King Diamond - The Puppet Master
2003 Metal Blade
by Uncle Meat

Quick Summary:
I was actually disappointed when I heard about the new King Diamond.  I had wanted a new Mercyful Fate album.  I wanted Fate to pick up where they left off with 9.  The first song I heard from the album was The Ritual.  It rocked and since the King can do no wrong I picked up The Puppet Master.

Since leaving Mercyful Fate in the early ‘80s, King Diamond has made a name for himself as a solo artist.  Starting with Fatal Portrait and going through The Puppet Master, King and his band have turned out one macabre masterpiece after another.  Some might say that he is running out of ideas, but the story contained in The Puppet Master is an excellent one (don’t worry, I’m not going to spoil it).  King is surround by the same players as 02’s Abigail II: The Revenge and they all turn in career worthy performances, especially Matt Thompson.  The album was produced without the help of Kol Marshall, which seams strange, but the sound does not suffer.

Website:  www.covenworldwide.org

Song Summaries:

1. Midnight - Short little intro.  Doesn't feel like a song so much as a need for something to introduce the album.  B-
2. The Puppet Master - Classic King.  Straight-ahead rock, combined with some slower parts.  Excellent solos from Mike and Andy.  A
3. Magic - Another masterpiece in the vein of The Puppet Master.  A-
4. Emerencia -The additional vocal talents of Livia Zita really help flesh out this song.  Matt Thompson also shows off his chops on this track.  B
5. Blue Eyes - Starts off with some vocal and piano slaying then picks up very fast.  This song goes through many dynamics, tempo changes “Full of skeletons...” in a short amount of time.  A
6. The Ritual - Awesome.  A
7. No More Me - The opening music almost sounds like a carnival.  The riff underneath the verse is one of the heaviest on the disc.  Then it all ends.  B+
8. Blood To Walk - This song brings back some of the speed from earlier in the disc.  Multiple solos form La Larocque/Weed.  B+
9. Darkness - Starts on almost a mellow note.  Then picks up fast.  Livia Zita helps out immensely on this track.  Not enough solo material.  B
10. So Sad - Heavy keyboard (more so than other songs on the album).  King refrains from using his falsetto vocals all over the place on this track.  One of the most atmospheric tracks.  B
11. Christmas - The first 37 seconds are from the Christmas carol, The Little Drummer Boy.  Sung by Zita with just drum/keyboard backing.  After the band enters The Little Drummer Boy picks up again after the second solo.  The outro is one of the best rhythm/solos parts on the album.  B
12. Living Dead - Pretty generic.  Most of the riffs on this song sound like they were place together as an afterthought.  The ending with the acoustic guitar and whispered vocals is the most inspired part.  C+

Average Song Rating:  B+
Overall Album Rating:  B

Also be sure to read:
King Diamond - Abigail by Uncle Meat
King Diamond - Abigail II:  The Revenge by Uncle Meat
King Diamond - The Puppet Master by Horatio
Mercyful Fate - Don't Break The Oath by Uncle Meat
Mercyful Fate - In The Shadows by Uncle Meat
Mercyful Fate - The Beginning by Uncle Meat