by Andy Hinds

When King Diamond emerged with the archetypal black metal outfit Mercyful Fate in the early '80s, his alarmingly satanic lyrics were downright scary. But as a solo artist, he has become a reliable source of harmless, B-movie horror fun with his well-done concept albums. The Graveyard isn't one of his best, due to less memorable material and a tight, dry production which, while it sounds cleaner than that of earlier albums like Fatal Portrait and Abigail, doesn't convey the dark theatricality of the material as well as those albums do. Diamond's backing band never disappoints, however; guitarists Andy LaRocque and Herb Simonsen contribute plenty of flawless neo-classical solos with imagination and spirit.