King Diamond
Abigail

Release Date: 1987 | Tracklist

In the silent graveyard, seven figures dressed in black loomed over the coffin, enshrouded by the dark night. Not a soul dared to disturb the stillness until a voice rang out, shattering the quiet.

“We are gathered here tonight,
to lay to rest Abigail LaFey,
whom we now know
was first born dead
on the seventh day of July, 1777”

Into the coffin, seven spikes were plunged: one into each of Abigail’s knees, elbows, and arms, with a final one dropping through her mouth.

I’ve alway loved B-grade horror movies very much, perhaps even a bit too much for my own good. Frankly, these campy, poorly-acted movies always had a kind of lighthearted charm that more serious horror films lack (The Grudge, for example, will never be half as interesting as Dead Alive, which features a preacher who “kicks [zombie] a** for the Lord). Abigail, Kind Diamond’s masterpiece, is in every way like a b-grade horror flick: it’s gory, overdramatic, and, if not taken seriously, one hell of a fun ride.

As the coach exited the forest, the contour of a mansion appeared in the distance, almost blending in with the night sky. “That must be it!” exclaimed one of the passengers, Jonathan LaFey, pointing out the building to his wife, Miriam Natias. Jonathan made a sign to the driver, beckoning him to stop, for on the horizon he saw seven horsemen ride towards the coach. As they approached, Jonathan and Miriam began to squirm with unease. The chilling voice of one of the horsemen pierced their ears,

”We know you've come to inherit what's yours...the mansion
Take our advise and go back on this night
If you refuse eighteen will become nine.”

Jonathan scoffed, his voice quivering just the slightest bit, “I don't believe a word you say.” The horsemen rode away and the coach continued onwards, but, try as he might, Jonathan couldn’t forget what the horsemen said, “Eighteen will become nine.”

Musically, Abigail is firmly rooted in traditional metal, but it manages to expand the formula further than ever before. Every riff is delightfully ominous, every solo is technical and virtuosic, though still melodic and focused, and King Diamond’s polarizing and unconventional voice, which can switch from a shriek to a low, almost raspy, shout, is appropriately frightening for the subject matter. Amidst this, one can find a slew of tactfully-placed progressive influences and atmospheric touches, such as the keyboard solo and bell chimes of Omens and Black Horsemen’s acoustic intro and string accompaniment.

All through the first night, Jonathan and Miriam could not sleep well. It seemed that perpetual darkness presided over their new home, and the hallways of mansion, covered with the dust of ages, seemingly breathed a stale, old air. Sunlight came at dawn, though, saving the couple from their fears.

The following night, Miriam slept with ease, but a deathly chill permeated Jonathan’s soul. Through the night, feeling the burn of someone’s eyes watching him. Finally, he turned around and saw a figure standing behind him: this was the family ghost. [indent]"Don't be scared, Don't be scared now My Friend
I am Count de LaFey
Let me take You to the crypt down below
Where Abigail rests,"[indent]
said the ghost. Down he lead Jonathan, down into a hidden crypt where lay Abigail LaFey, who, said the Count, had possessed Miriam. As they went down, “Beware of the slippery stairs
You could easily fall,” warned the ghost.

And so, the count told his tale: once he too was wed, but he had learned that his wife was to bear an illegitimate child, Abigail. Possessed by rage, he threw his betrothed down the stairs into the crypt, where her body was burned and the child, born dead, was mummified until the fateful day that Jonathan and Miriam set foot into the mansion.

Abigail’s appeal, though, lies within the lyrics as much as the music. These texts are the quintessential horror story: ghosts of Counts float through mansions, demon children are set afire by black horsemen, and haunted mansions stand on solitary hills. None of this is particularly revolutionary fare, but it really is one hell of a gripping tale, especially when narrated by Diamond’s signature wail.

Days passed, and Abigail was now fully possessed Miriam, who was being eaten from the inside by her spawn. In her last words, “Remember the stairs, it's the only way,” warned Miriam. Jonathan lead Abigail down to the crypt, determined to fling her down the stairs as did the Count years ago, but a star shining in the heavens distracted him and the demon threw him down into the crypt, where he broke his neck. From the body of Miriam, Abigail emerged, ripping a bloody hole through her mother’s stomach. Her yellow eyes gazed around in delight, and then in fear, as she saw the black horsemen stand above her, prepared to end her reign of evil.

Ultimately, Abigail is the perfect embodiment of metal in it’s original, purest form: macabre, disturbing, and, most of all, fun, this is an album no lover of the twisted and perverse should overlook.

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