The legendary Danish heavy metal singer King Diamond has shared significant updates on his long-awaited new solo album, revealing a new title, confirmed song names, and its grand scope as the first installment of a conceptual trilogy. In a recent in-depth conversation with Oran O’Beirne for Fistful Of Metal magazine, King Diamond also reflected on his unwavering artistic integrity and a life-threatening health scare.
The forthcoming King Diamond album, previously known under the working title The Institute, has now been officially named St Lucifer’s Hospital 1920. King Diamond explained the change and the current status: “Well, for starters, the original name that we had picked was The Institute. However, that has now changed to, St Lucifer’s Hospital 1920, since the start of the U.S. tour. There very well may be a track on the album called The Institute.”
While the album was initially anticipated for a 2025 release, King emphasized his commitment to quality: “We were supposed to release the album this year, and in fact the album was supposed to be completely finished prior to the live shows, but I just want to make sure that it’s the best material I’ve ever released.”
Fans can look forward to new music soon, as he confirmed: “Right now, we are gearing up to film the next video for the single ‘Lobotomy’, which will definitely be released later this year.” Other completed songs for St Lucifer’s Hospital 1920 include an intro track called “Under The Surface,” and tracks titled “The Institute,” “The Nun,” “Faceless,” and “Spider Lilly.” Another potential song is “Deep In The Darkness 1920.” Longtime guitarist Andy La Rocque is also heavily involved, “working on at least five tracks, one of which has as monster chorus that we plan to record with a choir.”
Crucially, King Diamond revealed the ambitious nature of the project: “The plan is that this album will be the first of a trilogy, and I already have all three album titles.”
During the interview, King Diamond also looked back at navigating the challenging grunge era of the 1990s, a time when many metal acts struggled. His approach was one of steadfast artistic integrity. “I didn’t care,” he stated. “I don’t want to play something that I don’t feel inside, and if I had to, I would stop.” He recounted an instance around the time of his classic 1987 album “Abigail,” where Roadrunner Records requested “commercial/radio-friendly” songs. “King humorously told them, “‘Yes. No problem. That’s the direction we’re going in anyway.’ When they finally heard the album, they were on the phone asking, ‘Where are those songs?’ They eventually let it go… I just don’t want to deal with that kind of stuff. Don’t tell me what I should be doing.” He concluded, “I don’t really know how we survived the ’90s, but we did, and that’s all that matters… we were still moving.”
The conversation also touched upon King‘s severe health complications in 2010, which included a triple bypass surgery that brought him face-to-face with his own mortality. “It was certainly a wake-up call and I definitely learned a lot about what the body can and cannot handle,” he shared. “Honestly, I nearly died three times due to a lot of complications. I should not be here.” He described a harrowing experience waking up on a ventilator earlier than expected, nearly choking to death as he couldn’t synchronize with the machine, an ordeal witnessed by his wife.
Despite past adversities, King Diamond‘s focus is clearly on the monumental new musical narrative he is crafting with “St Lucifer’s Hospital 1920” and the ensuing trilogy, promising fans another deep dive into his unique world of horror and storytelling.
