King Diamond‘s Halloween, the three-track picture disc first released in 1986, is being reissued worldwide through Metal Blade Records on October 23, a week before the holiday it is named after. The new edition carries fresh artwork by Mario Lopez.
Two of the three songs come from the band’s debut album, Fatal Portrait, released the same year. “Halloween” is the title track, and “The Candle” opened the album. The third, “The Lake“, was recorded in the same period and is associated with those sessions, but was left off the original album.
The recording was produced by King Diamond and Rune Höyer, with production assistance from guitarist Michael Denner, and engineered by Roberto Falcao.
Tracklist:
- A1. “Halloween“
- B1. “The Candle“
- B2. “The Lake“
It was recorded by the band’s first lineup: King Diamond on vocals, Andy La Rocque and Michael Denner on guitars, Timi Hansen on bass and Mikkey Dee on drums. Hansen died in 2019. Dee went on to play with Motörhead and Scorpions.
The reissue lands two months after the end of the longest partnership in the band’s history. On July 24, King Diamond announced that they and La Rocque had mutually agreed to part ways after 40 years. La Rocque joined in 1985 and played on every King Diamond release from then until the 2024 single “Spider Lilly“. He was replaced by Gus G, known for Firewind and his time in Ozzy Osbourne‘s band, who will continue with his other projects alongside his new role.
The current lineup is King Diamond on vocals, Gus G and Mike Wead on guitars, Pontus Egberg on bass and Matt Thompson on drums. The band are working on new material, and Saint Lucifer’s Hospital 1920, the first part of a planned horror trilogy trailed by “Spider Lilly“, is still to come.
Pre-orders for the Halloween picture disc are open through Metal Blade.
