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King Diamond is the band that King Diamond formed after the split up of Mercyful Fate , following the departure of Hank Shermann . He was joined by most members of the then defunct Mercyful Fate. The Satanic focus was replaced by a focus on horror stories. Apart from two albums, each of the albums contained a story told throughout the songs; some stories span more than one album. Only ''Fatal Portrait'' and ''The Spider's Lullabye'' deviate here, in that only half of the songs form a story while the other songs are independent. HISTORY The band was first launched with the album '' Fatal Portrait '', which featured the guitar talents of Andy LaRocque , who would become King Diamond's longest running collaborator. In 1987 , the King Diamond band released '' Abigail '', which is often considered his best solo work. The album tells the tale of an 18th Century house that is inherited by a young couple who soon discover its dark secrets. ''Abigail'' was followed by '' Them '' and its sequel '' Conspiracy '', which also told of a demon possessed house, this time maintained by a demented old woman who drinks Tea made from human Blood . Following the departure of drummer Mikkey Dee (who joined Don Dokken 's band and then would later join Motörhead ), King Diamond released '' The Eye '' but did not tour due to lack of label support. Pete Blakk and Hal Patino were fired due to excessive drug and alcohol use and were replaced by Mike Wead and Sharlee D'Angelo . This lineup never recorded and it is unknown if they ever rehearsed as a band. In the liner notes for Mercyful Fate 's In The Shadows album, King wrote a special message thanking them for their patience and emphasized his enthusiasm for their upcoming album. After relocating to the United States, King Diamond released '' The Spider's Lullabye '' and '' The Graveyard '', however this was with an entirely new lineup with the exception of mainstay Andy LaRocque . The new lineup consisted of Herb Simonsen , Chris Estes , and Darrin Anthony , all of the Texas band Mindstorm. These members were chosen due to their proximity of Diamond's new residence in the United States. Darrin Anthony was soon replaced due to his inability to continue as the result of a car accident. He was replaced by John Luke Hebert . After the recording of Voodoo, Herb Simonsen left for family reasons. His replacement was Glen Drover of the band Eidolon . After touring with this lineup, Estes left and was replaced by David Harbour . In '' was released, and though well-received critics and fans alike, alleged loss of profits due to file sharing kept the band from touring. The issue of touring funds was solved for the 2003 release of '' The Puppet Master ''. Since the album was recorded largely at King's home in Texas , more money was left over for a tour. The tour was documented of the 2004 live album '' Deadly Lullabyes Live ''. ''"The Puppet Master"'', which tells of human beings being converted into string operated dolls, received critical acclaim. In addition to guitar work by Andy LaRocque , the album features long time collaborator Hal Patino on bass and Mercyful Fate guitarist Mike Wead on additional guitar. Also featured are drummer Matt Thompson and female singer Livia Zita . In April 2006 King reunited with old friend Mikkey Dee (current Motorhead drummer) at a sold-out gig at Kåren in Gothenburg, Sweden .1 In 2001 King referred to Dee as "one of the best {Link without Title} of all time and that's something that has bothered us since he left."2 On the 31st of January 2007 it was announced on the band's official website the that mixing of the new album will start on the 5th of March in Dallas, Texas. This new album is to be entitled ''"Give Me Your Soul...Please"'', and it is set for release on June 26th in North America by Metalblade Records and June 29th in Europe by Massacre Records. It has been confirmed that King Diamond will play live in VOXHALL in Århus, Denmark, on October 17th. SONGWRITING King Diamond has written all of the lyrics and the bulk of the music for the band with Andy LaRocque being the next biggest contributor. Since the band formed, Diamond has written 81 songs that have appeared on studio albums while LaRocque has written 37. Diamond has also co-written a number of songs with members. He has written five with LaRocque and Mike Denner respectively, one with Matt Thompson , and one with Chris Estes . LaRocque and Snowy Shaw have also co-written one songs while Estes and Pete Blakk have each written one song on their own. Of the 133 song to appear on a King Diamond album, Diamond has written or co-written roughly 70%, LaRocque with 32%, and 1.5% by other members. BAND MEMBERS Current members
Former members
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