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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The King Delivers!!Thank you,thank you very mush.., June 8, 2005
I loved Mercyful Fate,but I had it pretty lucky.I had an older sister that introduced me to bands like KISS,Iron Maiden,and Judas Priest as well as some of the more alternative flavored music from the 80's and late 70's,but I discovered Mecyful Fate all on my own,and was disheartened when I heard they had broken up.But a year later,out came his No Presents For Christmas single,and a few months down the road,it happened..King Diamond's first solo album,Fatal Portrait.I was just eleven,but it had as much an affect on me as did the Ramones or Dead Kennedys.Fatal Portrait is one of those albums that from the beginning grabs you by the short curlies and drags you forward in such a rush of ecstasy that its hard not to tell all your friends about it the moment its over.The opener The Candle begins with spooky synthesizers and a spoken word piece that I can still remember to this day..Seven years have gone..It can no longer be left undone.So the songe begins,and so began a career of creativity that is hard to measure in impact in the metal community,whethr it be traditional or black metal you speak of.I truly enjoyed this album,and so will anyone either previously familiar with either Mercyful Fate or King Diamond,or just becoming familiar with his work.This is my favorite King Diamond album,and it still gives me goosebumps to this day when I listen to it.Some of the best songs on the album are the catchy singalong Halloween which will have you singing glass in hand,or the perfectly melancholy The Lake,not originally available on the release back in '86..And as others have said,No Presents For Christmas will instantly be any headbanger's favorite christmas tune..Every year I make a loop copy of the song on disc and sneak into my local Wal-Mart and sneakily slide it into the stereo that constantly belts out cheesy xmas music.I'm sure there's some old lady banging her head right now to King Diamond thanks to me and my yearly mission..Buy Fatal Portrait..You won't be disappointed..
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Good New Beginning, July 11, 2006
If you are reading this, you probably know that after "Mercyful's Fate's" 'Don't Break the Oath,' the group broke up. (Largely due to the praises to hell on the afore mentioned record.) Guitarist Hank Shermann and drummer Kim Ruzz went their own way, and Bassist Tim Hansen and guitarist Mike Denner stayed with the front man King Diamond. Drummer Mick Dee and the highly underrated guitarist Andy LaRoque joined the party, and this was the beginning of the group we now call "King Diamond." While later efforts by "King Diamond" reflect stronger writing and musical skills, this 1st record hints at the greatness that was to come in later efforts such as "Abigail," "Them," and "Conspiracy." On this 1st record, we are offered a half length story and a few individual songs. After an impressive keyboard opening, we hear the story of a woman who was so obsessed with her daughter Molly that she kept her locked away from anyone else and decided to make her immortal with a portrait. The girl dies, but as most of you know, when King Diamond is involved, death is but a temporary absence. While one can tell this is an early record, the musical and lyrical qualities are prevalent. After the story of the record takes a break, 'Charon' keeps the tone. 'Lurking In the Dark' starts with some howls and is a decent song. 'Halloween' is a good spooky song that keeps the tone and musical pace of the record going. 'Voice From the Past' is a good guitar instrumental played by none other than Mr. Diamond himself. 'Haunted' goes back to the story of Molly and offers a crowning end to the record. While this group was to improve with age, "Fatal Portrait" remains a good record and prepares us for the horrors awaiting in "Abigail," "Them," "Conspiracy," "The Spider's Lullabye," and "The Graveyard."
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I Command You To Scream, August 25, 2004
It's fun! It's freaky! It's funky! It's Insaaaaaaaaaaane! It's King Diamond's debut, Fatal Portrait! You can't call yourself a King Diamond fan and not own this. Most of what I read says that Abigail is when they truly found their sound, but whether the sound is found or not, this album is great. Off the top of my head I can't even think of one filler song on here, though some may disagree. As his career went on, King Diamond would use multiple singing voices on his albums, but on this one he's using the trademark falsetto about 98% of the time. You have to be some kind of communist schmuck if you're not singing along with this catchy tunes by the end of the song. Very highly recommended.
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