After a 5 year absence, King Diamond returned to Chicago last night and delivered an incredible performance. The stage production was phenomenal, the band was tight, and King was vocally locked in, as always. A very well rounded setlist of classics, deep cuts, and new songs to boot. When we’ll hear these new songs on an album remains to be seen, but I digress. I really wondered how a show of this nature would work at the Chicago Theatre, and the answer was surprisingly well. Considering King’s shows are a mix of metal concert and theatre spectacle to begin with, it made sense to see him on a stage famously known for hosting Broadway productions. 10/10 Review by Joe Van Anthony
Author: Benjamin Breeg
Powerwolf Announce US Tour
Powerwolf is back for the North American Tour 2024 to celebrate the holy heavy metal mass with even more of you! It’s going to be sheer madness! From the kickoff in Los Angeles at The Hollywood Palladium on August 29 to the grand finale in Laval, QC, at Place Bell on September 15, let’s make history together! This tour marks the official live debut of songs from our upcoming album – don’t miss the excitement! Support on this tour will be Unleash The Archers!
Dates:
8/29 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Hollywood Palladium
8/31 – Denver, CO @ The Ogden Theatre
9/03 – Chicago, IL @ The Riviera Theatre
9/04 – Cleveland, OH @ The Agora Theatre
9/05 – Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore
9/07 – Tampa, FL @ Jannus Landing
9/08 – Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade
9/09 – Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore
9/12 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore
9/13 – Worcester, MA @ The Palladium
9/14 – New York City, NY @ Brooklyn Paramount
9/15 – Laval, QC @ Place Bell
Testament and Kreator Headlining Tour
TESTAMENT and KREATOR’s co-headlining ‘Klash Of The Titans North American 2024’ tour with POSSESSED:
09.12 Reno, NV @ Grand Sierra Resort
09.13 Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues
09.14 Salt Lake City, UT @ The Union Event Centre
09.16 Seattle, WA @ Showbox SoDo
09.17 Portland, OR @ Roseland Theatre
09.18 Vancouver, BC Canada @ Vogue
09.20 Calgary, AB Canada @ MacEwan Hall
09.21 Enoch, AB Canada @ River Cree Casino
09.22 Saskatoon, SK Canada @ Coors Event Centre
09.24 Winnipeg, MB Canada @ Burton Cummings Theatre
09.26 Maplewood, MN @ Myth Live
09.28 Huber Heights, Oh @ Rose Music Center
09.29 Detroit, MI @ Royal Oak Music Theatre
10.01 Cleveland, OH @ The Agora
10.03 Toronto, ON Canada @ History
10.04 Montreal, QC Canada @ MTelus
10.05 New Haven, CT @ College Street
10.06 Boston, MA @ House of Blues
10.08 Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore
10.10 Montclair, NJ @ The Wellmont Theatre
10.11 Bethlehem, PA @ Wind Creek Casino
10.12 Raleigh, NC @ The Ritz
10.13 Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
10.15 Orlando, FL. @ Hard Rock Live
10.16 St. Petersburg, FL @ Jannus Live
10.18 Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall (Lawn)
10.19 San Antonio, TX @ The Aztec
10.20 Dallas, TX @ The Factory
10.22 Denver, CO @ Fillmore Auditorium
10.23 Albuquerque, NM @ Albuquerque Convention Center
10.24 Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren
10.26 Los Angeles, CA @ Palladium
10.27 San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield
Apply for credentials here:
https://forms.gle/32EvwxvWmVy2GiiG9
Please reach out to Kristin Torres (Kristin@nuclearblastusa.com) for any KREATOR, & POSSESSED inquiries.
Please reach out to Adrenaline PR (maria@adrenalinepr.com) for TESTAMENT inquiries.
KING DIAMOND Announces North American Tour
KING DIAMOND Announces North American Headlining Tour With Support From Overkill And Night Demon + Guest Vocals By Myrkur; Tickets On Sale This Friday
Photo by Greg Lawrence
KING DIAMOND will embark on a long-awaited North American headlining tour this Fall! The Saint Lucifer’s Hospital 1920 trek will commence on October 15th in San Antonio, Texas and run through December 6th in Dallas, Texas. Support will be provided by Overkill and Night Demon. Additional backing vocals for the KING DIAMOND set will be provided by special guest, Myrkur.
Elaborates KING DIAMOND on what fans can expect, “This is Saint Lucifer’s Hospital, enter if you dare! We have been busy putting this ever-growing horror story together, and it’s still growing. I know the end of it, but how we will get there will be a long trip. There are so many characters, and so many unexpected things along this journey. It’s a crazy family on another timeline in 1920, where I experienced some hard times, and they have to come to our time to steal from us to survive. This is the most elaborate thing we have ever done, that goes for the stage production as well.
“There will be additional backing vocals by Myrkur and she’ll be playing organ for songs that need it. There will be some horrific surprises taking place on stage, but we are not to be held responsible since we are on a whole different timeline in 1920. It was back at the time when medicine was going through a dark period with lots of testing on human beings in order to progress medicine. This is Saint Lucifer’s Hospital, also known as The Institute, enter if you dare!”
Artist presales begin Wednesday, July 31st at 10:00am ET. General on sale date is this Friday, August 2nd at 10:00am local time. Secure your tickets at kingdiamondcoven.com.
KING DIAMOND w/ Overkill, Night Demon:
10/15/2024 Boeing Center At Tech Port – San Antonio, TX
10/16/2024 Bayou Music Center – Houston, TX
10/18/2024 Andrew J Brady Music Center – Cincinnati, OH
10/19/2024 The Factory – St. Louis, MO
10/20/2024 The Midland Theater – Kansas City, MO
10/22/2024 Murat Theatre At Old National Center – Indianapolis, IN
10/23/2024 The Louisville Palace Theatre – Louisville, KY
10/25/2024 The Eastern – Atlanta, GA
10/26/2024 Duke Energy Center for the Arts – Mahaffey Theater – St. Petersburg, FL
10/28/2024 The Fillmore – Silver Spring, MD
10/30/2024 Kings Theater – Brooklyn, NY
10/31/2024 Roadrunner – Boston, MA *
11/02/2024 MTelus – Montreal, QC
11/03/2024 The Theatre At Great Canadian – Mississauga, ON
11/04/2024 The Masonic Temple – Detroit, MI
11/06/2024 The Agora Theatre & Ballroom – Cleveland, OH
11/07/2024 The Chicago Theatre – Chicago, IL
11/08/2024 The Riverside Theater – Milwaukee, WI
11/10/2024 The Fillmore – Minneapolis, MN
11/11/2024 Vibrant Music Hall – Waukee, IA
11/14/2024 Mission Ballroom – Denver, CO
11/16/2024 The Complex – Salt Lake City, UT
11/18/2024 Orpheum – Vancouver, BC
11/20/2024 Edmonton Convention Center – Edmonton, AB
11/21/2024 TCU Place – Saskatoon, SK
11/22/2024 Grey Eagle Resort And Casino – Calgary, AB
11/24/2024 Keller Auditorium – Portland, OR
11/25/2024 Moore Theater – Seattle, WA
11/27/2024 Fox Theater – Oakland, CA
11/29/2024 YouTube Theater – Los Angeles, CA
11/30/2024 The Theater At Virgin Hotels – Las Vegas, NV
12/01/2024 Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre – San Diego, CA
12/02/2024 The Van Buren – Phoenix, AZ
12/04/2024 REVEL – Albuquerque, NM
12/06/2024 The Factory In Deep Ellum – Dallas, TX
* No Overkill
KING DIAMOND is quite possibly the most recognizable and prolific personality ever in heavy metal. Revered by icons as big as Metallica and Pantera to inspiring newer upstarts globally, KING DIAMOND, the man and the band, have left an indelible mark on the history, and now again, the future of heavy metal.
In August of 2008, KING DIAMOND joined Metallica on stage at Ozzfest in Dallas to perform the Mercyful Fate medley made famous from the Garage, Inc. album. Additionally, KING DIAMOND was featured alongside Motӧrhead’s Lemmy Kilmister as a playable character in Guitar Hero: Metallica in 2009.
By 2012, KING DIAMOND was prepared to return to the stage for a select number of shows. The band’s triumphant return to the stage were the highlights of both the Hellfest and Sweden Rock festivals in France and Sweden. Fans at these festivals were treated to the largest and most involved stage production in the band’s storied history. Horror concepts from multiple albums were used in the décor; fans can rest assured that this show will only get larger and more impressive at future performances.
KING DIAMOND continued to hit the stage from 2013 to 2018 including performances at Rock Hard Festival (DE), Copenhell (DK), Graspop (BE), Metal Days (SI), Bloodstock Open Air (UK), Loudpark (JP), Wacken Open Air (DE), a 2014 North American tour with Jess And The Ancient Ones, Fun Fun Fun Fest (US), toured as a part of the 2015 Mayhem Festival in the Summer (US), a Fall 2015 North American tour with Exodus as special guests, Sweden Rock fest (SE), Hellfest (FR),and Psycho Las Vegas (US).
In 2019, after the release of KING DIAMOND’s first new single in twelve years “Masquerade Of Madness,” the band hit the road with a series of live shows in Europe including stops at Summer Breeze festival (DE), Graspop (BE), Hellfest (FR), Rock Fest (ES), and with Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats and Idle Hands as special guests for nineteen dates across North America.
KING DIAMOND’s thirty+ year musical career is one of the most storied in the history of heavy metal, but the tale is not yet over. The most recent release, 2007′s Grammy nominated album Give Me Your Soul…Please, stands as one of the most critically acclaimed albums in an already iconic discography. Future albums will feature entirely new horror stories, concepts, haunting orchestrations, and the band’s signature brand of heavy metal from the mind of KING DIAMOND and the talented group of musicians: guitarists Andy LaRocque and Mike Wead, bassist Pontus Egberg, and drummer Matt Thompson. KING is currently in the studio working on the band’s next album which will be released in 2025.
KING DIAMOND Live Lineup:
Andy LaRocque – guitar
Mike Wead – guitar
Pontus Egberg – bass
Matt Thompson – drums
Myrkur – additional backing vocals, keyboards
For live coverage inquiries contact liz@earsplitcompound.com.
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Metallica – 72 Seasons
Metallica is one of those bands that every metal fan in the world is familiar with and either loves them or hates them. Because of this I feel that before I delve into my thoughts on “72 Seasons” it is probably best to know my background with the band. I admit that I was a late bloomer in Metallica’s career and in metal in general. My first metal album was in fact the controversial “Black Album”. That aside I have come a long way since then. Although I do enjoy some of the songs on the “Black Album” and the other albums that followed (except St. Anger), they rarely get airplay from me and if I do find myself listening to Metallica it’s usually something from one of their first four albums.
That being said, I did enjoy a few songs on the band’s 2008 release, Death Magnetic and I think one song on their follow-up “Hardwired to Self-Destruct”. Overall though Metallica is one of those bands where I constantly have high hopes that they’ll release something great again, but am more frequently disappointed.
As far as “72 Seasons” is concerned, I gave the album a fair listen and with all of my history aside, I found the album to be mediocre at best. Two songs stood out to me as the better songs on the album. “Screaming Suicide” and “Lux Æterna” kept me more interested as the two faster songs on the album. The title track, also named “72 Seasons” wasn’t bad either, but overall I found the majority of the album to be slow. “Sleepwalk My Life Away” did just that, it made me want to fall asleep. Maybe I’ve just been exposed to too much faster, heavier stuff in recent years, but for a band that is so widely known in metal, I’d expect to hear some faster drumming (maybe even with some double bass) and more technical guitar work. I could compare them to the remaining bands that started off around the same time in the 80’s Thrash Metal scene and state that although Metallica is the only one that slowed down their music, they’re also the only one that sells out arenas and stadiums on their own (at least in the US). But that just points to them being more Hard Rock than Metal.
I’m sure that I’ll get some hate for this review as there are millions of “Metallica” fans out there that would eat this album up as they have done with all of the bands releases from the preceding years. To me though similarly to their preceding release it kind of seems like each song rolls into the next and sounds like one really long song. Though I don’t write like this lightly. I would love to see “Metallica” release an album that would really drive it home, I just don’t really have my hopes up for them in that aspect anymore. I did still buy tickets for their show (in a year and a half?!?!?!) But, similarly to when the band opted out of doing “The Big Four” tour in the United States, it’s things like that, that make me question how much the band actually cares about their fans) I guess I’m just hoping that one of the two nights features some of their older, heavier material. I guess we’ll see is all I can say there.
So on to recommendations. If you’re a die hard fan that loves the music that the band has released in recent years (and don’t worry, I still wouldn’t include St. Anger in that count) then you’ll probably enjoy this album. However, if you’re the kind of person that is looking for the early days when “Metallica” still played Thrash Metal, do yourself a favor and skip this album and go check out Overkill’s new release that came out on the same day.