King Diamond

thumb|King Diamond Kim Bendix Petersen (born 14 June 1956), better known by his stage name King Diamond, is a Danish rock musician. As a vocalist, he is known for his powerful and wide-ranging countertenor singing voice, in particular his far-reaching falsetto screams. He is the lead vocalist and lyricist for both Mercyful Fate and the eponymous King Diamond. He also plays keyboards and guitars on studio recordings but uses live shows to focus solely on his vocal performance. Diamond is renowned for his dark lyrical content and his story concepts. He is also known for his distinctive shock stage persona (in particular his black and white facepaint). He has been an influence for other rock and metal artists, including Metallica, Slayer and Cradle of Filth. Quotes about King Diamond Widely regarded as one of the finest vocalists in all of metal (who possesses a multi-octave range), Danish theatrical rocker King Diamond first rose to prominence as a member of gothic black metal group Mercyful Fate before launching a solo career in 1986. Known for his elastic falsetto, distinctive face-paint, occult leanings, femur- and tibia bone-adorned microphone stand, and seminal 1987 concept album Abigail, Diamond is one of late 20th and early 21st century most iconic heavy metal figures, issuing a slew of quality, narrative-driven albums, [one] of which earned a Grammy nomination. Greg Prato of AllMusic External links Category:Singers from Denmark Category:Heavy metal singers Category:Guitarists from Denmark Category:Keyboardists Category:1956 births Category:Living people