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KING DIAMOND kicked off its spring/summer 2025 European tour on Wednesday night (June 4) at the Sweden Rock Festival in Sölvesborg, Sweden.
The current tour features King Diamond on lead vocals, with Andy La Rocque and Mike Wead on guitars, Pontus Egberg on bass, and Matt Thompson on drums. Joining them is Greek vocalist Hel Pyre, who previously played bass for NERVOSA, providing backing vocals throughout the tour.
KING DIAMOND‘s setlist from last night’s show included:
01. Arrival
02. A Mansion In Darkness
03. Halloween
04. Voodoo
05. Spider Lilly
06. Sleepless Nights
07. Welcome Home
08. The Invisible Guests
09. The Candle
10. Masquerade Of Madness
11. Electro Therapy
12. Eye Of The Witch
13. Burn
14. Abigail
Fan-recorded footage of the entire performance can be viewed below.
In a recent interview with Fistful Of Metal magazine, King discussed the long-anticipated new KING DIAMOND album, stating: “Originally, we had chosen the title ‘The Institute’, but it has since been changed to ‘St Lucifer’s Hospital 1920’ since the U.S. tour began. There may be a song titled ‘The Institute’ on the album. We intended to release it this year, aiming to finalize everything before the live shows, but I want to ensure it’s the best material I’ve ever created. We’re currently preparing to film the next video for the single ‘Lobotomy’, which will definitely be out later this year. Other completed tracks include an intro titled ‘Under The Surface’, ‘The Institute’, ‘The Nun’, ‘Faceless’, and, of course, ‘Spider Lilly’. There’s also a track I’m uncertain about including called ‘Deep In The Darkness 1920’. Andy is working on at least five tracks, one featuring a massive chorus we plan to record with a choir. We envision this album as the first part of a trilogy, and I already have titles for all three albums.”
In another interview with Guitar World, La Rocque talked about the upcoming horror trilogy from KING DIAMOND, the first part titled “Saint Lucifer’s Hospital 1920”. When questioned about his previous remarks regarding the new KING DIAMOND songs being a return to the band’s foundational work, Andy said: “Our goal is to bring back that organic feel, where everything doesn’t have to be perfectly timed or pitched. It needs to carry some rock ‘n’ roll essence. [Laughs] Listening to an album that’s overly polished can be dull. We aimed to create a record that’s more vibrant, reminiscent of the ’80s.
“We’re attempting to avoid the rigidity characteristic of albums from the ’90s and early 2000s,” he elaborated. “Our focus is on easing the sound a bit. We also discussed revisiting our roots in songwriting. Certain parts channel back to ‘Fatal Portrait’ and ‘Abigail’ in terms of riffing style, but it’s going to be distinct from anything you’ve heard from us before.”
Regarding a possible timeline for the next KING DIAMOND album, Andy added: “We have festivals in Europe [this] summer, so everything must be recorded and ready beforehand, that’s for sure. We’re still finalizing other aspects. We believe there will be eight or possibly nine songs on the album.”
Last December, KING DIAMOND unveiled a new single, “Spider Lilly”. This marked a first-time collaboration in mixing with Arthur Rizk, who also mastered the track. Both music and lyrics were crafted by King Diamond.
The official music video for “Spider Lilly” was directed by My Good Eye Visuals. A portion of the video was filmed at the notorious Pennhurst Asylum outside Philadelphia on a travel day during the band’s 2024 North American tour, just two days before Halloween. Only King and actress Jodi Cachia were present that day, along with producer David Brodsky, Allie Woest, and their team.
KING DIAMOND performed “Spider Lilly” live for the very first time at the launch concert of the 2024 North American headlining tour, starting on October 15 at Boeing Center at Tech Port in San Antonio, Texas. The “Saint Lucifer’s Hospital 1920” tour concluded on December 6 in Dallas, Texas, with support from OVERKILL and NIGHT DEMON. Additional backing vocals for the KING DIAMOND set were provided by special guest Myrkur.
In November 2024, the scheduled shows in Edmonton, Alberta (November 20 at Edmonton Convention Center), Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (November 21 at TCU Place), Calgary, Alberta (November 22 at Grey Eagle Event Centre), Portland, Oregon (November 24 at Keller Auditorium), and Seattle, Washington (November 25 at The Moore Theatre) were canceled due to “unforeseen circumstances.”
KING DIAMOND‘s setlist for the fall 2024 tour showcased two new songs, “Electro Therapy” and the previously mentioned “Spider Lilly”.
In October 2023, KING DIAMOND released a music video for the 2019 single “Masquerade Of Madness”. The clip was directed by David Brodsky and Allison Woest of My Good Eye Visuals.
Following the release of “Masquerade Of Madness” in November 2019, La Rocque revealed to The Metal Voice that he first created the music for the track before passing it to King, who “needed to arrange a few things and alter just a small number of details to align it with his vocals. Then he wrote the lyrics,” the guitarist explained. “There was some back and forth until he concluded, ‘Okay, this is great, man. This is the right key for me,’ and all that.”
KING DIAMOND received a Grammy nomination in the “Best Metal Performance” category for the song “Never Ending Hill” from their last album, released in 2007 titled “Give Me Your Soul … Please”.
“Give Me Your Soul … Please” debuted at No. 174 on The Billboard 200 chart, selling 4,500 copies in its first week.
KING DIAMOND released a DVD/Blu-ray titled “Songs For The Dead Live” in January 2019 via Metal Blade Records. This set spotlighted the entirety of 1987’s iconic “Abigail” album, recorded twice in very distinct locations: at Belgium’s Graspop Metal Meeting in June 2016 and Philadelphia’s Fillmore in November 2015. The performances featured KING DIAMOND‘s current lineup, which includes guitarists La Rocque and Mike Wead, bassist Pontus Egberg, and Matt Thompson.
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