King Diamond facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
King Diamond
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King Diamond performing in 2022
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Kim Bendix Petersen |
| Born | 14 June 1956 Hvidovre, Denmark |
| Genres |
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| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, musician, producer |
| Instruments | Vocals, keyboards, guitar |
| Years active | 1974–present |
Kim Bendix Petersen (born on June 14, 1956), known as King Diamond, is a Danish rock musician. He is famous for his powerful singing voice, especially his high-pitched screams. He is the main singer and songwriter for two bands: Mercyful Fate and his own band, King Diamond.
While he plays keyboards and guitar on his albums, he focuses only on singing during live shows. King Diamond is well-known for his dark song lyrics and the stories he tells through his music. He also has a unique stage look, often wearing black and white face paint. Many other rock and metal artists, like Metallica and Slayer, have been influenced by his work.
Contents
Music Career Highlights
Starting Out in Music
King Diamond's first heavy rock band was called Brainstorm, from 1974 to 1976. After that, he sang with a Danish hard rock band called Black Rose. With Black Rose, he started adding horror-themed performances to his shows. He also began developing his unique stage character.
Later, he joined a punk-metal band called Brats, where he met Hank Shermann. They then helped another musician, Michael Denner, with his project, Danger Zone. This group, including Timi Hansen, eventually formed the band Mercyful Fate in 1980.
Mercyful Fate Band
After releasing their album Don't Break the Oath in 1984 and touring the U.S. for the first time, King Diamond decided to start a solo career. He took two bandmates, Timi Hansen and Michael Denner, with him.
Mercyful Fate got back together in 1992. King Diamond continued his solo career at the same time. The band recorded five more albums. In 1999, King Diamond and Hank Shermann performed the song "Evil" live with Metallica. During this performance, King Diamond did not wear his famous makeup.
In 2000, King Diamond decided to pause Mercyful Fate to focus on his solo music. However, on August 1, 2019, Mercyful Fate announced they would reunite for a European tour. In June 2022, they released a new song called "The Jackal of Salzburg." King Diamond confirmed in August 2022 that the band was working on a new album.
King Diamond Solo Project
In 2001, King Diamond sang backup vocals on a song called "Necronemesis" for the band Usurper. In 2004, he sang on "Sweet Dreams," a song by Dave Grohl's heavy metal project, Probot. In late 2005, King Diamond also sang on the Roadrunner United – The All-Star Sessions album for the song "In the Fire." He also appeared on the Cradle of Filth song "Devil Woman" in late 2005.
In April 2006, King Diamond performed with Mikkey Dee, the drummer for Motörhead, in Sweden. King Diamond had previously called Dee "one of the best drummers of all time."
King Diamond released his album Give Me Your Soul... Please on June 26, 2007. The band was nominated for a Grammy Award for "Best Metal Performance" for their song "Never Ending Hill."
He had to cancel a U.S. tour because of severe back pain from a herniated disk. He believed the problem came from the long, stressful hours spent working on his album.
King Diamond appeared at Ozzfest on August 9, 2008, in Frisco, Texas. He performed a mix of Mercyful Fate songs with Metallica. He also sang a cover of the Pantera song "A New Level" with other musicians.
In 2009, King Diamond became a playable character in the video game Guitar Hero: Metallica. Players could unlock him by completing Mercyful Fate's song "Evil."
On November 29, 2010, King Diamond was hospitalized. Doctors found blockages in his arteries and determined he had experienced several heart attacks. He needed triple-bypass surgery, which was successful. He recovered at home, and all his music projects were put on hold temporarily.
On December 7, 2011, King Diamond joined Metallica on stage in San Francisco to celebrate Metallica's 30th anniversary. In June 2012, he performed his comeback concert at the Sweden Rock Festival.
On September 8, 2012, King Diamond appeared on VH1 Classic's That Metal Show with Mark Tremonti. He discussed his surgery and upcoming plans.
He provided guest vocals on the song "Room 24" for Volbeat's 2013 album, Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies. In August 2013, King Diamond performed at the Open Air Bloodstock Festival in the UK.
Slayer was the main band for the 2015 Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival. King Diamond's band also participated in this tour, along with other groups like HELLYEAH and The Devil Wears Prada.
Other Appearances
King Diamond was a special guest star in four episodes of the Warner Bros. cartoon Metalocalypse in 2006. He voiced characters like the Blues Devil and a fast food manager.
Stage Performance
When King Diamond performs on stage, he uses a special microphone stand. It is made from a femur bone and a tibia bone shaped like a cross. He used to use a real human skull named Melissa on stage, but it was stolen after a show in the Netherlands in the mid-1980s.
King Diamond has often changed his makeup design over the years. For his album Conspiracy, he wore black and white lines that looked like war paint, with some red "blood" on his forehead. For his album The Puppet Master, he used less white makeup and mostly had black crosses on his face.
Musical Inspirations
King Diamond says that musicians like Arthur Brown, David Byron, Alice Cooper, Ronnie James Dio, Ian Gillan, Ozzy Osbourne, and Robert Plant are his main inspirations.
According to his official website, the first two albums he ever bought were Deep Purple's Fireball and Black Sabbath's Master of Reality.
Personal Beliefs
King Diamond follows a philosophy that he does not see as a religion. He believes that religion has caused a lot of conflict and destruction throughout history. He finds it difficult to understand why people fight over beliefs that cannot be proven. He has stated that he no longer believes in anything religious.
Family Life
King Diamond is married to Livia Zita, a singer from Hungary. She has sung backup vocals on his albums The Puppet Master and Give Me Your Soul...Please, and also performs live with him. She is also his business partner.
As of 2025, she is working with him to gather old video footage for two upcoming DVD releases of King Diamond and Mercyful Fate live shows. She also helped create updated versions of King Diamond's albums, including The Spider's Lullabye, The Graveyard, Voodoo, and House of God.
In March 2017, King Diamond and Livia Zita became parents to a son named Byron.
Influence on Other Artists
Metallica released an 11-minute mix of five Mercyful Fate songs on their 1998 cover album Garage Inc.. King Diamond has joined Metallica on stage three times to perform this medley: at the 1999 Gods of Metal festival in Italy, at the 2008 Ozzfest in Texas, and at a 2011 Metallica fan club show in California. For the 1999 and 2011 performances, Hank Shermann also joined on guitar.
King Diamond has been featured on the covers of many rock and metal magazines. He has influenced many artists, including Metallica's Lars Ulrich, Cradle of Filth, and Cage.
The American heavy metal band Cage dedicated a song to him called "King Diamond" on their 2007 album Hell Destroyer.
Music Albums
- Fatal Portrait (1986)
- Abigail (1987)
- Them (1988)
- Conspiracy (1989)
- The Eye (1990)
- The Spider's Lullabye (1995)
- The Graveyard (1996)
- Voodoo (1998)
- House of God (2000)
- Abigail II: The Revenge (2002)
- The Puppet Master (2003)
- Give me your Soul...Please (2007)
Awards and Nominations
- 2008 – Grammy nomination for "Best Metal Performance" for the song "Never Ending Hill."
See also
In Spanish: King Diamond para niños
