Fun Fun Fun Live Shot: King Diamond

King Diamond hates his grandmother.

Not only has the Copenhagen-born Dallas resident revealed as much in interviews, he proved it during his headlining set on Saturday when he barked “What a bitch!” after a masked crone was wheeled onstage for interwoven songs from 1988’s Them and 1989’s Conspiracy. She was then burned in a coffin during the first of two encores.

Yes, a coffin.

There was also smoke. And a skeleton. All served as props for a tale that King Diamond has been telling since his 1985 departure from Danish metal innovators Mercyful Fate.

Opening with “The Candle” from 1986’s Fatal Portrait, the performance evolved through elaborate arrangements with precision. Tunes with spider web construction maintained a balance between melodic grandeur and dark menace, qualities that first came to fruition in Mercyful Fate, represented at Fun Fun Fun by “Evil” and “Come to the Sabbath,” which arrived to loudest audience approval.

The vaudeville-like stage show remains superfluous to the fact that, sonically, this is one of the tightest bands operating in metal today. It certainly doesn’t hurt that King’s powerful, high-volume falsetto drops into possessed demonic growls, as promised, “better than ever” despite its owner having survived heart surgery. (Satanic pact?)

Lead guitarist Andy LaRocque, the only musician remaining from the original lineup, hasn’t lost any agility in using an axe to cut through the intricate riff mazes traversed by guitarist Mike Wead, bassist Pontus Edberg, and a backup vocalist, King’s wife Livia Zita.

Before closing with “The Family Ghost” and “Black Horsemen” from 1987 masterwork Abigail, King reminded the Black stage crowd this was the final show on the U.S. tour. For this band of Swedes and Texans, fronted by an avowed Satanist metal legend who almost died four years ago, holding their final show here made it that rare event that only happens in Austin.

---

Check out our complete Fun Fun Fun Fest coverage.