While
King Diamond's devotees hold his studio recordings in high regard, experiencing the man with the ghoulish makeup and bone mic stand on-stage is a different story entirely. Few still deliver such a theatrically heavy stage show as
King Diamond, and his tour in support of 2003's
The Puppet Master continued on in the grand tradition of his previous outings. As a result, fans got a live document,
Deadly Lullabyes: Live. Entering his third decade as a solo artist,
Diamond and band are still leaders of the progressive metal pack --
Diamond's multi-octave voice can still shatter glass, and longtime guitarist
Andy LaRocque can still do battle with
Yngwie Malmsteen. Balancing the old with the new,
Deadly Lullabyes features such expected
Diamond classics as "Eye of the Witch" and "No Presents for Christmas," along with newer faves like "Mansion in Sorrow" and
The Puppet Master's title track. Although something feels like it's missing without a visual accompaniment here -- a live DVD would've been even better --
Deadly Lullabyes: Live delivers all the dark tales and speedy riffing you'd expect from metal's Dark Lord. ~ Greg Prato