King Diamond "Abigail" CD

Kim Petersen, the man behind King Diamond, is no stranger to success. In a world where most bands can be considered mediocre and irrelevant, few bands ever cross the chasm from average to great. Fewer still become true, established legends with unquestionable credibility and prowess. The King has done it twice. He could have retired from metal for good in 1984, and he still would have been largely responsible for two of the best albums of all time in Mercyful Fate's Melissa and Don't Break the Oath. However, not resting on his laurels, he continued to make music for over two decades, including a handful of superb albums in his own eponymous band.
That brings us to Abigail, an album that I feel is the quintessential King Diamond album. Every hallmark associated with the band is on full display here in their most perfect forms: an eerie story that, if made into a movie, would fit in well with the campy horror classics of the 50's and 60's; phenomenal songwriting rarely matched and never surpassed; Andy LaRocque's lecherous melodies and riffs; and, of course, King Diamond's shrieks and howls that emanate from the speakers, scattering a chill through the room like a freezing wind. Those shrieks and howls are easily the most defining features of any work he has ever been a part of, and much has been said about them over the years. Earlier, I mentioned that the stories would fit in well with the campy horror classics of the 50's and 60's, so I think it fitting that I put King Diamond's singing in the same class as legendary horror actor Vincent Price's own iconic voice--you either love it or you're wrong.
Over the course of just my lifetime, technology has improved at a rapid, almost horrifying rate, and yet scientists have still been unable to create a microscope powerful enough to find a flaw in this album. There's no fat on this bacon, no flab on this ass. From the perilous prelude "Funeral", to the melodic madness of "Arrival" and "A Mansion in Darkness", to the crushing choruses of "The Family Ghost" and "The 7th Day of July 1777", to the galloping glory of "Omens" and "The Possession", to the frenzied ferocity of "Abigail" and "Black Horsemen", it's clear that every song on this album is essential. There's no second wasted, no note unnecessary.
Though, if I was forced to pick highlights of the album, then I would point out the breathtaking acoustic intro of "The 7th Day of July 1777." I would declare "Black Horsemen" as the greatest song on the album and perhaps one of the best metal songs of all time. It masterfully displays how to properly build a long, epic song that incorporates narration, acoustics, and swift tempo changes without overstaying its welcome or feeling unnecessarily bloated.
"Abigail, I know you're in control of her brain..."
Regardless of where you side in the never-ending debate of which of his bands is better, anybody who is even vaguely familiar with the metal canon knows that King Diamond has a reverence surrounding his name that is virtually unheard of in the metal community (and probably any other community). King Diamond is as close to universally respected by the fans of the music that he has devoted much of his life to as one can be, and it's neither an accident nor a conspiracy. He's simply that damn good. He's simply unparalleled.

Sample:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

Official promo video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?...