Published on Sep 7, 2000
WARNING: I’d like to ask any religious zealots, persons who are
easily morally offended or Tipper Gore supporters to forget about
today’s review. Go check out the updates on Martha Stewart’s Web
site, and come back tomorrow. We’ll still be here.
King Diamond first gained notoriety fronting the demonic metal
band Mercyful Fate. With his multi-octave range vocals, his
presence was instantly recognizable by anyone who followed the
genre.
When Mercyful Fate split up (or, in some people’s eyes, took an
extended vacation), Diamond formed his own group and began cranking
out concept albums that challenged people to examine their own
hierarchy of beliefs. And while I’m still very much being schooled
in Diamond’s music, possibly no album throws down the gauntlet more
than his latest disc,
House Of God.
Once again pairing up with longtime musical collaborator Andy La
Rocque, Diamond and his band have created an album that will offend
many people, scare the hell out of many others – and possibly make
some people question everything they’ve ever believed. Diamond
makes no bones that this is just a story – he writes in the
foreword of the liner notes, “Just keep in mind, that most stories
are just that. Something told by someone else, without the facts to
prove it.”
Diamond may be older than the young man who first burst forth on
the scene in the early ’80s, but he quickly shows his vocal power
has not been diminished, even if he chooses to sing more often in a
lower voice. When he lets loose with those trademark banshee wails,
you know that Diamond is still vocally at the top of his game.
What also helps things is the excellent production work. On
earlier albums of Diamond’s (as well as Mercyful Fate’s), his
vocals tended to be buried under a sonic wall of guitars and drums.
Again, I still am plowing through Diamond’s backcatalog, so this
might be something that has been fixed for a while. But what I hear
on
House Of God impresses me.
House Of God is the kind of album that you will want to
follow along with using the lyrics in the CD booklet. It’s a
complicated story of a man who accidentally discovers a church
which isn’t everything it seems to be. The infrastructure of
impending doom is laid out on “The Trees Have Eyes,” while Diamond
uses tracks such as “House Of God” and “Black Devil” to flesh out
the story with details.
The true meat of the story begins to show itself on “The Pact,”
which begins to send our hero into a slippery slope which will lead
to great fear, shocking discoveries and – eventually – having to
make the choice between following the unknown and terminating his
existence.
If we still have any Bible-beaters around who didn’t heed my
warning to skip today’s review, here’s where you can’t say I didn’t
warn you. Diamond, once an avowed Satanist, seems to now admit the
existence of God, though he doesn’t revoke any of his past beliefs.
The tracks “Catacomb” – in which our hero discovers the mummified
body of Jesus – and “This Place Is Terrible” all suggest that
Diamond acknowledges forces beyond what we have been taught to
believe in. It’s a difficult thing to get through, and Diamond does
not demand that anyone follow the views he lays out – he allows
everyone to choose their own paths, both in the music and in life.
(Note to Diamond: Just for fun, go search out a copy of Robert
Ludlum’s book
The Gemini Contenders, and give that a read. The end of the
book might sound a little similar.)
The dual guitar work of La Rocque and Glen Drover are especially
noteworthy on
House Of God; these two players complement each other well,
to the point where La Rocque occasionally seems willing to step to
the side and allow Drover to take more of the spotlight.
House Of God is definitely not an album for everyone – to be
honest, I would have difficulties letting my daughter, if she were
older, listen to it. However, if you’re able to keep an open mind
about what you’re listening to, it turns out to be an excellent
concept album and excellent metal album. Fans of Diamond’s and of
Mercyful Fate should rejoice at this album’s release.