Fans eagerly awaiting new music from the legendary King Diamond have received a promising update regarding the band’s highly anticipated horror trilogy, the first installment of which is titled Saint Lucifer’s Hospital 1920. In a recent interview with the Heavy Demons radio show, guitarist Andy La Rocque shed light on the album’s progress and the band’s unique, distributed songwriting and recording methodology.
La Rocque confirmed that recording for the new material began prior to King Diamond’s last U.S. tour and remains an ongoing endeavor. “We started to record things before the last U.S. tour. And we still have a lot of things to record, so we’re working on that too, and we’re gonna continue with that as soon as the European tour is over. So, we’ve been really busy with everything,” he explained (as transcribed by Blabbermouth), indicating the band’s dedication despite their demanding touring schedule.
The interview also offered a fascinating glimpse into King Diamond’s intricate and highly collaborative creative workflow. La Rocque detailed his initial contributions: “I pretty much come up with a complete demo with a programmed drum track and some keyboards on and some rhythm guitars. I try to make my demos as complete as possible — sometimes even with some solos that we can use on the album — and the right guitar and keyboard sounds too.”
The process adapts when King Diamond himself initiates tracks. La Rocque described these as “a little more basic with a few of the things.” In such cases, King Diamond provides the core ideas, and La Rocque handles the re-recording of guitars and adding solos. Bassist Pontus Egberg then lays down his parts, ensuring a cohesive yet individually crafted sound.
A key aspect of their modern recording approach involves remote collaboration. After the initial demos, tracks are sent to other band members who record their contributions in their personal home studios. Drummer Matt Thompson, for instance, utilizes his own Dallas-based recording facility. La Rocque noted: “So when he gets the demo, he just mutes the drums, puts his drums on, and sends it to me so I can fix the drums and set up a good sound. Same with the bass player and Mike [Wead, guitarist] — kind of the same procedure.”
The creative fluidity continues even after the instrumental groundwork is laid. Once King Diamond records his distinctive vocals, the band remains open to further refinements. “We can go in and change a few things too,” La Rocque added. “If something needs to be added or changed — a rhythm part, a solo — we can do that whenever. So it’s a pretty creative procedure.”
As work on Saint Lucifer’s Hospital 1920 progresses, King Diamond is also actively engaged with fans on their spring/summer 2025 European tour, which kicked off on June 4 at the Sweden Rock Festival. The band recently offered a tangible preview of their new material with the December 2024 release of the studio track “Spider Lilly.” This single, mixed and mastered by Arthur Rizk, notably marked King Diamond’s first production collaboration with Rizk.
Upcoming King Diamond 2025 Tour Dates:
- Jun 22: Graspop Metal Meeting – Dessel, Flanders
- Jun 26: Rock Imperium Festival – Cartagena, Spain
- Jun 28: Rock Fest Barcelona – Barcelona, CT
- Jun 30: Manchester Academy – Manchester, England (w/ Paradise Lost & Unto Others)
- Jul 1: The Roundhouse – London, England (w/ Paradise Lost & Unto Others)
- Jul 3: Rockharz Festival – Ballenstedt, Germany
- Jul 5: Rockmaraton – Dunaújváros, Hungary
- Jul 6: Open Air Arena – Vienna, Vienna (w/ Unto Others)
- Jul 8: Arenele Romane Open Air – Bucharest, Romania (w/ Unto Others)
- Jul 9: Arena Sofia – Sofia, Bulgaria (w/ Unto Others)
- Jul 10: Rockwave Festival – Athens, Greece
- Jul 13: Zorlu Main Stage – İstanbul, Türkiye
- Jul 31: Beyond The Gates – Bergen, Norway
- Aug 2: Wacken Open Air – Wacken, Germany
- Aug 8: Hellsinki Metal Festival – Helsinki, Finland
