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King Diamond - Fatal Portrait Audio CD

A fair review of the King Diamond "Fatal Portrait" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all King Diamond reviews here, or go back to the King Diamond tabs.

King Diamond Band: King Diamond
Title: Fatal Portrait
Rating:
Release Date: 1997-11-11
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Candle 2: Jonah 3: Portrait 4: Dressed in White 5: Charon 6: Lurking in the Dark 7: Halloween 8: Voices from the Past 9: Haunted 10: Lake

All Hail King Diamond!!!
The album is a mix of story telling (which he would explore further with Abigail, Them, etc) and stand alone songs. This is the first solo album by King Diamond. The songs on here are pretty catchy, with plenty of dark atmosphere to them. The only reason I don't give this 5 stars is that IT DOESN'T HAVE "NO PRESENTS FOR CHRISTMAS!!!!!" Sure, you can find it on the Best of King Diamond, but it came out in this same period. Oh well, it is still a great album.


The Best king Diamond CD

The remastered CD sounds so much better than the 1986 version. If You like Mercyful Fate this is the best king CD.
.


Very Good Compositions For A Rock/Metal Album
Granted, much of "Fatal Portrait" doesn't stray far from the Mozart-perfected I-V and I-IV structures, but when the ole' question-answer melodies DO pop up (mostly in the riffs and vocal melodies) they tend to make the less formulaic additions stand out more. Considering how much of a "Metal" cd this is, there are tons of involved harmonies, lyrical cadenzas, and advanced chord structures and melodies.

Most of this cd is Essential Metal: The Jonah, Candle, Dressed in White, Charon, Lurking In the Dark, the Portrait. . . these are all outstanding Metal Classics that stand up with much of the best of, say, Judas Priest and Manowar.

Even the more-Weenie-than-Hallow track, "Halloween" can be enjoyed as simple fun.

King's vocals are at times irritating, but his vocal melodies work triumphantly with the rest of the music, making this a course in Metal Composition 101. One can hear the tie-in that King's releases from Fatal Portrait to Them had musically with other, just-as-intricate Metal Masterpieces like Metallica's Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets, Malmsteen's Rising Force, and many others.

If this helps, I recall hearing Iron Maiden's Somewhere in Time shortly after I first got this release, and feeling a little sorry for Iron Maiden.

To this day, as terrific as both Abigail and Melissa are, I rank this second only to Don't Break the Oath as Kind Diamond's best project.


"The Candle Must Burn Again...."
Only to be re-UN-born in this eloquent, masterful, brilliantly produced collection of searing and haunting tracks. 10 stars all the way!!!! Man, this is a great album!! A perfect answer to Mercyful Fate's untimely demise. A new line-up, a new look, tighter sound, better production, man, it's all here. Every track is great-- 'Dressed in White' may be the only filler on here, and it's still very well done. But from the minute you put it on, you discover that inner primal darkness coming alive through operatic wailing vocals, and fearsome, leather winged guitars. After Mercyful Fate, this was definitely King's best, it's follow up- 'Abigail' was good, but nothing could even come close in the years to come. . . It's as if this album was already written eons ago, like some ancient tome waiting to be discovered once again. . . If you like Dark and Heavy, then come see what you've been missing.


what a debut
even king bad cds are good albums overall. while this is no abigail this is the begining of a amazing career. this is not a story album but songs like dressed in white and halloween cannot be denied along with the rest of this. it only gets 3 stars because i hold kings stuff on a pedistal but like i said before even his worst album is a good album overall. plus on the remaster you get the amazing songs the lake and no presents for christmas. so get this and see what metal really is.


You can see a complete list of all King Diamond discography, or go back to the King Diamond tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.

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