Everybody knows who King Diamond is. A charismatic personality of heavy metal, the master of horror metal, the legendary frontman of the heavy metal pioneers Mercyful Fate. Personally, I was never a fan of King Diamond, yet I always admired him and liked much some of his solo works, like “Abigail”, “Them” and “The Eye”. So, when I learned that he would play at Terra Vibe Park, in Malakasa, Greece, I was excited – the last time I saw King Diamond live was many years ago, with Mercyful Fate. So, on the 10th of July, all the roads led to Malakasa and Rockwave Festival!
by Dimitris Zacharopoulos
photos by Iro Kalligeri (@irokalligeriphotography)
As soon as I arrived, around six o’clock, the first metalheads had already gathered in front of the stage, waiting patiently. The bill of this festival day included Null ‘O’ Zero, however, it was announced that the Greek band wouldn’t perform due to health issues. That was a pity. So, we welcomed the first band, which was Corrupted Symmetry.
A Greek band, Corrupted Symmetry plays progressive metal and that’s what they did on the stage! At my first encounter with the guys, I must say that I liked their music a lot. They didn’t have the perfect sound, yet they showcased their own, high-promising songs. All the members of the band were skilled, especially the guitarist, whose technical prowess inspired awe. Also, the singer of the band was very confident and proved he could lead a prog metal band. I am sure that Corrupted Symmetry will be very successful in the near future!
After this prog metal beginning, we saw Typhus on stage, a speed/thrash metal band from Greece, which I have enjoyed live many times in the past. The quartet took their place on stage and started their furious metal attack, feeling comfortable, being mature and selecting some of their most interesting songs, but also giving us a taste of their upcoming release. I like Typhus, so did the audience, who seemed to have fun. The band’s ferocious riffs, the thunderous rhythm section and the extraordinary, high-pitched vocals were the main ingredients of an impressive live set. Typhus shall take advantage of their good momentum and relentlessly continue their maelstrom.
The time passed by and, as the sun was going down, we were getting ready for the special guests of the evening – Paradise Lost! Paradise Lost don’t need any introduction – the trailblazers of gothic metal were visiting again our country, to give a much-anticipated live show. Just think that many young metalheads in the arena hadn’t seen Paradise Lost before, and many others – like me – had many years to see the band in the act. So, when Nick Holmes and company got on stage and the intro of “Enchantment” started, everybody screamed with joy. And to our excitement, the setlist was a “best-of” one! The band played with passion and raw emotion, having a very good sound and a great mood! That was passed to the audience and a gothic metal celebration began in Terra Vibe! Paradise Lost showed that they still got it and they didn’t find it difficult to mesmerize their fans – even the excellent Bronski Beat cover of “Smalltown Boy” was greatly received by the metalheads in attendance! With “Ghosts” the English band bid farewell and left us.
The stage was transformed in minutes to host King Diamond and his legendary band! From the settings, you could understand that something big would follow. And yes, the one and only King Diamond appeared some meters far from us, under the sound of Uriah Heep’s “The Wizard”, with all the amazing musicians around him: Mike Wead, Pontus Egberg, Andy LaRocque and Matt Thompson! The Danish singer commenced his magical show, and what followed was … wondrous! I was excited because he had his voice in great condition and also because he interacted well with the fans, being friendly, funny and polite! The song selection was perfect, we listened to stuff from all the periods of King Diamond’s career – you can understand what happened to songs like “Sleepless Nights”, “Voodoo”, “The Invisible Guests” and “The Eye of the Witch”; all hell broke loose, King Diamond was giving a recital, he stole the show and we headbanged like maniacs under his command! Of course, the guitars of Mike Wead and Andy LaRocque were astonishing, the rhythm section was tight and thick, and Hel Pyre, the Greek musician on the keyboards and the backing vocals, was one of the connecting bonds between the artists and the audience. King Diamond’s performance was brilliant – he gave his all, impressing us and bringing us a euphoria! I still am not a King Diamond fan, but I agree that he was super at Terra Vibe, surpassing everyone’s expectations! What a great performer, what a night.
King Diamond, the master of theatrical metal, came back with “Abigail” and triumphantly said us goodbye! This Rockwave night was incredible – we experienced something extraordinary, we will never forget what we saw and heard. King Diamond is an icon!
