King Diamond

King Diamond is the band that King Diamond (Kim Petersen) formed after he left Mercyful Fate which eventually caused the remaining members to split up(although Michael Denner and Timi Hansen were also members of King Diamond) - following the departure of Hank Shermann. Although the first incarnation of King Diamond featured members of Mercyful Fate, the band lost most of its proto-black metal style and become a heavy metal band. The Satanic focus of Mercyful Fate's lyrics was replaced by a focus on horror stories. Apart from two albums, each of the albums contained a story told throughout the songs; some stories span more than one album. Only Fatal Portrait and The Spider's Lullaby deviate here, in that only four of the songs form a story while the other songs are independent. His extremely high falsetto vocal style is notable.

King formed the band in Copenhagen, Denmark along with two former Mercyful Fate members, guitarist Michael Denner and bassist Timi Hansen and was joined by new drummer Mikkey Dee. The original second guitarist Floyd Constantin was soon replaced by Andy LaRocque. The band debuted with single No Presents For Christmas, followed by debut album Fatal Portrait. King Diamond would also play some Mercyful Fate songs on gigs. The second album Abigail was the first full concept album. Shortly before the release and following tour, Michael Denner left the band. His replacement was Mikael Myllynen, who also appeared in band's first promo video, The Family Ghost. However, he left the band after the tour.