It’s not my first time catching opening act Unto Others live (here) and I’m pleased to report that time has only increased their charms. They’ve been blazing a trail across the UK on a headline tour and tonight the play support to King Diamond before departing from these shores. As such, the band are a well-oiled, finely-tuned machine and that’s exactly how they hit the stage with songs such as ‘Suicide Today’ finding them bang on point. It feels as if the ornate, Victorian architecture of The Roundhouse is the perfect frame for their brand of gothic metal (think a heavy metal version of The Cure) and despite being pushed to the stage’s periphery by the other band’s equipment, they throw all the right shapes, delivering a big and boomy sound that fills the entire venue. Unto Others came, saw, and most definitely conquered.
There’s a lot of excited chatter in the venue and a desire to see just what lies beneath the huge black curtain that drapes King Diamond’s set, but thankfully Paradise Lost are diverting our thoughts towards them and with a sound this powerful, how could they not? Hitting the stage with a kind of savage grace, the band lock in tightly to create a series of soundscapes, the likes of ‘The Enemy’ locking the band and crowd into a singular groove. ‘No Hope In Sight’ turns a sweltering July day into a frostbitten Nordic night whilst ‘Pity The Sadness’ adds a touch of dark foreboding, just like the poem from which the band took their name. There’s little time wasted on between song banter, the band preferring to unleash their songs in quick succession, their set becoming a musical rockfall that entombs the crowd with monstrous riffs and thundering drums. Final track ‘Say Just Words’ is the type of song that could only come from a band originating in the north of England, it’s the green and grey, desolate moors and the scars of heavy industry, and illustrates why, when it comes to gothic metal, Paradise Lost remain the first and best.
As the stage is prepared for King Diamond, the covers are gradually removed revealing an impressive set: “St. Lucifer’s Hospital, 1920”. It’s disconcerting, decrepitated, flanked by two creaking staircases and promises all sorts of dark delights. As the lights dip and Uriah Heep’s ‘The Wizard’ fills the air by way of an introduction, a tangible tension crackles and electrifies the atmosphere, infecting all present. Stretching things to breaking point, ‘Funeral’ is another preamble, meaning that when King Diamond steps through a door in the set, there’s a palpable sense of relief as King and band launch into aptly-titled opener ‘Arrival’. Proving himself in fine voice, King displays his full range hitting those impossibly high notes with a glass-shattering falsetto. With the aid of some inventive lighting, the stage really comes alive; the faux windows reflect a ghostly hue, whilst the keyboardist and drummer are perched high above and lit from below. The result is a stage that looks far bigger than it actually is and makes the collective known as King Diamond an impressive spectacle. Along with some sinister props, the band really bring songs such as ‘A Mansion In Darkness’ to life. Of course, that these songs have inherent storylines running through them gives them an organic feel and aside from being in fine voice, King proves himself a fine thespian and tonight’s show perfectly blurs the line between theatre and rock music.
Tonight’s set list is culled pretty evenly from the King Diamond discography and as a whole reads like a “greatest hits” type set, only with the added punch of being performed live. It would have been nice to have heard a few Mercyful Fate numbers but when the songs are as good as ‘Masquerade Of Madness’ and ‘Spider Lilly’, there can be few complaints. An explosive encore of ‘Abigail’ takes things off the Richter Scale and while most people cite Elvis Presley as the “King”, our monarch is called Diamond. The King is dead, Long live the King!
King Diamond Set List:
- Arrival
- A Mansion In Darkness
- Halloween
- Voodoo
- (Them)
- Spider Lilly
- (Two Little Girls)
- Sleepless Nights
- (Out From The Asylum)
- Welcome Home
- The Invisible Guests
- The Candle
- Masquerade Of Madness
- Eye Of The Witch
- Burn
Encore:
- Abigail
