One of the great voices in modern metal returns to the Bay Area the day before Thanksgiving when King Diamond headlines the Fox Theater in Oakland with support from thrash veterans Overkill and SoCal metal trio Night Demon. One of the most influential metal vocalists to emerge after the 1970s when he first came to fame fronting Danish band Mercyful Fate, King Diamond would rise to even greater success with the horrifying concept albums he delivered with his eponymous band. With a voice that ranged from a guttural growl to a soaring falsetto and his sinister, corpse-painted visage, Diamond and Mercyful Fate were pioneers of early black metal thanks to the anthems heard on the band's seminal early '80s albums Melissa and Don't Break the Oath .
Though the band split up by 1985 due to musical differences, it's limited output and ferocious live shows (particularly their first U.S. tour supporting Motörhead in 1984) exerted a major influence on Metallica (who recorded a medley of Fate's best tunes on their Garage Inc.
covers album), Slayer and a host of extreme metal bands that would follow in their wake. Diamond would form his eponymous band that initially included Fate guitarist Michael Denner and bassist Timi Hansen, releasing its debut album Fatal Portrait in 1986. After that effort, the group went on to explore a more storytelling approach with the acclaimed horror concept efforts Abigail , "Them" and Conspiracy .
Always a menacing figure live with his upside-down bone cross.