KING DIAMOND - Fatal Portrait LP (Black Vinyl)

This album alone is affirmation enough that King Diamond would be just fine on his own. The fact that he was only getting started is just another reflection of his genius. The guitar work is great, his vocals are charismatic and impressive as usual, and the songs flow effortlessly. I do think KD was trying to reign in his singing compared to some of his later solo work, but the instrumentation that comes to focus is more than strong enough to keep the album moving. So, while this isn’t his best work, I do think it may be the most important album that King Diamond was ever a part of. It proved he was not just a uniquely gifted figure in heavy metal history, but one of the genre’s crucial innovators.