«Abigail» is King Diamond’s second album with his own band and it came out in the summer of 1987 on Roadrunner Records. It is a concept album that tells a horror story, with Andy LaRocque and Michael Denner on guitars, Timi Hansen on bass and Mikkey Dee on drums.
“`Country: Denmark
Genre: Heavy Metal
For fans of: Mercyful Fate, Judas Priest, Alice Cooper
The story takes place centuries earlier and follows a couple who inherit an old mansion. The ghost of the house tells the husband that his wife has been taken over by the spirit of Abigail, a dead child. From there the album unwinds the conflict inside the house like scenes from a film — shadows on the walls, creaking staircases — without showing everything, letting the listener imagine the worst.
Compared with Mercyful Fate, the sound here is more disciplined. The weight falls on the singing and the atmosphere, over a simpler version of their classic style. Andy LaRocque’s solos run clean, and King Diamond’s vocals tear through with the high screams that made him stand out.
«The Family Ghost» with its sharp solos, «A Mansion in Darkness» with its heavy drums, the title track «Abigail» with its riffs and «Black Horsemen», which opens acoustically before it grows louder, all stand out. The album keeps the tension until the end and closes its story.
«Abigail» is considered one of the finest albums in King Diamond’s catalogue and one of the most recognisable concept albums in heavy metal. Its story came back years later on «Abigail II: The Revenge» in 2002, while songs from it are still played regularly at his live shows.
See also
See also: King Diamond: the «grandfather» of extreme metal and Mercyful Fate – Melissa.
