King Diamond & Black Rose-20 years ago A Night of Rehearsal
Review By: Michael Griffey II
I bought the CD, and popped it in my player...and instantly knew I liked it. Well, I guess
that's kind of a lie. I always know I'm going to like anything by King Diamond, just like
any hardcore fan. This album is every what any true fan hopes and prays for. Rare tunes from way back before anybody knew who he was. And, of course it helps that the music is great. The songs themselves might not appeal to those who were born after 1980, since you pretty much have to have an appreciation for late 60's to late 70's music. I grew up with Deep Purple, Alice Cooper, Frank Zappa and so on, so I REALLY enjoy this stuff.
When the first track, "Locked up in the snow" started I was fascinated simultaneously with the complexity, the simplicity and the clarity of the music.
By the time "Kill for Fun" was jamming, I was enjoying the way the music was taking a completely different direction than the lyrics. Very reminiscent of Deep Purple, here.
"The End", (not the Jim Morrison Classic) was definitely working with the eerie sounds that I believe would eventually end up being the trademark of King's excellent storytelling style. I LIKED "Soul Overture." This was an excellent piece of work. And "Doctor Cranium" again showboated King's lyrical style prefacing the years to come.
I believe that no true King Diamond fan can be without this gem to add to their collection.
This bite is from the back cover of the CD case:
"King Diamond started his career as a lead vocalist in an all Danish band by the name of Black Rose. This was 3 years before Mercyful Fate released their now legendary "Mini-LP" in 1982. Black Rose was a 5 piece band, heavily influenced by Deep Purple & Kansas. Already then King Diamond used crazy makeup, and the band had a reputation for delivering a very violent and bloody theatrical show. The music you are holding in your hand right now was recorded LIVE during a night rehearsal session, on the 30th of September, 1980. The session took place in a storage room under a bar in the outskirts of Copenhagen, Denmark, which at that time served as the band's practice facility. The actual recording is quite amazing, when you take into consideration that it was done LIVE onto a 2-track Reel to Reel Take Recorder, using 8 microphones, which went through the band's 8-channel mixer, and then straight to tape. You will hear 11 original Black Rose, and a cover version of Golden Earring's "Radar Love" (the long LP version). The material has been left untouched, including the band member's chat in Danish between songs, in order to capture the authenticity of that very special night. You will even hear the band screw up a few beginnings, stop, and then start all over again. AND...this material has never been available in any form or fashion until NOW!"
BACK TO KING!