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King Diamond appropriately began his tour in October as the tour winds through the U.S. into December. There are a handful of essential concerts to experience, and King Diamond is certainly on the list. Sharing the evening in Cincinnati, OH at the Brady Center were two opening bands, the first being Night Demon, a California three piece, who played a thirty minute set of what I would characterize as power metal, with some thrashier elements thrown in for good measure.  I read where they will be supporting Queensrÿche in Europe in 2025. They earned a warm reception from the crowd who came early.

After a short break, Overkill took the stage for their forty-five minute set. I’ve seen Overkill live multiple times, but never as an opening band, and no doubt they must struggle to come up with a smaller set list. D.D. Verni was back on bass, with Jeramie Kling now on the skins. I remember seeing him in Venom, Inc. To say he fits in with Overkill would be an understatement. Two things about Overkill live: (1) They are going to burn the house down from the beginning of their set to the end, and (2) Bobby Ellsworth is going to be the irreverent Jersey kid between songs. Speaking of whom, he still sounds great with the high pitch, and, with the exception of some inevitable gray, has kept himself in remarkable shape. 

They opened with “Scorched” from their latest release, which, to my ears and neck, is as good a tune as anything they’ve released. “The Surgeon” from their latest release also made the set. “Rotten to the Core” and “Fuck You” are required listening. I won’t complain about seeing Overkill again, but I did miss their longer headlining set.

Overkill Set List:
“Scorched”
“Rotten to the Core”
“Bring Me the Night”
“Hello from the Gutter”
“The Surgeon”
“Ironbound”
“Elimination”
“Fuck You”

King Diamond. Not just a concert. An experience. An event. I saw him in Louisville, Kentucky in 2018, and I naturally refer to my memory of that show to compare with the current show, billed as St. Lucifer’s Hospital, 1920. First, he debuted two new songs – “Spiderlilly” and “Electro Therapy,” the latter he said was still a work in progress, though it sounded complete to me, including a clear coffin with a poor human victim inside being electrocuted. If those two new songs are representative of a proper release, we are in for a treat. Hopefully soon, maybe?

I don’t recall costume changes or live characters in 2018. Poor Abigail met her fate early in the proceedings as King introduced her to the business end of a knife as the curtain dropped at the beginning of the evening. Grandma in a wheelchair made an appearance in “Welcome Home,” which then led to King being masked as grandpa, complete with scary grandpa long hair. We met the poor lost vixen holding a lantern during “Halloween.” We know she won’t survive. 

How did King sound? Great. But you knew that. The band has been playing together for years, and are tight as a drum. I’ve seen King solo and also with Mercyful Fate, and he is generous with his fellow musicians on stage. 
The set ended with “Abigail,” which some people in the crowd were shouting for from the beginning of the show, though I saw people around me act super stoked with pretty much every tune the band played. This is truly a road trip caliber show. 

King Diamond Set List:
“Arrival”
“Mansion in Darkness”
“Halloween”
“Voodoo”
“Spiderlilly”
“Sleepless Nights”
“Welcome Home”
“The Invisible Guests”
“The Candle”
“Masquerade of Madness”
“Eye of the Witch”
“Burn”
“Electro Therapy”
“Abigail”