Heavy metal legend King Diamond brought his The Institute Tour to the Fillmore in Detroit on Thursday, November 14 complete with openers Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats and Idle Hands.
The dark, post Halloween tour was the perfect blend of visual horror and musical production as the shock rocker gave fans a peek at his new album, The Institute, which will be out next year and features new single "Masquerade of Madness," which can be heard here.
The track is the singer's first piece of new music in twelve years and is just the first glimpse of what will be a 2-part album release built around the concept of a institutionalized girl who is tormented by her demonic thoughts.
The current tour shares the story through its use of its eerie set complete with a cell door and various ominous figures who come in and out throughout the show, including the girl wearing a metal mask.
The show opened with "The Candle," harkening back to King Diamond's 1986 debut release Fatal Portrait before continuing on to move through all of the legend's rich catalog as his iconic falsetto screams merged with the powerful backing vocals of Livia Vita.
Behind it all was the rest of the talented band, led by the classic tones of guitarists Andy LaRocque and Mike Wead.
Tracks like "Funeral," "A Mansion in Darkness" and "Welcome Home" perfectly complemented new track "Masquerade of Madness," which gained a pretty strong crowd reaction as many already knew the lyrics and loudly sang along.
Highlights of the set included the ritualistic murder of infant "Abigail" before classic track "Arrival" and a sizzling version of "Halloween," even if it was a couple of weeks late.
King Diamond closed things out with a encore of "Burn" and "Black Horsemen," which the singer has been dedicating to his late bassist Timi Hansen, before wrapping things up with "Something Weird."
