NIce writeup on Garage Inc. Luke.  As mentioned, I too gave a lot of time to that album.  It's funny, I loved everything on that double album yet most of those bands aren't really my thing or I've never really dived into them.  I think discovering that album back then, nothing could touch these versions, almost like I didn't want to know about the originals, these became Metallica songs to me, if that makes sense.  And what I did hear of the originals, I was so pig headed they didn't even compete with the Metallica versions.  I guess that was my young, immature mind.

Like the MF medley, I remember hearing Sabbra Cadabra and A National Acrobat in their original form and thought they were crap compared to Metallica.  Funny now seeing as I rate Sabbath above Metallica and would take the originals in a heartbeat once I stopped being such a Metallica snob.  To this day also, I LOVE Astronomy but I don't think I've even heard the original.  That's the power Garage Inc had.  It was a Metallica album to me back then.

I will say I love the Motorhead songs too.  I'm only a very casual Motorhead fan, but they were a good exposure. 

The guitar tones on the title track wouldn't work with a lot of styles, but are absolutely perfect for the way they're used, can't really think of anything else quite like them.  Great bass tone as well. 

Quote from: Herrick on Today at 10:56:28 AMLike twosuitsluke, my first exposure to King Diamond was through Metallica's Mercyful Fate medley. I got that cover album for Christmas whatever year it came out.

Around 1999 or 2000 I was listening to the medley and thought I should check out Mercyful Fate. I bought In The Beginning which I didn't know was a sort of compilation album. Doomed By The Living Dead is an amazing opener. The album has different versions of some songs from Melissa and I prefer these versions.

Anyway, I bought Melissa and Don't Break The Oath and thought they were great. I used to leave Melissa (the song) on repeat while I slumbered on the floor of my room.

A few months later I read an article on Metal-Rules about the "scariest" albums or something like that. Abigail was listed on there. I bought it and loved it. To this day, it's the probably the only album I know all the words too. I agree with everything Wolfking said about Denner and LaRoque's lead playing.

The rest of the King Diamond discography doesn't really do a lot for me but I still have all of them because of how much I love Abigail and Them. Seeing that band in 2016 or whenever their Abigail Anniversary tour happened was a dream come true for Herrick. I even bought the live album which I normally don't do.

I might see King Diamond in October of this year. I wonder if this upcoming tour means the new album will be coming out finally. I saw Mercyful Fate a couple years ago and they were awesome. Considering Sherman kind of broke up Mercyful Fate, it's odd that Sherman was brought back but not Denner. Does anyone know the story behind that?

Edit: For reference, Herrick was 18 in 1999. I was into Metal like Metallica and Iron Maiden, but I wasn't into any kind of extreme metal or weird vocals. Oddly, King's vocals never shriveled my pickle even though they are kind of silly.

Nice read Herrick, glad you can chime in here and help spread the love.  Seems King can thank Metallica with the exposure of that medley based on how many of us it helped with his music.

In relation to the MF reunion, just seems Denner wasn't invited. Here's an interview with Michael;

https://loudwire.com/mercyful-fate-michael-denner-betrayed-by-reunion/

Then King says there are reasons and Michael wasn't telling the truth or whatever;

https://blabbermouth.net/news/king-diamond-says-there-are-reasons-michael-denner-isnt-involved-in-mercyful-fate-comeback

I guess what King says makes sense, I mean the last two albums 9 and Dead Again feature Wead and Shermann.  Would have been cool to see Denner in there though.

Quote from: TAC on Today at 02:44:41 PMI've never listened to it, but since you and Josh mentioned it, I should give it a spin.

I don't know the album, but also the song Malibu was a bit of a hit.  I really really liked that one and always wanted to do that in the band.

Quite ironic that this guy played in Alex's band, Silent Force.

Quote from: wolfking on Today at 02:43:15 PMI know it's a different album but we used to play Celebrity Skin back in the old cover band days.  Such a killer song.

I've never listened to it, but since you and Josh mentioned it, I should give it a spin.

Quote from: TAC on Today at 02:39:30 PMThere was a couple year period of my life where I was pretty open to stuff. Live Through This blew me away on first listen. There's such a reckless abandon about it that I really like. It still holds up, pretty much. Such a passionate vocal. TBH, I never followed up with anything else by them. It's a "moment in time" album for me.

I know it's a different album but we used to play Celebrity Skin back in the old cover band days.  Such a killer song.

Quote from: wolfking on Today at 02:39:59 PMWho are you and what have you done with Tim?

 

Quote from: TAC on Today at 12:02:43 PMIn a mood today..

Who are you and what have you done with Tim?

Quote from: LithoJazzoSphere on Today at 01:16:24 PMKind of fascinating that you like something like this.  Maybe the vague similarity to something like Blondie?  I really need to revisit it, I remember preferring Celebrity Skin and recalling it being much more polished and bigger-sounding, though my recollection is vaguer beyond the title track. 

There was a couple year period of my life where I was pretty open to stuff. Live Through This blew me away on first listen. There's such a reckless abandon about it that I really like. It still holds up, pretty much. Such a passionate vocal. TBH, I never followed up with anything else by them. It's a "moment in time" album for me.