King Diamond, Overkill & Night Demon Admit Montreal to St. Lucifer’s Hospital [Photos]

One of my favourite books I remember reading from high school was Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury. To this day, I still repeat the book’s title whenever I feel that something bad may be on its way. Though this is usually done in jest to get a little chuckle out of myself, something wicked was heading to Montreal last week, the one and only King Diamond.

Lots of people describe heavy metal as being the Devil’s music or something inherently evil that should be avoided. For most bands, the devil worship stuff is just an act. One must not forget that King Diamond is a ‘character,’ but the man who personifies that character does such a good job at it. But still, the legend of King Diamond is such that in the moments before the curtain rose, there were still some butterflies in the pit of my stomach.

There were a couple of bands who took care of opening the festivities. Up first was Night Demon. Due to the size of King Diamond’s set piece, Night Demon was crammed to the very front of the stage. They were literally jumping over their own amps in order to move around. They were playing some old school metal which was really popular with the crowd. They impressed me as well. I hope to see them again one day, hopefully with a bit more place to play.

Up next was another legendary thrash metal band from the 1980s, Overkill. A long time listener, it has been ten years since I last saw them, and they still sound as awesome. Bobby Blitz’s voice hasn’t lost any of its power and they are just as mischievous and fun loving as always. The middle fingers and f-bombs were flying all set. But it’s all secondary fun to the awesome music. Overkill was part of the big thrash metal boom of the 1980s, but they’re still out there releasing face-melting albums and live shows that are not to be missed.

Back to our visiting demon. After the curtain rose, King Diamond appears behind the coffin of Abigail before disposing of the little girl in a most violent fashion. Once the famous demon child has been disposed of, we are welcomed into St. Lucifer’s Hospital. A hospital where all kinds of atrocities take place. Described as the most elaborate thing King Diamond has ever done, the stage piece takes up the entirety of the MTelus stage.

King Diamond, the character, takes up lots of space, but not to be overlooked is his terrific collection of musicians. The trio of Andy LaRocque, Mike Wead and Pontus Egberg on guitar and bass are just as important to the show as King Diamond himself. A special guest on the tour, Danish musician Myrkur makes appearances from time to time while also playing the keyboard.

Speaking of vocals, King Diamond’s falsetto screams are legendary and really do bring a little tingle to the base of your spine. Especially when he hits one and immediately stares right into your camera, piercing my soul through my lens. Something wicked this way comes, indeed. King Diamond and his St. Lucifer’s Hospital tour continues into December. Be sure to check it out, or run the risk of King Diamond coming to get you.

King Diamond (w/ Overkill & Night Demon) @ MTELUS (Montreal, QC) on November 2nd, 2024

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