KING DIAMOND "Deadly Lullabies Live"
by Clifford "Junior" Newsted

Cover: 8 Invisible Guests out of 10
A picture of the King of Darkness himself holding an infant. It's pretty eerie, if you can imagine King and an infant. He's posed in a manner that appears that he's offering the baby up for sacrifice or something. Directly above the image the traditional King Diamond logo in blood red & at the bottom of the cover, the title Deadly Lullabyes Live.

Booklet: 8 Sleepless Nights out of 10
The booklet is decent, it has some nice shots of each of the band members, tour dates for the “Puppet Master Tour' of North America. Inside you will find all of the details, giving credit to all involved in making this recording. It's very informative & very well done.

Songs: 9 Family Ghosts out of 10
Well, everyone has their favorite King Diamond tracks and with his extensive catalog, chances are some of your favorites didn't make the record. I would have liked to have heard House of God, but that's just me. King and Co. cover 20 tracks on this double live record and it's representative of his solo career. This is essentially, like many live records a best of compilation. This would be a great introduction to the master of a black metal, for any new fan. Unlike many live records, this one sounds, crisp, vibrant anduntouched.

Comments: The only complaint is that there was no accompanying DVD issued along with or released at the same time as this live recording. Such a visual artist as King Diamond, must be seen as well, as heard. Critics have said the same about Kiss, Alice Cooper & even the once interesting W.A.S.P. King Diamond has mentioned, that there are plans to issue a DVD at some point next year, just as long as he doesn't keep the Diamond Bangers waiting too long.