Review by Daniel for King Diamond - Fatal Portrait (1986)

I've always enjoyed the more classic King Diamond & Mercyful Fate releases but recently realized that I'd never actually heard King Diamond's highly regarded debut album & decided to fill that gap post haste. Unlike most people, I've always slightly favored the King's solo material over Mercyful Fate & "Fatal Portrait" again showcases the reasons why with guitarists Andy LaRocque & Michael Denner contributing dazzling performances that steal the show from their theatrical front man. The lead guitar tone is nothing short of wonderful & the solos are pushed way forward in the mix for obvious reasons which is a major drawcard for this old shredder. The rhythm section of Timi Hansen & Mikkey Dee are pretty sensational too as they effortlessly pull off some pretty classy instrumental nuances so efficiently that a lot of the more technically impressive touches probably go unnoticed by most listeners. I can generally take or leave the King's operatic vocal style to be honest though. He can be pretty amazing on the super-elite classics but doesn't really do much to draw me in on the rest of the material & I kinda feel that I've heard it all before from him at this point in my life.

Despite a few flashy flourishes here & there, I'd suggest that "Fatal Portrait" is probably a little less progressive than some of the King's other albums & thankfully isn't as neoclassically influenced either. The highlight tracks like "The Candle", "The Portrait", "Charon" & "Haunted" are all very strong heavy metal anthems in their own right but I'm not sure I can say that any of them are genuine classics for me personally & I think the King is the limiting factor there as I really do need to be able to connect with the vocal hooks in your more traditional heavy metal space. There are plenty of outstanding riffs but I think they've been done a minor disservice by not being afforded a more prominent position in the mix to be honest. I would have liked to see them being more of a highlight alongside the solos.

At the end of the day "Fatal Portrait" is a pretty good King Diamond record that ticks all of the boxes that diehard fans could want. I'm not particularly interested in the lyrical themes & I think that's to my own detriment when it comes to the King as it seems to be a large part of his appeal. There's only the one weak track in the disappointing "Dressed In White" but it was just enough to see me dropping my score a touch. That being said, I'd suggest that this record might still just slip into my top five King Diamond-related releases & I'd actually take it over more highly regarded albums like "Don't Break The Oath", "Them" & "The Eye" so it's definitely worth a few listens, particularly for fans of occult-themed heavy metal bands like Mercyful Fate, Ghost & Death SS.