King is back! Not to say The Puppet Master was bad, but this takes King into a new level. Instead of trying to rectify former glory and rehash the same ideas, King took a new approach. He doubled his screams over his gritty sometimes growling voice, which is an interesting change. Of course, many will say King Diamond has lost his voice and has since brought in a woman to help. However, if you listen carefully he is still just as high, his voice is now mixed better. The layered vocals on this disc far outweigh anything he has previously released.

Not only this, but he also did not compress his cd at all. Which is why this gets an 8.5, because King just changed the way we listen to music. The sound is much fuller and makes King's screams that much more enjoyable. Oh yeah! The music. One track that really stands out is “Never Ending Hill” possibly King’s best single since at least The Eye. Songs like “Pictures in Red,” “Give Me Your Soul” and “Mirror Mirror” all are great songs and help to tell the tale. The entire story is based upon two young children, one that is in need of a soul or else he will go to Hell. As a result the young girl asks King Diamond for his. The girl finally does leave him alone in the final song.

I should also mention, that King Diamond is nominated for a Grammy in “Best Metal Performance.” Which considering the other artists in the pool (mainly Slayer) he should have no problem winning.

Reviewed by QMII

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