King Diamond - Conspiracy
There really shouldn't be any need to point this out, but Conspiracy is up there with my favorite King Diamond albums. The heinous front cover aside, Conspiracy is a classic that has a handful of the best songs the King has ever written. There is a vigor to the music that gets the blood pumping. The band feels sparkling and it really comes out in the music through a bunch of cool details.

My biggest complaint with "Them" was the thin drum sound. Here it has been rectified by giving the drums a deep powerful oomph. The production is much much better when compared to "Them" and it suits the music.

Continuing the story of "Them" must have caused the King some headaches and in the end this second part does not match "Them" in terms of horror, surprise or suspense. It gets the job done and that's it. Musically things are a bit more melodic, catchy and friendly, though I feel a bit weird describing KD in that way but Conspiracy feels more polished than "Them".

Setting a sinister tone, At the graves opens the album in a dream-like trance. As King's voice floats into the sound from far away this freak circus dream comes to life. Soon after the song rises to take a most powerful metallic turn with King's voice going completely over the top. The chorus is complete brilliance, from the way King's voice rips through the air as he sings "spiriiiiiits" to the killer guitar detail it is an ecstatic moment. Also, it is hard not to get a wide smile as "Finally we have returned" happens. At the graves is a 9 minute metallic feast and one of the most exciting beginnings to an album ever.

Sleepless nights opens hard with a monster riff right in your face. Short acoustic passages work superbly with the ultra heavy sections and give the whole song a special intensity. The guitar solo is inventive and ear catching. This goes for all the guitar work on the album. The last part of the song incorporates some memorable passages and these small surprises give the song extra atmosphere and impact.

The instrumental beginning to Lies leads very well to the verse section where King Diamond switches between ultra high pitch and his lower registers with ease. Small touches like the way the word "Nightmares" is enhanced adds intensity. That along with the atmospheric passage right before the second guitar solo are small but important mood enhancers. Keyboard is used extensively in several songs on the album and adds further to the atmosphere.

A visit from the dead is a half ballad, half aggressive metal spectre-beast. The latter part is the most successful. The bridge section is especially heavy and impressive, perfectly gliding in and out of the sound. A highlight along with the memorable "I will send you a dream"...

The Wedding Dream manages to bring a wedding march into the mix in a most non-heinous way. It works splendid and actually adds an extra heavy note to the music. King's vocal work in the bridge section has always reminded me of something I have heard before but I have never managed to make the connection.
The song does stand a bit still and contains some momentarily silly lyrics but it is still a successful and unique song. The ending captures a special foreboding atmosphere.

"Amon" Belongs to "Them" is a highlight of the album. Even if the song feels slightly fractured the amazing chorus makes up for it. The song has a very special chorus that utilizes a grand guitar melody and several ranges of King's voice to create a very chilling passage.

From here on the end the album looses a bit of impact. A couple of instrumentals and spoken interludes provide atmosphere but it feels as if some creative spark is missing and I would have wished it possible to come up with a more creative ending to this opus.

In the end King Diamond's Conspiracy is a classic album from one of Denmark's very finest Heavy Metal exports. The Songs are haunting, The Sound is wicked, The Strength of King Diamond's voice ties everything together. This is metal with the Devil.
Not to be missed.

Written by Steen
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Show all reviews by Steen

Ratings

Steen: 8/10

Members: 8/10 - Average of 2 ratings.



Member ratings

Profile picturenotrap

Rating: 8/10
Slightly better than the previous effort, Conspiracy contains some of King's best material... · Read more ·
Profile picturesavafan4ever

Rating: 8/10
all in all the best diamond album to date loved merciful fate but like diamond on his own ... · Read more ·

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Comment by Stuart (Staff) - Tuesday, November 13, 2007
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Comments: 116
"I Cannot sleep at night, thats what the day is for"

Cracking album. One of King's best.

Posted by Stuart (Staff)
Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Comment by gizmo (Member) - Thursday, November 15, 2007
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Comments: 140
Ratings: 4
A true classic the second best album from King only Them is better.

Posted by gizmo
Thursday, November 15, 2007

Review by notrap (Member) - Wednesday, January 6, 2010
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Comments: 55
Ratings: 66
Slightly better than the previous effort, Conspiracy contains some of King's best material.
This record don't have the freshness and inspiration of Abigail however songs like At The Graves or Sleepless Nights belong to King's Top 15.

Rating: 8/10

Posted by notrap
Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Review by savafan4ever (Member) - Friday, January 29, 2010
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Comments: 2
Ratings: 3
all in all the best diamond album to date loved merciful fate but like diamond on his own better

Rating: 8/10

Posted by savafan4ever
Friday, January 29, 2010










Review by Steen

Released by
Roadrunner - 1989

Tracklisting
1. At The Graves
2. Sleepless Nights
3. Lies
4. Visit From The Dead, A
5. Wedding Dream, The
6. Amon Belongs To "Them"
7. Something Weird
8. Victimized
9. Let It Be Done
10. Cremation


Style
Horror Metal

Related links
Visit the band page

King Diamond - Official Website

Other articles
The Puppet Master - (Steen)

The Puppet Master - (Tommy)

The Eye - (Steen)

Deadly Lullabyes Live - (Tajs)

"Them" - (Tommy)

Live with Loch Vostok and Secret Sphere at Train, Aarhus - April 17, 2006 - (Tajs)

Live with Loch Vostok and Secret Sphere at Tobakken, Esbjerg - April 15th, 2006 - (Tommy)

Give Me Your Soul.... Please - (Steen)



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