2021 will be something of a milestone year for King Diamond, who stated in a recent interview with Knotfest.com that, not only is a new album by his namesake band on the way, but the first studio album in over two decades by Mercyful Fate is also expected to be released next year.




King Diamond said: "I've recently moved into a new house with a studio upstairs which is the best-sounding room I have ever been in. I have very high expectations for what we are doing now. You can hear on the new [King Diamond] song "Masquerade Of Madness" as well that it is back to the old vocal style where anything goes. All vocals are lead vocals in my mind. That's how it was in the old days. Sometimes you can be talked into leaving the choirs as backing vocals or whatever but that is not how I feel. I will sing a lead and then the next part of that lyric will be sung by a choir to the right, then a choir to the left takes over the next line, where it is always moving around taking on different effects. That is what I love, that craziness, because that makes it even more theatrical to listen to. We are back into that, full blast."

When asked about a potential release date for the new King Diamond and Mercyful Fate records, he said: "Everything has been thrown around by how things have happened obviously. Mercyful Fate will be playing live first, doing these European festivals that were supposed to be being played now. We're in Denmark for rehearsals first and then there are eight or so festivals in Europe, then we have to fly all the gear over to the U.S. to play Las Vegas. There will be a couple of new songs from the Mercyful Fate album in the set next summer, which otherwise will just be from the EP, Melissa and Don't Break the Oath. Totally old, with a couple new songs added to it. The other side of New Year's should be the new King Diamond coming out, and then touring, touring, touring till we don't tour anymore. The virus decides more than we do ourselves, but it's not a wasted year for us as we can do the albums in our own time without having to book time in someone else's studio which really I am so glad for. I can get in here at three in the morning and start recording with no one bothering me."

The new King Diamond album, reportedly titled The Institute, will be the band's first full-length since 2007's Give Me Your Soul... Please. As for Mercyful Fate, who ended their two-decade-long hiatus last year, they released their last proper album 9 back in 1999.

Source:	knotfest.com
Band profile:	King Diamond