Language: English
Genre: Heavy Metal
Label Number: 3984-14445-2
© 2003 Metal Blade Records
AllMusic Review by James Christopher Monger
© 2003 Metal Blade Records
AllMusic Review by James Christopher Monger
Kim Bendix Petersen, better known as King Diamond, has built an empire out of wailing spirits, singing spiders, and voodoo priestesses. His 11th full-length ghost story, The Puppet Master,
centers around an unfortunate man, his girlfriend, and a husband and
wife team of puppet masters as they abuse and torture their subjects
somewhere in Budapest. Diamond
wisely forgoes his usual cheeseball spoken-word intro and simply
launches into "Midnight," a melodic dirge that ranks high amongst his
huge -- and often inconsistent -- body of work. The brutal "Emerencia"
features stellar guitar work from Andy LaRocque -- the thread that binds each and every King Diamond
album -- and "The Ritual" aptly deals with the popular heavy metal
theme of souls burning in Hell -- lyrical prowess has never been his
forte. The remainder of the record is serviceable goth-metal filled with
oaths and omens, blood and sacrifice, and one ill-conceived Christmas
song. King Diamond has reached a stage in his career where evil has begun to fade into novelty, and The Puppet Master
resonates with a dark giddiness that suits a man with face paint and a
cape nearing his fifties. However, there's still a sinister aura that
surrounds his very name, making it virtually unfathomable to picture him
-- and all of his demons -- teeing off with fellow urchin -- and avid
golfer -- Alice Cooper on a misty fall morning, heads bowed, asking the dark lord to grant them the power to eagle a par four. Maybe.
tags: king diamond, the puppet master, 2003, flac,
