Earlier today, bassist Hal Patino announced that he left King Diamond. He has now released a statement on why he has departed:

“After 19 years in King Diamond - bassist Hal Patino has decided to leave the group.

It's sad that it had to end this way after - 19 years. I have always been 100% loyal to everyone in the band, and have always given my everything -onstage and offstage.

Since day one I have always had King Diamond as my (number) 1 priority. I've never ever missed any shows or rehearsals - my performances have always been well prepared (and I've always been ahead of the game). I have been a faithful friend to King, and kept my spirits up even in the toughest times.

I will not go into every detail, but the salary I was offered to headline Wacken Open Air, and the four other shows this summer was totally ridiculous.

Two days before the first rehearsal day, I wrote an e-mail explaining my view on that topic along with a proposal for a fair and realistic salary for these shows, For this, they accused me of’ ‘blackmailing’! I found it disrespectful, and told them that if that is how I get treated after 19 years, we part immediately! So I already left the band on Thursday the 17th of July, by my own choice.

Of course it's not the only reason why I have decided to leave. Problems already occurred during the last European tour. Suddenly there were rules for my stage clothes and my way of performing, and there were bad vibes because I promoted and helped my son's band.

It’s typical King to say that I’m fired - he did the same to me back in 1990 when he told the press that I was kicked out of the band due to lack of enthusiasm and drug problems. That was NOT the reason … It was just too much touring, King got dropped by Roadrunner Records, and I wanted to go in another direction. He did the same to my best friends Mikkey Dee and Pete Blakk.

I am in Norway at the moment and will play two live shows with my other band, I told the KD camp that I would be able to fly back and forth so I did not miss the two first rehearsals - and the next thing I read is a statement from King where it says that I'm fired.

I feel absolutely nothing for King Diamond and the band. I am proud to have been part of the classic albums, and the glory days in the 80's. And that's all!

I really appreciate all the messages I have received from so many people, and I just want you to know that I'm busy with my new band Nordic Beast, with Mikkey Dee, John Norum and Co.

I got my other projects Ammunition, and the Rock ‘N’ Roll adventure, and I'm playing and writing with my son Maryann Cotton who’s working with Dick Wagner and Alice Cooper on his new album. I'm a permanent member of the band, and I've written 30% of the album together with Maryann. It's going to be a full concept album in the spirit of Alice Cooper's Welcome To My Nightmare.

I’m also planning a solo project for the future. I hope that many of the ‘diehard fans’ that I've met over the years, understand my decision to leave the band. - Thank you all. See you on tour with my other projects and bands. Rock 'N Roll!”

Having recently announced a North American Fall tour, King Diamond spoke with Kory Grow of RollingStone.com to promote the upcoming trek; an excerpt follows: The 58-year-old Dane intends to come back to North America in a big way, bringing a show complete with magical illusions and extravagant stage design. "Some theaters are going to expand the stage a little bit, so we can fit," he says. "It'll be the biggest production anyone has seen in these theaters. There will also be some really freaky surprises."

 

What sorts of freaky things can fans expect on your North American tour? "It's a very dark show. King Diamond was always more Satanic than Mercyful Fate. And I'm not saying anything bad about Mercyful Fate – I love that band but sometimes people forget that King Diamond is the Satanic philosophy through and through." So you're working on a new album? "We've done a lot of stuff. We are going in some new ways that are going to be amazing. I've been building a studio so I can do my vocals at home. Once it's completed, we can start recording. I have a title for a new record, but I won't say it. [The record] will encompass the things I need to write about after what I went through. But I can't say much about it because I haven't talked to the rest of the band about it."

To read the interview in its entirety, click here.

October

11 - Atlanta, GA - Center Stage
13 - Silver Spring, MD - The Fillmore
14 - New York, NY - Best Buy Theatre
16 - Worcester, MA - Palladium
17 - Montreal, QC - Olympia
18 - Toronto, ON - The Sound Academy
19 - Pittsburgh, PA - Stage AE
21 - Chicago, IL - The Vic Theatre
22 - St. Louis, MO - The Pageant
24 - Denver, CO - Paramount Theatre
26 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Complex
28 - Seattle, WA - The Moore Theatre
30 - San Francisco, CA - The Warfield
31 - Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern

November

1 - Las Vegas, NV - House of Blues
3 - Tucson, AZ - Rialto Theatre
5 - Houston, TX - House of Blues
6 - Dallas, TX - House of Blues
8 - Austin, TX - Auditorium Shores