To a certain kind of person—namely, a GenX-er raised in the suburbs when metäl reigned supreme—each notification about the forthcoming horror picture Abigail triggers an immediate memory. It’s a shout, a howl, a cry from the very center of darkness. “AHHHHHH-ahhhhhhh-AHHHHHH-ahhhhhh!” may not look like much typed out for the uninitiated, but those whose paths have crossed with the terrifying Scandinavian messenger of demonic heavy metal known as King Diamond recognize it as the shocking squeal at the beginning of “Abigail,” the eighth and climactic track on the 1987 album of the same name.
It is therefore comforting to learn that I am not alone in this. Indeed, Abigail’s co-director Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, e-mailing on behalf of himself, co-director Tyler Gillett, and producer Chad Villella, said that they listened to the song “Abigail” frequently during the editing process on their new movie. “In a lot of ways, it became our soundtrack during post,” he wrote. “We always tried to sing along but of course we could never even get close, apologies to our neighbors. King Diamond is one of a kind!"
One of a kind doesn’t even come close. Some metal vocalists sound like Cookie Monster. Some metal vocalists sound like Edith Bunker. Only King Diamond can sound like both. If you’ve never heard it, follow this link for “Abigail.”
King Diamond is among the most gloriously ludicrous acts from the golden age of heavy metal, and while he never had a gold or platinum album, his inimitable screech with thunderous drums, crunching guitars, ghastly stage presence (why use a microphone stand when bones will do the trick), and Tales From the Crypt-like subject matter are wildly beloved by the right kind of people. (Metallica’s Lars Ulrich and Slayer’s Kerry King have long discussed their fealty to the King.) Alice Cooper and Ozzy Osbourne may have gotten there first, but King Diamond brought horror metal to its apogee, and Abigail, which Billboard cites as most likely the first horror concept album ever recorded, is his masterpiece.
Some metal vocalists sound like Cookie Monster. Some metal vocalists sound like Edith Bunker. Only King Diamond can sound like both.
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I keep saying “he,” but King Diamond is a band. Unlike Pink Floyd or Jethro Tull, however, King Diamond is a band whose frontman is also someone called King Diamond. Confusing? Good. One should be dazed and disoriented upon entering the mighty King Diamond’s lair! Though for most, it's that “what is going on?” singing style that does the trick. Here, listen to “Arrival” from the album Abigail, and prepare to screech as you ready for a visitation from the dead.
King Diamond is the nom de guerre of Kim Bendix Peterson, proud son of Hvidovre, Denmark. His first band, Mercyful Fate, put out their debut album, Melissa, in 1983. It’s very much in the English/Euro style of the time, though King Diamond was already going all-in on corpse makeup, inverted crosses, singing into a human skull, defending Satanism, and being a projection of everyone’s most awesome nightmares. Metalologists will argue forever about whether Judas Priest’s Rob Halford or Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson is the better “operatic” vocalist, but no one had, has or ever will have more (oh, how shall I put this) oomph than King Diamond.
The King is hailed for his range, those low growls and the loping, go-for-broke falsettos. Reddit says he has a range of four octaves, but I’m not getting out the tape measure, I’m too busy rockin’ out. What I do know is that after two terrific albums, Mercyful Fate split, and King Diamond took part of the group with him to form… King Diamond. There he experimented more with multi-tracked harmonies (see the “AHHHHHH!” above), but also further expanded the horror narratives in his songwriting.
On King Diamond’s first album, Fatal Portrait, about half the songs are related to The Portrait of Dorian Gray. The follow-up, Abigail, was the first of several complete concept albums based on gruesome and dark original tales.
The album’s cover isn’t terrifying but it is… eerie. Two coachmen are huddled over in the cold, viewed from below at a Dutch angle, suggesting speed, beneath dark and menacing clouds.
Inside the coach (as you’ll learn as you listen) are Miriam Natias and Jonathan La'Fey—not LaVey, but that was sure easy to mishear! The year is 1845 and the couple are about to move into a haunted house, despite the warnings of seven horsemen. Why is the house haunted? Well, here goes: On July 7, 1777, a count who lived there discovered his pregnant wife was unfaithful, and shoved her down a flight of stairs, killing her. He then took the unborn child, mummified her, named her Abigail, and put her in a crypt.
After several scenes of spooky goings-on (a rotten smell, an empty cradle floating in the air), Miriam suddenly finds herself with a rapidly developing pregnancy. (Think of Counselor Deanna Troi in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “The Child.”) It is, however, no ordinary fetus. It is Abigail, and soon she possesses Miriam, leading to a wild and revolting conclusion.
A review of Abigail in Encyclopaedia Mettalum is straightforward. “Some albums transcend the mere boundaries of numbers or ratings and occupy the highest possible pantheon where they remain supreme and unshakeable in their ever-dominant stature. Abigail is one such album.”
Abigail’s value as art is up to you to decide. I will state, however, that once you spin these tracks a few times, they will crawl into your mind and you will start belting out those high falsettos as you listen along. For your sake, I hope you aren’t in public when it happens. Here’s the official video for Abigail’s “The Family Ghost,” where some of King Diamond’s persona is tamped down for MTV — but this music remains insane.
Abigail is King Diamond’s best-seller, though the follow-up, Them, is another dark tale of hereditary mental health woes. (The cover looks like a Thomas Kinkade painting, which is its own kind of terrifying.) In later years, King Diamond got back together with Mercyful Fate and now fronts both groups. No one band can tie down the King! In 2002, King Diamond delighted longtime fans by releasing Abigail II — The Revenge, and in 2022 King Diamond and writer Dan Watters collaborated with illustrator Damien Worm (what a name!) to publish Abigail as a graphic novel.
All of this is very much an acquired taste, but for me it represents a point in time when horror movies and heavy metal were aligned: It was art meant to drive away the weak, but tantalize the curious and adventuresome. As you make your way to the Melissa Barrera and Dan Stevens-led picture this weekend, it is strongly recommended you blast this album on the ride to the theater. But a warning: You may find yourself singing along.
Be sure to also check out our Abigail review (the movie, not the album!). Dig in on our Abigail ending explained. Or read our interview with the filmmakers behind the new horror flick: Blood Vomit and Ballerina Vampires: Why Abigail Is the Latest Must-See Movie From the Ready or Not and Scream Guys.
Header image by Miikka Skaffari/FilmMagic
