Artist: King Diamond
Label: Metal Blade Records
Release Date: 1/29/02
Average Rating: 4.67
Go to Judgment Committee Reviews of this Album
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Title: Abigail II: The Revenge Artist: King Diamond Label: Metal Blade Records Release Date: 1/29/02 |
There are currently 3 Reader Reviews of this album.
Average Rating: 4.67 Go to Judgment Committee Reviews of this Album |
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Submitted by Russell Vranian (5/24/02):
I have been a King Diamond/Mercyful Fate fan since the early 80's, so it goes without saying that I love King Diamond's voice, which seems to be a problem for some other metalheads. However, King's solo act has been inconsistent since Conspiracy with many albums having pretty boring songs with lifeless rythms. Each one of his albums since the aforementioned has had its share of good tunes, but to me they have not been full length successes. Abigail 2, forget the lyrics and sequel thing, I'm only talking the stuff that really matters - guitars and drums - is a step above his last few albums and I say this because the rythms are a little more complex and the solos interact with the songs beautifully. The intro to "Mommy" is excellent and has more energy than than his recent releases. Overall, King has come up with an album that is fun to listen to, much like the first Abigail and Them. Regardless of whether you have soured on King over the past 7 or 8 years, this is a worthy album and if he ever tours it I am positive it will be something to see. His House Of God tour was magnificent and I can't imagine anything less with this one.
Submitted by Pyrael (2/3/02):
This is probably the most anticipated album of this metal legend's 20 year career. The original, when it was released in 1987, broke a lot of barriers of what you could do with metal and is perceived by many to be King's best work to this day. I tried not to get my hopes up with expectations of a grand opus unlike any in modern music, but when one has had a taste of what King Diamond could do, it's hard not to expect the best. What made it even harder was the disappointment of King's last album, House of God. The anticipation was just brewing for the return of the King.Before I get to the good points of the album, I want to touch on a few minor bad points. 1) If you're expecting to hear a whole new musical entity, think again. 75% of the riffs are nothing new to King fans. 2) Some of the sounds used to segue the songs together were too, well, inorganic is the best word I could think of. You could tell they were just dropped in. They were not melded very well into the overall mix.
Now on to the good points of this album. The truth is, this album just plain out fucking rocks!!! While the riffs aren't anything really new, the way they are melded with the vocal harmonies and the many guitar harmonies and keyboards is something very unique to this album. It's very well produced and mixed. A lot less contrived than the last album. I don't really want to get into specifics because it would involve spoiling the story. The music for this album is very well linked to the moods the story is trying to portray. While at first glance at the booklet the backstory and actual plot of the album may seem corny, once you sit down and listen to the album and read along and follow, everything falls into place and the masterpiece that this album is begins to fall into place.
I think what makes this album so strong is the line up. King has always had a reputation of surrounding himself with only the best musicians. But this time he has outdone himself. The obvious mainstays remain King and guitarist Andy LaRocque. Hal Patino returns to the fold. Many may remember Hal from King's late 80's albums THEM, Conspiracy, and The Eye. New additions are Mike Wead (Mercyful Fate) on guitar and most notably Matt Thompson on drums. Thompson is by far, without argument, the best drummer King has ever had in his band. His chops are second to none and are very reminiscient of original drummer Mikkey Dee and it compliment King's and Andy's writing style very well. Mike Wead and Andy LaRocque have laid down quite simply some of the best guitar solos in recorded history. And Hal Patino has returned with a vengeance. I can't think of how to describe his playing, but just listen and you'll understand what I mean.
Overall, this is, in my opinion, the best album King Diamond and company have ever put out. It blends so many elements from all periods of the King Diamond band over the last 15 years. It's got the complexity and drive of early releases like the original Abigail and THEM with the dark underlying tones and themes of more recent releases such as The Graveyard and Voodoo. And it contains quite possibly the best song ever written by this band, "Spirits". Five stars.
Notable tracks: "The Storm", "Slippery Stairs", "Broken Glass", "The Wheelchair", "Spirits."
***As a side note, long time King Diamond fans will love the homage he pays to old albums in the lyrics to this album. Here a few excerpts:
From "Miriam": "Miriam...or Abigail is fine, You can call me Lucy for it is just a name."
From "The Crypt": "A silvery necklace was round the mummy's neck, It had wings and was sharpened round the edge."
Submitted by the_satanic_rabbit (2/1/02):
The King has done it again! The musicianship is outstanding and there are quite a few things on here that the King hasn't done before, such as some low pitched vocals and the fastest double bass drumming in a KD release ever. The solos are great and the mid-section is the strongest part of this album, tracks 5-11. All in all, this is a kick-ass album! Go get it now!
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