Fatal Portrait | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 14 March 1986 | |||
Recorded | July–August 1985 | |||
Studio | Sound Track Studio, Copenhagen, Denmark | |||
Genre | Heavy metal | |||
Length | 41:41 | |||
Label | Roadrunner | |||
Producer | King Diamond, Rune Höyer, Michael Denner | |||
King Diamond chronology | ||||
|
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 8/10 [2] |
Fatal Portrait is the debut album by Danish heavy metal band King Diamond. It was produced by Rune Hoyer and released on 14 March 1986 through Roadrunner Records. [3] Guitarist Andy LaRocque joined the album recording sessions at the last minute, as the band's second guitarist at the time "wasn't working out" in the studio. [4] As a result, it is the only King Diamond album which does not feature any writing credits from LaRocque. Recording a solo for "Dressed in White" functioned as his audition for joining the band. [4] Along with The Spider's Lullabye , it is one of the band's only albums which is not a whole concept album.
Fatal Portrait has sold over 100,000 copies in North America alone. [5] The title of the album comes from The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. Wilde describes the painting as "the fatal portrait" several times throughout the novel.
Five songs on this album (first four and "Haunted") form a short story. Narrator sees a face in "every candle that [he] burns". This face speaks one word to him: "Jonah". So he finds an old book, speaks a rhyme and frees the spirit from the candle. It's the spirit of a little girl named Molly, who tells him her story, that happened seven years before. Mrs. Jane kept her 4-year-old daughter Molly in the attic until she (Molly) died. Before, Mrs. Jane painted Molly's portrait and put it above the fireplace, so that Molly would become immortal; however, Molly made the portrait speak to her mother, so that Jane would know about Molly's pain. Mrs. Jane then speaks a rhyme and burns the portrait. A free spirit of Molly returns to haunt her until she goes insane.
All lyrics are written by King Diamond; all music is composed by King Diamond except where noted
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "The Candle" | 6:38 |
2. | "The Jonah" | 5:15 |
3. | "The Portrait" | 5:06 |
4. | "Dressed in White" | 3:09 |
No. | Title | Music | Length |
---|---|---|---|
5. | "Charon" | Diamond, Michael Denner | 4:14 |
6. | "Lurking in the Dark" | 3:33 | |
7. | "Halloween" | Diamond, Denner | 4:12 |
8. | "Voices from the Past" (instrumental) | 1:29 | |
9. | "Haunted" | Diamond, Denner | 3:54 |
No. | Title | Music | Length |
---|---|---|---|
10. | "No Presents for Christmas" | Diamond, Denner | 4:20 |
11. | "The Lake" | 4:11 |
Conspiracy is the fourth studio album by Danish heavy metal band King Diamond, and the second part of a story that began on the album Them. Conspiracy was released on 21 August 1989 through Roadrunner Records, and is the last album to feature drummer Mikkey Dee who left the group but recorded the album as a session member.
Voodoo is the eighth studio album by Danish heavy metal band King Diamond, released on 24 February 1998. It is the first album to feature drummer John Luke Hébert and the last one to feature guitarist Herb Simonsen and bassist Chris Estes. The album cover was drawn by Kristian Wåhlin.
The Dark Sides is a compilation of King Diamond songs, released on 1 November 1988 through Roadrunner Records. This album contains five tracks, released on previous albums, but are mostly unrelated in their stories.
Andy LaRocque is a Swedish guitarist, songwriter and record producer, best known as a member of the heavy metal band King Diamond since 1985.
The Graveyard is the seventh studio album by Danish heavy metal band King Diamond, released on 30 September 1996. It was the first album by King Diamond on the Massacre Records label and the last to feature drummer Darrin Anthony. The Graveyard is one of the most successful King Diamond's albums, peaking at No. 23 on the Finnish Charts and remaining for two weeks in the Top 40. The album was remastered by Andy LaRocque and re-released in 2009.
The Spider's Lullabye is the sixth studio album by Danish heavy metal band King Diamond, released on 6 June 1995. Unlike other King Diamond albums, it is not a full concept album; only half the songs form a single plot.
Abigail is the second album by Danish heavy metal band King Diamond, and the band's first concept album. It was released on 29 May 1987 through Roadrunner Records. There were several re-releases, first in 1997 with four bonus tracks, and then a 25th anniversary edition in 2005 with a bonus DVD. Abigail is the last album to feature guitarist Michael Denner and bassist Timi Hansen.
The Eye is the fifth studio album by Danish heavy metal band King Diamond, released on 30 October 1990 through Roadrunner Records. It continues to feature a major storyline like other King Diamond albums, though it is told differently. The Eye is the only album to feature drummer Snowy Shaw and the last to feature guitarist Pete Blakk and bassist Hal Patino, until the latter's return on Abigail II: The Revenge.
Individual Thought Patterns is the fifth studio album by Florida death metal band Death, released on June 22, 1993, by Relativity Records. It is the only album by the band to feature guitarist Andy LaRocque, the first to feature drummer Gene Hoglan and the second and last to feature bassist Steve DiGiorgio. Manager Eric Greif described the album as "an angry record, angry lyrically", attributing it to his conflict with Chuck Schuldiner at the time.
King Diamond is a Danish heavy metal band formed in 1985 by vocalist King Diamond, guitarists Andy LaRocque and Michael Denner, bassist Timi Hansen and drummer Mikkey Dee. King, Denner and Hansen had recently disbanded their previous group Mercyful Fate, and decided to form a new band under the King Diamond moniker, as it was already known from the initial Mercyful Fate era. Since the band's inception, there have been over fifteen musicians in and out of King Diamond, with the only two mainstays being Diamond and LaRocque. Their current lineup consists of Diamond, LaRocque, guitarist Mike Wead, drummer Matt Thompson, and bassist Pontus Egberg.
In Concert 1987: Abigail is a live album by Danish heavy metal band King Diamond which was recorded in 1987, but released in 1991 through Roadrunner Records.
Deadly Lullabyes Live is the second live album by Danish heavy metal band King Diamond, released on 21 September 2004 through Massacre Records. It was recorded during The Puppet Master promotion tour. It spans two discs. The album features only recordings from the United States part of the tour.
The discography of King Diamond, a Danish heavy metal band, consists of twelve studio releases, three live albums, five compilations, six singles, and four music videos. King Diamond was formed in 1985, after the dissolution of the group Mercyful Fate, by vocalist King Diamond, guitarists Andy LaRocque and Michael Denner, bassist Timi Hansen, and drummer Mikkey Dee. The following year, the band released their debut album Fatal Portrait on 14 March 1986 which charted at number 33 in Sweden. King Diamond's second studio album, Abigail, was released on 15 June 1987 and reached number 123 in the US, number 39 in Sweden and number 68 in the Netherlands. Following some line-up changes, the group released the album "Them" on 20 June 1988, which peaked at number 38 in Sweden, number 65 in the Netherlands, and at number 89 in the US, making "Them" King Diamond's highest-charting album in North America. The following year, the band released the follow-up album Conspiracy, which charted at number 111 in North America, number 41 in Sweden and at number 64 in the Netherlands. In 1990, after more line-up changes, King Diamond released the album The Eye, which only charted at number 179 in the US, which makes The Eye King Diamond's lowest-charting album in North America.
The Best of King Diamond is a compilation album by the heavy metal band King Diamond.
Collector's Item is an EP by the heavy metal band King Diamond. It is a collector's item shaped in a form of a head. It was released in 1999 through Massacre Records.
Sandalinas is a Spanish/Swedish progressive metal band founded in 2001 by guitarist Jordi Sandalinas, featuring Rick Altzi on vocals. Apollo Papathanasio, ex-Firewind and Spiritual Beggars sang on the band's debut album called Living on the Edge. Their first album, Living on the Edge, was produced by Andy LaRocque and released in 2005.
Give Me Your Soul...Please is the twelfth studio album by Danish heavy metal band King Diamond, released on 26 June 2007. The album's concept and cover art are both based on a painting titled "My Mother's Eyes". The black cat featured in the album is based on King's own cat, Magic. This was the last album to feature bassist Hal Patino, who was fired from the band in 2014.
Darzamat is a Polish atmospheric black metal band, founded in 1995. After a few initial releases, the founding member Flauros (vocals) managed to gather musicians who have since been identified as the band's core: guitar players Chris and Daamr, female vocalist Nera and keyboard player Spectre. The album Semidevilish, released in 2004, established the sound of the newly consolidated band and gave it strength to start appearing more regularly on stage.
Solfernus' Path is the sixth album by the Polish symphonic black metal band Darzamat, released on August 28, 2009. It was recorded at several studios in Poland. The drums and guitars were recorded at HH Poland Studio in Gliwice, while the vocals were recorded at Maq Studio. The keyboard parts were recorded at Spectre 's home studio. The album was produced by Jonas Kjellgren and featured a guest appearance by Andy LaRocque who played the guitar solo for the song King of Burning Anthems. La Rocque recorded his part in his own Sonic Train Studios in Varberg. They met when La Rocque produced their previous album Transkarpatia.
"Them" is the third studio album by Danish heavy metal band King Diamond, released on 18 July 1988 through Roadrunner Records in Europe, and 13 September 1988 through Roadracer Records in United States. It is the first album to feature guitarist Pete Blakk and bassist Hal Patino.
...the recordings of the Fatal Portrait album, which took place in the Sound Track Studio in Copenhagen during June, July and August 1985. The album was released worldwide on March 14th, 1986.