Metaldays wanted to establish their new name and show the crowd that they were still very much a metal festival to be loved and counted on. The best way to do this? Well, there are several of course, but one thing way is to go out with a bang and leave people wanting more, so putting the grand old wizard of metal, King Diamond, as the headliner on the final day must have seemed like a stroke of genius!
But was it?

There was a great expectance of this show, this much was certain!
As the curtain blinded us from what was on the stage, thousands of metalheads waited patiently on the ground in front of it, and more were trailing in by the minute. Finally, when the show was ready, the curtain was removed and revealed that same beautiful Hammer films inspired gothic mansion hall that we had seen at Copenhell earlier in the summer. The fence in the front was there, the musicians were already actively playing the first song, and it didn’t take long for King Diamond to appear at the top of the balcony above Matt Thompson’s drums.
Shrieks and howls and theatrics were some of the names of the game, and the band was clearly once again on top, not in the least the King himself! Soon enough the music was also added extra theatrics and dancing by the lovely (not so much in the Grandma costume) Jodi Cachia, who portrayed many of the female pro- and antagonists of the King Diamond fairytale world with vigour and strength.
This time, I also noticed a female backing vocalist making sporadic appearances throughout the show – this was none other than Livia Zita- Bendix, the Kings real-world wife! She might very well have been in the show at Copenhell as well, most likely she was, but I never saw her there. Seeing, and of course hearing, her here was a treat though, and added even further to a show which was already laden to the brim with awesomeness!

Once again, there were only two things that pulled slightly down on the overall experience, and those were Thompson’s drum solo, which to be fair was a pointless filler which didn’t really do anything but take up space, and Hal Patino’s inability to respect the imagined border created by the fence.
Apart from these two forgivable mistakes, King Diamond once again delivered a show which truly proved what puts him aside and above so many others – nothing was left to the wind here, everything was well planned and directed, and yet they managed to deliver it in a way that never felt restricted but free and vibrant. Some way into the show I realised how unusual it was not to see any water bottles or towels on the stage, and in the same second understood the importance of this as it would have clashed with the atmosphere set by the grandiose stage setup. Much praise must go to the people who imagined and made come true this awesome stage, it truly was worth something enjoying all by itself, and it came even further alive by the music and the acting of the people occupying it.

The entire Metaldays crowd was present to witness this unholy Sabbath I am sure, and just as sure am I that they all enjoyed every minute of it!
This was of course very much a delivery from the band to the crowd, but a good connection was still maintained as the King often spoke to us between songs and at certain times called upon us to take the vocals or just shout out loudly. Everyone seemed to know every word, but there was a respect to the delivery which held back too many unwarranted distracting outbursts of praise. Not that there is anything wrong in praising such a skillful blend of handy-work and artwork, but at a common show this could happen anywhere whereas here it was kept to the appropriate places where it didn’t interfere too much with the delivery – amazing really that this happened all by itself without anyone seeming to take a conscious decision about it!

I began to delve into the dark vault of King Diamond’s music after my epiphany at Copenhell but I was still very much a novice in this haunted kingdom. Even so, I was able to enjoy the show from start to finish, and I am not in doubt that Metaldays couldn’t have made a better choice than this for the spot.

Setlist:

The Candle
Welcome Home
At The Graves
Up From The Grave
Voodoo
Let It Be Done
Dreams
Sleepless Nights
Solo (Thompson)
Shapes Of Black
Come To The Sabbath (Mercyful Fate cover)
Eye Of The Witch
The Family Ghost
Evil (Mercyful Fate cover)
Black Horsemen