I recently had the privilege to see and meet one of my favorite bands, King Diamond, who are touring in support of a new CD entitled Voodoo. This killer show was held at Bogart's in Cincy on May 11. I also got to interview the King himself and guitarist extraordinare Andy La Rocque. Here's what they had to say. . . . . . . '
Eddy Metal: "King, How is the tour going? By the way, I love Voodoo it rocks! It reminds me of "Abigail"or"Them" your older stuff. "
King Diamond: "It's going very well. We've gotten great response. The band lineup is working well. The music is more aggresive than usual. The writing arrangements are a lot like the older albums that you mentioned. I'm very happy with the new album. "
EM: "Can you tell us about Mercyful Fate's new CD"Dead Again"? When should we look for it in stores?"
KD: "It will be released sometime in early June. I have the same feeling about this album as I do for "Voodoo". "Voodoo"seems to be much in the direction of the older King Diamond, whereas the new Mercyful Fate music seems to have gone back to the "Melissa" album. The title track is 13 minutes long and is very reminiscent of songs like "Satan's Fall" just one long progression. Mercyful Fate will be headlining The Milwaukee Metal Fest, then will launch a world tour. "
EM: "Well, King thanks for the chat. Now I'd like to ask Andy a question. Andy, being a big fan of your axe work; I love "Voodoo" it features some of your finest work. Where did you record the CD?"
Andy La Rocque: "Thank You, I'm glad that you like it.
We recorded at Nomad Studios in Dallas, Texas with producer Sterling Winfield. He has worked with Pantera and other bands. We are very happy with the results. "
EM: "Andy, what do you think of the music nowadays the new generation?"
AL: "I like it. There is a lot of quality music out there especially the black metal bands back in Sweden, where I own my own record label. But yes, I like a lot of the music that's out now. "