Darkness is creeping in over Cartagena. The sun has set on the first scorching hot day of Rock Imperium, a four-day festival in the beautiful Murcia region of Spain. No longer confined to the shade of the trees or huddled by the walls of the old barracks that loom over El Batel park, the heat really is merciless, even to the locals, and there are few places to take shelter – but a sizeable congregation has formed, ready to be transported to another place and time (hopefully a few degrees cooler) by the delightfully twisted mind of King Diamond.
Saint Lucifer’s Hospital, 1920 – the setting for tonight’s live spectacle and the name of the upcoming King Diamond record which, he tells us, is halfway to being finished (cue cheering).
The stage is on three levels, furnished like an old-timey asylum with gargoyles, wrought iron stairs and gas lanterns; King Diamond shows have always been highly theatrical and conceptual, but this show is almost like being at the West End.
Performance artist and Jodi Cachia haunts the stage as a host of different characters from the King Diamond universe, from the possessed Miriam to Welcome Home’s murderous Grandma and the titular troublemaker of latest single, Spider Lilly.
Amidst the costumes, the props and the macabre tableaux that form a big part of the live experience, it’s King’s palpable joy at being on stage that’s the most powerful aspect of tonight’s set. This is a man whose love for heavy metal runs deep.
He’s not afraid to break character, to grin widely and exclaim, “That was fucking awesome!” to the crowd, nor to look a little silly while he air-guitars on his bone-cross mic stand during Spider Lilly, his fake-skin mask flapping around his cheeks comically like nightmarish mutton chops.
When he’s not playing a part, he occasionally has the air of a teenager who can’t believe his luck, and it’s totally endearing. He deals ever so politely with hecklers screaming for them to play Abigail and thanks the audience for their devotion with humility and deep gratitude.
The band, who he introduces before launching into Halloween, also happen to be on excellent form. Andy Larocque’s crisp, chunky riffing on Eye of the Witch sounds robust and massive, while singer Hel Pyre adds spine-tingling keys, and picks up where Myrkur left off in providing a gorgeous, ethereal backing vocal that complements King’s unmistakeable falsetto perfectly.
And about that voice – it’s hard to believe this is a man who basically cheated death not so long ago when he sounds this good. His voice is so well-preserved that, when they do come back for an encore of Abigail, which has thankfully returned to the setlist, he sounds just as good as he did in ’87, if not better. Long may he reign.
