Portrait song-writing variety. In the version I’m reviewing we can find two bonus tracks; “No Presents for Christmas” and “The Lake”. These songs were not included in the original release but I think complement the album well. For example, “No Presents for Christmas” was issued as a holiday single and shows a humorous side in King´s songwriting skills (something that was not very likely to happen on a Mercyful Fate record). Fatal Portrait takes you on a trip over the seas of energetic music as well as bombastic and melodic tunes that are memorable; full of hooks and sudden changes in the rhythmic section lead by Mikkey Dee and Tim Hansen. The overall sound is loyal to the heavy metal ideals of the 80s’ without being too cheesy or stereotypical (no hair metal here only straight forward metallic tunes)

Let´s get into a brief song by song description of the album. “The Candle” casts you on a spell with a short intro full of a church like keyboards and the demonic voice introducing us into the horror tale. Then, you hear King´s falsetto mixed with the guitar melody and there is no escape; you are trapped into the musical madness. In my opinion, King´s vocals are an acquired taste, you loved them or hate them but there is no middle point. In my case, I think the vocals fit perfectly with the music´s approach and mood, he is a narrator and the different textures included in this recording (highs, over the top highs, lows, evil laughter, etc.) help to get you hooked into the horror tale dynamics. Next, “The Jonah” also starts with a short intro with some spoken words, similar to the first track but taking a more mid-tempo focus at the beginning to end up changing gear into faster passages. “The portrait” is perhaps one of the most melodic driven songs in fatal portrait delivering godly guitar riffs and solos that position Andy and Michael as flawless eighties shredders. Then, we have “Dressed in white” to close side A of the album. This song keeps up with the general melodic/bombastic vibe of the record and demonstrates the unique vocal style that king diamond possesses. Unfortunately, if I have to say something negative about fatal portrait; it would be the lack of cohesion between the horror tale and the stand-alone songs. The concept album was still not clear due to the inclusion of stand-alone songs like “Charon”, “Lurking in the Dark” and “Halloween”. These songs are great but kind of break up the flow of the horror tale being narrated by the king himself. The fact that there is a gap between “Dressed in White” and “Haunted” is a bummer and cuts the narrative in some way. However, the story is mesmerizing and sat the basis for what was coming in Abigail. The five-song cycle, beginning in “The Candle” and finishing in “Haunted” tells the story of a haunted portrait (and a haunted candle) and the music dynamics match perfectly with the moods of the story. The album itself is heavily influenced by horror movies and the shock rock work of Alice Cooper. Another argument that detaches Fatal Portrait from the more satanic oriented lyrics in Melissa and Don´t Break the Oath.

All things considered, there is no doubt that this record is one of the foundations for future concept albums not only released by King Diamond but also influential for hundreds of metal bands yet to come. Despite the concept album is not achieved due to the lack of coherence in some parts of the album or maybe the tracklist was not properly organized. Fatal Portrait contains more pros than cons and has aged with dignity through the years, showcasing a top line-up with some war veterans recruited from Mercyful fate´s machinery (Tim Hansen and Michael Denner). Let’s not forget the hell of a show that this band put together when they hit the stage, King´s theatricals fit like a glove into the whole horror concept approach distancing themselves from the more straight forward satanic/occult Mercyful fate style. In the end, Fatal Portrait stands as the first candle in the candelabrum of great albums that the band released during the 80s´ and part of the 90s´.

King Diamond is essential to metal in the same way that Iron Maiden and Judas Priest are, though when I say King Diamond I mean King Diamond the singer, not necessarily the band. His totally out there vocal style set a precedent for many of the later power metal singers and some of the black metal scene, who would borrow respectively his range and audacious vocal lines and his sinister, crazed delivery. It's easy to argue that Mercyful Fate are the more important band of his two projects (and of course, that's correct), but his style did continue to evolve after the break-up, and his vocals became even more of a tool for the band and a calling card for this album.

If you have a problem with the singing, you're going to have an insurmountable problem with the album. His vocals are just everywhere and he tries to do so many things with his voice - much more than he did with Mercyful Fate. For example, the opening track, 'The Candle', has more different styles than Tom Araya could manage if his life was lengthened to the age of the universe. Some of those styles stick and some come off pretty stupid, like those "Woah" and "Aaah" parts between 4:30 and 5:05, which are completely too much and do nothing for the atmosphere. There are moments when those vocals just rule, often when he's singing in his higher style with suitably pacy backing from the band, and his voice just billows out like a shroud in the wind. The biggest complaint is probably that he forgets the word subtlety and tries too many things that don't work, plus he is sometimes strangely out of tune, which can't be concealed since he's right at the front of the mix.

The rest of the band plays well, with a generally fast-paced heavy/speed style, though they incorporate elements of doom into the oppressive 'The Jonah' and 'The Candle', which work very well to build atmosphere, certainly much better than the cheesy keyboards and effects that open the first three tracks. The drums are always tight and the bass clearly audible, which balance nicely with slightly muted rhythm guitars, bringing lots of energy to an otherwise mediocre mix. The riffs on this album are decent, but fans of 'Don't Break the Oath' might not be satisfied with the level of invention. It's distinctive in style, but not quite as seminally creative as the King's past work. As for the leads, Michael Denner plays the more traditional ones (think Dave Murray of Iron Maiden) and Andy LaRocque plays the adventurous, exciting ones. They balance each other fairly well, although I know a lot of people think that LaRocque is by far the more important player and deserves more time in the spotlight.

The songs here, as on every King Diamond album, have a number of issues. The opening three songs, which are longest and most involved, as well as being conceptually linked, feel sluggish and unwieldy compared to the simpler numbers like 'Dressed in White' and 'Lurking in the Dark'. The more concentrated efforts generally zip along with some pace or chug and stomp ('Charon' makes a particular effort to sound like Mercyful Fate's 'Gypsy'), plus King's vocal melodies are a little more restrained, actually creating more atmosphere than all the hammy effects of the album's opening. My favourite is 'Lurking in the Dark', which doesn't overdo anything and achieves brilliance by sticking to a mood and a riffset, while 'Halloween' manages the same at a slightly slower tempo. 'The Candle' is the only song in need of significant alterations, maybe requiring some bolstering in the riff department and a radical rethink of the vocal embellishments.

There are many King Diamond and Mercyful Fate fans who are so overwhelmed by the skill and ability of King and his band that they fail to see faults in the "classic" albums that should be glaringly obvious to all listeners. I could never see myself giving a very high score to an album as overblown (and sometimes unconvincingly overblown) as this, yet there are also lots of great ideas, a decent amount of energy, and some great songs, even if the gorgeous tapestry is showing plenty of holes.

My love of King Diamond goes back to the early Mercyful Fate days and I have been a massive King fanboy since I first heard his shrieking falsettos and evil lyrics in 1983. I've run a King Diamond fan site since 1997 and was even a guest in King's home in April of 1999. I do seem to prefer King Diamond's solo material just a bit over the Mercyful Fate material so I think it seems proper for me to now revisit the early days of his solo band and review the albums that so many have enjoyed for decades. I begin with the first full length album Fatal Portrait. Released on February 17, 1986 we see King leaning in a more epic heavy metal direction with a shift in the lyrics from the overtly Satanic to more of a horror story telling direction.

Right from the beginning of this album you can tell that this is a new and fresh King Diamond. Mercyful Fate was a heavy metal band that drew influences from a more earlier generation like Deep Purple or Uriah Heep. With this new band we see King helping to create and define heavy metal as a distinct genre. You can even hear the beginnings of power metal and even symphonic metal with King being one of the first to incorporate keyboards (especially harpsichord) into heavy metal music to create more atmosphere. "The Candle" starts things off with it's eerie intro with it's evil spoken voices and pipe organ sounds. From there it bursts into the riffs and double bass galloping that would have been called power metal if released in the 90s. Although King would go on to create complete concept albums, this album is only a partial concept album and this is the first of five songs that make up a story. Kings uses mostly falsettos on this album and it is here that I think King truly perfected his style.

King brought bassist Timi Hansen and guitarist Michael Denner from Mercyful Fate and with the addition of guitarist Andy La Rocque and drummer Mikkey Dee we see that King will always surround himself with top notch musicians. We all knew Michael Denner's abilities as a melodic soloist but with Andy La Rocque we see a virtuoso in every respect. The two guitarists contrast with each other to create a variety of solos that create another aspect to the music. Drummer Mikkey Dee is one of the best drummers to ever pick up the sticks and with Timi Hansen rounding out the rhythm section what we wind up with what is probably the best line up in heavy metal.

The songs on this album are epic in every way with massive riffs and godly solos that seem to go on forever. Along with "The Candle" we have four more in the "Portrait" story, "The Jonah", "The Portrait", "Dressed in White" and, with a few songs not being part of the story in between, the last song on the album "Haunted". These are the best songs on the album with no shortage of catchy hooks and melodies. Of the songs not part of this story we have "Charon" which is probably the song on here most like something Mercyful Fate would have written. We also have, of course, King's homage to the holiday that is most fitting to King and his image, "Halloween". This is a mid paced rocker that is also a bit reminiscent of Mercyful Fate and is a fitting song for King to memorialize the ghoulish holiday.

This is the beginning of a band that would define heavy metal for generations. Love him or hate him, King Diamond's influence cannot be debated. With this album we see the creation of epic heavy metal. King Diamond made heavy metal music that could not be lumped into the just mindless noise that the parents of my generation thought it was. Instead he made it an art form and he was, and still is, a master of his art. This album is essential for any metal head. If you don't own this album, what the fuck are you waiting for?

http://elitistmetalhead.blogspot.com/

After departing from the legendary Mercyful Fate, front man King Diamond decided to start a new project that would soon become legendary themselves. This album is different from the rest of the 80s King Diamond material, mainly because it is mostly simple straightforward songs. This being a radical departure from the almost progressive "Don't Break the Oath" and later King Diamond albums. On the bad side of things The King's voice seems a bit restricted and less theatrical than it could be. But simplicity isn't all bad, The King supplies some great hits and hard riffs that make this album very enjoyable.

First off, The King's voice is a bit off on this record, as if he wasn't using his vocals to its full potential and theatrical capabilities. Its not all bad though, he does give some great notes and vocal lines on, "Halloween" and "The Jonah". In the middle of "The Candle" The King does some random falsetto breaks that are really weak, which is probably the lowest point of his vocals on this album. On the flip side, "The Portrait" and "Halloween" have some decent theatrical performances that foreshadow future albums by The King. The variety in his voice isn't quite there either, staying mostly in the high to mid-high section, but it is still enjoyable overall. The lyrics are overall decent, with an okay half concept story line. Lyrics other than the story like, "Lurking in the Dark" are pretty cool and have a great feel to them. "Charon" is actually mentioned in the Mercyful Fate song, "Satan's Fall" using the same imagery of Charon taking you across the river Styx that give the lyrics a recycled feeling. Then there is "Halloween" which is a holiday classic for the whole family with some cheesy lyrics and if you have the reissue you get another special holiday treat, "No Presents for Christmas" which is even cheesier and is a great holiday tune for the whole family.

Bass is supplied by none other than Timi Hansen in which he does a great job on some of these tracks. "The Candle" and "The Portrait" have some great bass lines that show Hansen's bass style that peak out into the mid section and break through the mix. "Haunted" is another with a great lead bass line in it than makes the groove really shine. The end of "Halloween" has, what sounds like, a slap bass section that is very loud and brings the song to a great conclusion. In the end Hansen has a great style and tone that really gets a chance to show off on this record.

Michael Denner and Andy LaRocque provide guitars on this record and do a solid job. Supplying great riffs like that on "Halloween", and the most laid back King Diamond riff ever, on "The Jonah". Songs like "Charon", "Dressed in White" and "Halloween" the music is very simple and straightforward than normal King Diamond standards. The songs are still enjoyable but it can be predictable at times .This album does have a few complex songs on the first half of this album like "The Candle" and "The Jonah" that are easily the best on the album. Other than riffs the guys provide some great solos on "Dressed in White" and "The Candle" that really fit well in the song structure. Main songwriter, King Diamond himself shows his guitar skills on "Voices from the Past" which is an short song that seems like The King just wanted to show that he can play guitar too and decided to make a short moody track. Some acoustic guitar is shown on "Haunted" that seems kind of out of place and is only there for a few bars, as if it was an after thought to put it in. Overall the guitar work is low in intensity but provides some solid riffs and some interesting solos while still being accessible.

Drum master Mikkey Dee really doesn't do anything that special on this record. He provides some decent solid beats that keep the song moving but he really doesn't do anything to stand out from any other drummer. I guess Dee didn't have any room or ideas for awesome fills and beats that he would do on later on for the simple direction of this album . Though a rather disappointing performance from Dee, his tone is really great. His snare is nice and loud and a great snap and his kick drum is very audible with his double bass work.

In conclusion, this album should be heard by any King Diamond or Mercyful Fate fan. This record is full of great riffs, great bass and solid drums. But sadly The King's voice isn't up to par and the song structures are mostly simple and somewhat predictable. Don't expect the over the top King Diamond trademark but instead be ready for a simpler and more accessible experience.

Kim Petersen (aka King Diamond) must be one of the hardest working men in all of the metal realm, or at least he was from the late 70s through the beginning of the 21st century. When his alma mater Mercyful Fate first broke up, our favorite falsetto rigorously pursued his dreams into a new solo project, and the initial body of work encompassing the first five albums from 1986-1990 is essential listening for anyone that can get past the obvious hurdle of all that damned screaming. Yes, five consecutive years, five consecutive efforts that ranged from flawless (i.e. Abigail, The Eye) to just being damned awesome, all beginning with this debut Fatal Portrait, a wondrous indoctrination into King's classy horror themes and night bathed landscapes of gleaming melody.

Petersen was followed into this new project by Michael Denner and Timi Hansen, so the trio already had an extremely solid foundation to work with, made complete with the addition of budding newcomers Andy la Rocque and Mikkey Dee. The tricky bit was writing material that could distinguish itself from the legend of Mercyful Fate, and I feel like this mission was accomplished early with the debut. Sure, you can hear a little of the groove and swagger of the Danish mainstays, but the unified concept (for half the record) and haunted house vibes were new, and I feel like the actual guitar lines had a lot more memorable, and I daresay accessible material to offer the fan of traditional power/speed metal. In fact, I'll go as far to say that I actually prefer King Diamond to Mercyful Fate overall: the former is responsible for a far more impressive, consistent body of work than the latter (excepting a few albums like The Graveyard or The Puppet Master), and while I certainly worship Don't Break the Oath for the masterpiece it is, few things can touch Kim's 1986-1990 creative spurt. Was the man possessed?

As I hinted at, five of the tracks here represent a conceptual horror story, that of a dysfunctional mother who locks her young daughter in her attic, only to be haunted by her ghost through a painting of said offspring above the fireplace. You can probably guess what happens after this, but it's really not all that essential, because you'll be too enthralled with the music to really care about the underlying messages of King's 'narrator' character. The man rises and plummets his enchanting, high pitched screams through the epic opener "The Candle", which is initiated by some amazing atmospheric pipe organs and then cast intro cruise mode with a sorrowful, but badass melodic intercourse. This is followed by the doomed taint of "The Jonah", which one might envision as some delicious, bastard mesh of Mercyful Fate and early Candlemass. "The Portrait" rips along with glistening leads and cautionary, climaxing verses over which Petersen's voice crests majestically, and "Dressed in White" persists with surprisingly warm tones and some of the best, flowing melodic mute rhythms outside of Iron Maiden. The Fatal Portrait sequence is closed by "Haunted", which arrives at the end of the album, with some unsurprisingly great riffs and solid bass work from Hansen.

Outside of the story itself, there are four tracks (not counting the bonus of "The Lake", which I covered in my review of The Dark Sides compilation EP). "Charon" offers perhaps the most easily accessible, killer verse rhythm on the album, minute melodic fills riding the cycles, a fine and fitting tribute to the grim ferryman. "Lurking in the Dark" cultivates into a crystalline vocal arch that I find unforgettable, despite this being my least favorite track on the album, and "Halloween" is tongue in cheek hilarity glazing another slew of great guitar rhythms and thick bass. It's all too perfect that the King offer up a tribute to his (and everyone's, really) favorite holiday, because he so embodies the cliches and spirit of the season), but for the record, he also hits up Christmas (the remastered CD also includes a bonus of "No Presents for Christmas"). The one other track here is "Voices from the Past", a brief instrumental with surging, shuffling guitars that start and stop to various, spooky ringing pianos and other creepiness.

I don't know that I'd consider this one of Diamond's utmost masterworks, but only relative to the followup Abigail or the impressive, underrated witch-burning epic The Eye. If you were to compare it to anything post-1990, though, Fatal Portrait is godlike, and a cause to celebrate the fact that the King was not going to suck outside of Mercyful Fate. Production-wise, the vocals on the original mix are quite loud, and perhaps the rhythm guitars just a tad soft, though still graceful and audible enough to make out. The drums, leads, bass and synth line are all quite impressive, though, and the mix sounds very standard for its day and age, which is to say, it still rules today on any stereo you play it. A few of the songs fall just a fraction below others in terms of overall quality, but it's a safe bet for any fan of Fate or 80s melodic power, speed or heavy metal that doesn't immediately cringe at the Petersen's soaring pitch, and after the staring, striking visage that adorns its cover, I doubt I could ever look at a family portrait the same way again...good thing we've got Facebook instead?!

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

Two bands arose from the great schism that was the first breakup of Mercyful Fate. One was Fate, a more commercial act with AOR leanings led by guitarist Hank Shermann; the other was a self-titled band led by vocalist King Diamond with a little help from guitarist Michael Denner and bassist Timi Hansen. This 1986 effort was the band’s debut album and was released after the success of the "No Presents for Christmas" single.

Musically, you could say that this album picks up right where Mercyful Fate’s "Don’t Break the Oath" left off. The twin guitars are increasingly dark but persistently melodic, the rhythm section always manages to stay noticeable, and the King only lets off his wailing falsettos in favor of the occasional demonic growl. The songs themselves also range from fast paced tracks such as "The Candle" and "The Portrait," mid-tempo tracks in the vein of MF’s Gypsy such as "Charon" and "Halloween," and even a briefly menacing instrumental in the form of "Voices from the Past." The music also manages to make itself distinct by means of theatrics that were only hinted at on "DBTO;" these can best be seen in places such as the haunting beginnings of "The Candle" in particular.

The lyrics also seem to have changed quite greatly as well. The Satanic ramblings of the King’s past have been dropped in favor of themes that can easily be compared to ghost stories and the like. The first four songs in particular form an overall storyline that hints at what would come in the band’s future. Of course, I have no idea what the actual story is about but it sounds interesting enough...

Due to the quality of the music itself, the only flaw I can seem to find is that the album doesn’t seem to have much of an identity as a standalone work. It clearly showcases a few new ideas but the overall album could have easily been a third Mercyful Fate album if they had managed to keep the original lineup intact before its release. Other than that, it’s a pretty solid album.

This is definitely worth checking out for any fan of King Diamond or Mercyful Fate that can appreciate the uniqueness of both projects and would like to see the transitions in between.

Pros:
1) The new band sounds great together
2) Interesting theatrics and solid songwriting

Cons:
1) No real distinctions between this band and Mercyful Fate at this time period
2) I do wish they had made a full concept album; the mini-suites never seem to work well. . .

My Current Favorites:
"The Candle," "The Portrait," "Dressed in White," "Charon," and "Halloween"

King Diamond, the man with the hellish falsetto, is probably as equally well known for his solo work as for his accomplishments in the legendary Mercyful Fate. From Fatal Portrait onward, he created a sort of “horror metal” sound that was instantly scarier than anything the more accomplished 80’s metal acts like Ozzy Osbourne and Iron Maiden were doing at the time. But while his stab into solo artistry has been more-or-less an international success, I’ve just got to ask: am I the only one who thinks his solo work is vastly inferior to his work in Fate? It certainly seems that way, so allow me to voice my complaints a bit.

One of my favorite aspects of Mercyful Fate is King Diamond’s vocal approach. His interplaying of growly low-register singing and his distinct, piercing shriek resulted in harmonic possibilities never before imaginable. This dualist nature of his voice, on albums like Melissa, borders on schizophrenia; without it the album’s dark magic would certainly have faded over the years. This is the chief disappointment I experienced upon listening to Fatal Portrait. Diamond uses his falsetto voice almost exclusively, not only cheapening its effect, but making it damn near unbearable to listen to after just a few songs. I won’t question his writing, as he has a knack with creating the most terrifyingly beautiful vocal harmonies this side of Hell’s own Philharmonic. But just as when Halford abuses his falsetto (see “Resurrection”), it wears thin faster than a plain white tee in a wet shirt contest. What was so deliciously evil and inspired on albums like Melissa and Don’t Break the Oath is not only tired here, but goddamn annoying by track three or so.

Taking this into account along with a loose lyrical concept that doesn’t appeal to me (ghost stories? Seriously?) and a thin production that strips the album of much of its heaviness, the only thing keeping this album afloat is the playing/songwriting of guitarist Andy LaRocque. Though Diamond’s vocals are not entirely abysmal (they just get less remarkable and more annoying as the album progresses) and Michael Denner is surely deserving of some credit for the heavy riffs of “Charon” and “The Candle,” it is LaRocque’s leads that stand out the most.

The rest of the instrumentation has a somewhat minimal presence on the album (though Mikkey Dee is awesome on the skins), taking a backseat to King Diamond. This minimalism is counteracted by the various keyboards utilized throughout the album (see the intro to “The Candle”) to create a creepy atmosphere that makes up for the limited use of the instruments. At times it seems like Diamond and the boys were trying a bit too hard to maintain that haunting atmosphere (perhaps the riffage was sacrificed?), but the effect is nice nonetheless.

Some people really like the different sound that Fatal Portrait pioneered, even enough to consider this album a classic. My comparisons with Mercyful Fate’s material are somewhat unfair, but even standing on its own, the album isn’t that great. Songs like “The Candle,” “Charon,” and “The Portrait” are all quite good, but the rest is kind of unremarkable. It’s definitely worth a listen before you judge it, but I would be surprised if I’m the only one who finds it flawed.


Originally written for: http://www.metal-observer.com

Right after the self-destruction of pioneering speed/black metal band “Merciful Fate”, former front man King Diamond set out to create his own music, taking with him former MF members Michael Denner and Timi Hansen as charter members for his new project. What would result would be a departure from the old Satanic themes that dominated Fate’s previous material with a more horror/mystical based set of concepts. Ironically, Merciful Fate would later drop the Satanism from their work upon their reformation nearly a decade later, probably due to a more mature outlook on life in general.

Many of the older musical influences utilized by Merciful Fate are still present on this album, particularly the complex song structures that were inspired by early Black Sabbath music, married to the more speed based metal format of the time it was written in. “The Candle”, “Dressed in White” and “Haunted” all possess these highly complex structures. However, more straight-forward songs such as “Halloween”, “Lurking in the Dark” and “Charon” are a bit of a departure from the old days. “Haunted” also possesses an acoustic section that seems to function as an early template for what will become Diamond’s more diversified style on subsequent releases.

This album is unique for this band in that it is a quasi-concept album, in which only half of the songs are tied together into a storyline. This is characteristic of other bands such as Halloween and early Queensryche, in that the concept sort of comes and goes and gives the listener different lyrical material for a break from the story. Ironically, this approach to writing an album was not maintained afterwards, indicating that this was probably a learning experience for all musicians involved.

One musician that deserves a good deal of credit for helping King Diamond to step out of the shadow of Merciful Fate and become a musical force to be reckoned with is Andy LaRoque (aka Anders Allhage). His guitar work, as well as his songwriting have aided Diamond in creating his many feats of musical brilliance, and his abilities are on full display here. His solos on “Dressed in White”, “Charon” and “Halloween” in particular are excellent displays of his musicality and technique.

A couple of rather interesting tracks that are often overlooked by the masses are “The Lake” and “Voices from the Past”. The former is a rather disturbing tale of a nun being dragged into a lake by the Philistine fish god Dagon, obviously inspired by Lovecraft’s literature. The other track is a rather brief instrumental that showcases King Diamond’s ability as a guitar player, something that is not often on display, as his duties as front man do not allow him to play an instrument other than his voice.

To put it plainly, this is essential listening for fans of speed and traditional metal, and a good historical perspective for fans of black metal from a theatricality standpoint. King Diamond was a heavy influence on many of the current toneless screamers that dominate this particular scene, though the influence is more based on thematic material and image and less on actual physical voice technique. I recommend it highly to all fans of the previously mentioned genres, and invite others in the symphonic and power communities to give this early classic a spin, it is not all that far removed from the music you love.

Fatal Portrait is King Diamond's first full-length album (although an EP was released several months before). Hank Shermann had left Mercyful Fate to form "Fate" which was pretty much your typical 80's pop-rock...no, actually it was much worse. It was basically Hank Shermann selling out to attempt to achieve commercial success. But what many people fail to see (or perhaps refuse to believe) is that King Diamond sold out too by releasing this album, yet in a somewhat different way. For KD lost the innovativeness that he had previously with Mercyful Fate. Instead of songs about Satan and drinking goats blood, we get songs about Halloween, as well as other typical 80's power metal lyrical content. To be fair though, he does attempt a semi concept with the first four songs (and possibly the last one), but it meanders too much and is frequently very confusing.

The main reason to listen to this album is the guitarwork by Andy LaRocque. His solos are the highlights of many of the songs; shredding, melodic, and often neoclassical, he shines in "Dressed in White" (in which at least 30% of the song is guitar solos), "Lurking in the Dark," and "Haunted," although there aren't really any solos that he plays that are disappointing. (And he was still evolving!)

I'm not even going to devote more than a sentence for Michael Denner; his dull work drags down otherwise decent songs like "The Candle" by expanding the songs' running time without adding anything remotely interesting.

Another detriment to "Fatal Portrait" are the riffs. Sure "The Jonah" has a nice doom riff in the beginning, which leads into a footstomping riff during the chorus, but many are simple, uninspired, and frankly, boring. King Diamond is still developing his vocal style and it's difficult not to grimace on his off-key falsettos during "The Portrait." It wasn't until the following album that he really came into his own.

For those of you who don't mind 80's metal cheese, you might enjoy this album alot more than I did. But if any of you do decide to get "Fatal Portrait," make sure that you get the remastered version because not only do you get improved sound, you also get a pair of bonus tracks. The first is the somewhat overrated but still cool Christmas anthem, "No Presents for Christmas;" while the second is an awesome song called "The Lake." Which, with it's outstanding soloing and interesting lyrics, is arguably the best song on the entire album.

This is a fantastic debut album. After Mercyful Fate broke up, one of my alltime favorite bands, I was devastated. Truley, heartbroken. But King Diamonds solo carrer satisfied my metal cravings, and then some. On some levels, King Diamond is better than Mercyful Fate. But anyway....

'Fatal Portrait' is pure 80's speed metal. The riffs are cryptic chaos chugged out while the drums pound out insane, speedy beats. King's infamous falsetto wails are in full-effect here, and sound better than ever. The atmosphere all the songs create are indescribably, haunting, evil....
The dueling guitar solos are something you must hear to believe. They are among some of the best twin-guitar attacks, I say better than Maiden. The lyrics are great. The first three tracks tell the story of a haunted painting, and the rest are stories within themselves. Some of the best cuts include 'Halloween', with its sinister main riff and an outstanding vocal performance from King Diamond. 'Dressed in White' is a fast paced metaller the is sheer chaos, with King's melodic, haunting vocals providing once again an excellent listening experience. 'Charon' is an epic song with great lyrics, and excellent guitar solos.

On the remastered version, we are treated to the thrashing 'No Presents For Chirstmas' with its evil screeches, wailing gutiar solos and comical lyrics, as well as 'The Lake' which is also a great track.

This is a fantastic debut from the King of metal, and even though his albums would get better (Abigale, The Puppet Master), this is still among his finest solo works. Truley great.