People who were already into Mercyful Fate or had heard Fatal Portrait might have had some advance warning, but the rest of the world was unprepared for the beautifully weird Abigail. Helmed by King Diamond, he of the KISS-angering makeup and laserlike falsetto, this concept album fires on all cylinders and marks a particular moment in metal history.
LaVeyan.
Litigious.
Abigail tells a story of cruelty, infidelity and supernatural revenge so potent that it pisses on Twilight from space, but lest you think that it’s all Grand Guignol smoke and mirrors, rest assured that there is a bedrock of serious classic metal underlying the whole affair. Every solo is letter-perfect, the riffs are heavy and plentiful, and the drumming is of a calibre that may have gained Mikkey Dee his steady job. For the curious seeking proof-of-awesomeness, look no further than “The Family Ghost”, a tour-de-force featuring King doing all the voices in the narrative, as well as some impressive guitar work from Andy LaRocque and Michael Denner:
Those unafraid of epaulettes and blurry 80’s camera work can see the official video here.
All in all, Abigail is massive metal that builds on the foundation of Mercyful Fate and stands as a pillar of serious musicianship. It’s the perfect, quintessential King Diamond record. 10 out of 10
Onward Faustian Soldiers 