It had been a long time since I’d felt this excited for a concert in Montreal. We were in for a magical evening with none other than King Diamond, who was touring ahead of his newest album, offering a sneak peek at the madness to come.
The night was jam-packed with heavy metal, and I arrived just in time to catch the end of Night Demon’s set. They were an excellent choice to warm up the crowd with their retro-sounding heavy metal. Their sound combined influences from classic bands like Motörhead, with its driving basslines, and Mercyful Fate, with intricate riffs. Their thrashy, melodic style served as the perfect bridge between Overkill and King Diamond. I’m sure many older King Diamond fans discovered a new band to explore.
After a short break—which I spent drinking wine on the sidewalk with fellow Montreal metalheads, reminiscing about the good old days—it was time for Overkill, one of the most underrated thrash bands of the ’80s.
Despite being from New Jersey, they don’t visit Montreal nearly enough, in my opinion. In all my years of concert-going, I’ve only seen them a few times, and I hope they come back more often because their set was amazing. They kicked things off with the title track from their latest album, Scorched, as fans moshed furiously. Their short but powerful set continued with classics like “Rotten to the Core” and “Hello From the Gutter,” driving the crowd into a frenzy with bodies flying everywhere.
The band then launched into newer material like “The Surgeon” and “Ironbound.” Overkill’s discography is massive, with 20 studio albums, and I’ll definitely need to revisit it because these new tracks were absolute bangers that blended seamlessly with their classics.
Bobby Blitz, the lead singer, was in top form, his signature high-pitched vocals cutting through the venue, perfectly complementing the band’s groovy, fast-paced thrash riffs. I was genuinely impressed by how fantastic his voice still sounded. Like everyone else, I threw up the horns and sang along to the anthems “Elimination” and the fan-favourite “Fuck You,” which had the whole crowd chanting along. Their set felt a bit too short, though—there’s so much more of their vast discography I would have loved to hear.
Anticipation grew as the curtain dropped, hiding the massive three-storey stage from King Diamond’s rabid fans. King Diamond is a cult icon for many metalheads, myself included, and the crowd was buzzing with excitement as the show began.
The set was a visual masterpiece, standing three stories high and filled with intricate details—floating heads in vats, a prison cell, and a wheelchair for “Grandma” were just some of the eerie props. King Diamond wasted no time making an entrance. As the curtain rose, he stood in front of a coffin labelled “Abigail” and theatrically stabbed the demon child inside with a dagger, while the intro track “Funeral” played. It was the perfect opening as the band launched into “Arrival” and “A Mansion in Darkness,” with a dancer portraying Myriam from the Abigail storyline, ascending and descending the stairs. The band was on fire, and you could feel the electric energy in the room as fans sang along to every word.
After the first two songs, King Diamond paused to greet his fans, and the chants of his name were deafening. Without missing a beat, he declared that for him, “Every day is Halloween,” before launching into the classic “Halloween” from the Fatal Portrait album. The atmosphere was magical, and it seemed as if everyone knew all the lyrics to these timeless tracks.
Next, King took a moment to introduce his band members, but guitarist Andy LaRocque didn’t need an introduction—the crowd was already chanting his name. The tam-tam drums started playing in the background as they launched into one of my personal favourites, “Voodoo,” with King conducting his dancer on stage using a snake-headed staff, adding even more theatrical flair.
The band then switched gears with a new song from the upcoming album The Institute, which King announced would be a trilogy centred on Saint Lucifer’s hospital. The new track, “Spider Lilly,” started with a heavy, crunchy intro before picking up speed. It featured King’s signature falsetto over a melodic guitar riff, and the dancer portrayed a deranged figure on the third storey of the stage, adding to the dark vibe. She bit into flowers, spit them out, and eerily played with a knife as the song reached its haunting conclusion. The new material was a hit, and it made me even more excited for the next album.
An interlude followed, with the dancer eerily playing with dolls on the stairs as the band returned to the stage to perform “Sleepless Nights” from the Conspiracy album. Once again, the crowd didn’t miss a single lyric, belting out every word.
Then, the intro to the Them album, “Out of the Asylum,” played as King escorted “Grandma” to her wheelchair to the crowd’s cheers. They launched into the classic “Welcome Home,” with King and Grandma acting out the song’s narrative. King introduced himself in a new costume—a doctor from Saint Lucifer’s hospital with long, balding grey hair and a black coat—and invited the audience to welcome “The Invisible Guests.”
The set continued with “Masquerade of Madness,” the single from the new album, as the dancer, wearing an iron asylum mask, moved erratically around the stage. King then locked her in a cell, followed by another classic, “The Candle,” with the crowd singing along in unison.
The night neared its end, but the band had a few more surprises. They played “Burn,” as smoke filled the stage and the dancer mimicked being burned alive. Then King asked the crowd if they wanted to hear a new, unfinished song. The response was overwhelmingly positive, and they treated us to “Electro Therapy,” a killer new track. The performance featured the dancer being shocked in a contraption labelled Saint Lucifer as King explained the concept behind the song.
After a short break, the band returned for an encore. One fan even asked King for a unique souvenir, pleading for him to wipe his makeup onto her newly purchased tour T-shirt. King jokingly obliged. They closed the night with the classic “Abigail,” to the crowd’s roaring cheers.
If you hadn’t guessed by now, I’m a die-hard King Diamond fan. I’ve seen him perform every time he’s been in Montreal since Mercyful Fate in 1999, and I’ve even travelled to see him. I can say without a doubt that this was the best production he’s ever put on. The setlist was packed with classics, along with some amazing new songs. If this tour’s goal was to build hype for the new album, it was a complete success. This was a magical, mystical night in Montreal, and with how rabid his fans here are, I’m sure King Diamond will return soon!
Review – Jason Maher
Photos – Eric Brisson
