Black Metal pioneer King Diamond stopped by the Fillmore Silver Spring Monday night (10/28), a stop on the Saint Lucifer’s Hospital 1920 tour. The production featured a stage set that just barely fit into the confines of the Fillmore. It was fitting for the spooky and over the top shows King Diamond is known for and just what the Washington, DC suburbs needed the week of Halloween.
This tour nailed the selections of support acts. Kicking off the night was Night Demon (vocalist/bassist Jarvis Leatherby, guitarist Armand John Anthony, and drummer Brian Wilson). Formed in 2011, and hailing from Ventura, California, the trio represents a resurgence in old school heavy metal. The men got the crowd amped up early in the night with riff heavy songs and a skilled performance that made me very glad I got to the venue early. The 30-minute setlist borrowed from across the band’s discography, and included a few selections from their latest release, concept album Outsider.
This band is fantastic, especially for those of us who like an old school, no fuss, no muss sound to our metal. Given how much Night Demon apparently tours, I’m kicking myself for not knowing about them until now. Better late than never. If you’re curious about this band, 2017’s Darkness Remains is a good place to start—it features a fun cover of the Queen classic “We Will Rock You.” Or just start from banger Outsider and work your way backward. Can you tell I’m a fan now?
In the metal world, it is commonly known that thrash metal originated in San Francisco back in the 1980’s (Metallica being among the most well-known of those early bands). The East Coast made its own contributions to the early days of thrash. One of those bands was New Jersey’s own Overkill. Lucky for all of us, Overkill is still around in 2024, and occupied the middle slot on the night’s bill, continuing the tour’s theme of old school metal.
Overkill (original members “Blitz” Ellsworth and D.D. Verni, Dave Linsk, Derek Tailer, and Jeramie Kling) released their first album in 1985; the band’s latest release is 2023’s Scorched. Kicking off their no frills, 45-minute set with “Scorched,” the band fed thrash chaos to the hungry Fillmore crowd, who responded with its own chaos. Crowd surfing and chanting, the crowd very enthusiastically sang along with fan favorite closer, a cover of The Subhumans’ “F*** You.”
In the early ’80s, a new form of heavy metal music emerged. Characterized by a thrash or speed metal sound, the lyrics of black metal songs were defined by the use of anti-Christian and Satanic themes. Mercyful Fate, hailing from Denmark and featuring frontman King Diamond, was part of this first wave. In 1985, the band King Diamond materialized, releasing twelve albums to date.
At a little past 9PM, the curtain dropped from the stage revealing an elaborate stage set which literally reached the ceiling of the Fillmore. King Diamond himself was center stage, standing behind a coffin labeled “Abigail,” a nod to the album considered a solo masterpiece. He brandished a knife in one hand, a doll in another. The rest of the band (Andy LaRocque, Mike Wead, Matt Thompson, and Pontus Egberg) joined King for the ghoulish proceedings. This tour also features Danish black metal vocalist Myrkur as a guest; she was perched high above the stage during the set.
At age 68, King’s falsetto voice sounds great, and the rest of the band is top shelf; guitarist LaRocque is a heavy metal legend, for example. The theatric vibe is underscored by fantastic lights, props, even actresses, that evoke theater as much as it does a heavy metal show.
The set spanned decades of work and featured favorites “Halloween” and “Abigail,” both from the 1980s. But it also included newly debuted songs “Electro Therapy” and “Spider Lily.” The crowd was there for it all, filling the venue. Many fans were in costume and many more moshed and crowd surfed. It’s clear King Diamond and his black metal theatrics will continue for the foreseeable future.
The Saint Lucifer’s Hospital 1920 tour extends into December, wrapping up in Dallas on the 6TH.
OVERKILL
NIGHT DEMON
