LIVE FROM THE PIT: King Diamond, Unto Others, Paradise Lost

Describing the weather before a gig may be a bit of an overused cliché for these types of reviews, but tonight the Roundhouse is suffering. The heat is so intense that people lie prostrate across the floor, like casualties of a great battle, seeking relief in the cool, alcohol-soaked ground of the venue. The relentless heatwave continues to claim more victims. But the crowd remains undeterred – oh no, this is an audience ripe for the taking by the malevolent monarch KING DIAMOND. The shock-rocker returns with a vengeance, bringing his massive stage show in tow. And it really is the elephant in the room, like draping a whole house in black cloth and pretending it’s invisible. Hidden beneath it all is a hulking semi-mansion set, complete with dual staircases and an elevated platform.

It’s somewhat awkward, then, when UNTO OTHERS wander onto the stage against this extravagant backdrop. Arriving slightly late, the goth-rockers tear through their setlist with urgency. Drenched in sweat, frontman Gabriel Franco rocks his aviator shades on in the dark like a Blues Brother as the band runs through tracks like “Suicide Today” and “When Will God's Work Be Done” to a bit of a disappointing response from the crowd. Uplifting refrains like “IT WILL BE OK!” are noticeably absent, and some odd mixing choices leave the performance feeling flatter than usual. The draped bombastic stage behind them does little to alleviate much of the awkwardness. A disappointing result for an otherwise excellent group, hampered by elements beyond their control.

Soon after, the music fades and Halifax goth veterans PARADISE LOST casually take their places—no fanfare, no intro track. That changes swiftly as the heavenly piano of opener “Enchantment” sweeps across the venue, and with a thunderous hit, they’re off to the races. They serve up a solid mix of newer and classic tracks like “No Hope in Sight” and “The Last Time,” but the set feels short but it all feels a little bit short, as if they need more time to simmer like the fine stew they are. But stand fast - faithful ones, Paradise Lost will return to the Big Smoke this October for a proper headliner, just as autumn’s chill sets in. They finish off their set with a majestic rendition of their all-time classic “Embers Fire” and fan-favourite “Say Just Words,” but “Embers Fire” is so deftly performed that the lethargic crowd can’t even resist, with a few shirts seen propelling wildly in the pit. Even goth metal, it seems, isn’t immune to the Newport Helicopter.

As the lights dim and the music fades, the grand black drape is lifted to reveal the stage in all its eerie glory. It’s a perfect tableau: a coffin marked “ABIGAIL” center-stage, eerie stained-glass windows, and icicles that strangely don’t melt. The atmosphere is heavy; the band is in position, but where is the King? In a display of Scandinavian restraint, he... simply walks out. Anticlimactic entrances seem to be the theme of the evening. He seizes the doll from the coffin and gets to work, the night is his. Singing into his iconic bone mic, his falsetto is shockingly sharp for someone nearing 70, sounding remarkably like the record. The King is as classy as they come, introducing all the members of his band early on rather than at the climax, a move which hopefully spreads and echoes that of an opera. The fans are in absolute ecstasy, chewing on “Halloween,” “Voodoo,” and “Sleepless Nights” like sugarcane, the King is on top form. There’s a very light stage production present as well, occasionally actors (or perhaps the same actress in various costumes) will come out and do some shimmying about the set in clothing relevant to the song, then King Diamond will come along and do something evil to them. It’s minimalist staging, but it works, and more importantly doesn’t distract from the music, which is played tightly and with a furious vigour by the band.

About halfway through the set he returns clad in an old-man mask, everyone knows what’s coming, when the crowd sees her they know what to scream: “GRANDMAAAAAAAAAAAAA!” Yep, it’s “Welcome Home,” and everybody laps it up. The dysfunctional family both engage in a bit of a Looney Tunes back-and-forth with each other as King Diamond does some of his best falsetto yet. By the end of the set, he hands a sheet over to someone in the front row to choose a final song. 

What would it be? “Gypsy?” “Evil?” “The 7^th Day of July 1777?”

Nope. It’s “Abigail.” Shocker.

But, hell, it’s awesome. It’s an amazing closer to an amazing show. The King’s still got it, dammit. With a setlist packed with favourites from across the King’s discography, there is not a doubt that every fan would have left the arena satisfied. What was unfortunate was the lack of Merciful Fate songs seeing as the band was thinking about doing a new album, but with an already stacked setlist it would have been a difficult endeavour. Tonight was a real testament to King Diamond, theatrical, methodical, and endlessly entertaining. Long live the king indeed.  

Words: Kiarash Golshani