Originally written by Gregory Bradley.
King Diamond returns in a way that only he can, with eunuch-esque glory! The ridiculous, yet great singer of the self titled band brings us his latest effort, The Puppet Master. My overall impressions with the album are pretty positive. After looking through the lyrics, it appears that this is a concept album about humans being turned into puppets. With King’s great storytelling ability, this album makes for a great metal tale.
Musicianship and production aren’t exemplary, but they more than get the job done. There aren’t any super complicated solos, nor is there any outstanding depth to the mix. Of course there’s nothing wrong with it either. They exist for one reason: to tell a tale. This, in my mind, is what King Diamond is all about, and it’s exactly what makes this album good.
It’s the story and the atmosphere that King Diamond fans look for. This album is quite good at both, it has a great feel to it. Killer songs like “Magic”, “Blood to Walk”, and “Blue Eyes” are the highlights of the disc. “Magic” has one of the catchiest riffs I’ve heard lately, and “Blood to Walk” is a great, multifaceted song that has the power of three normal songs. Naturally, there are filler and odd songs, hence the reason why this album wasn’t exactly top 10 of 2003 material.
All in all, I was quite satisfied with The Puppet Master. It’s a fun album to listen to, and you know what you’re getting into when you embark on a King Diamond journey. Anyone who complains about King’s voice or other such ramblings is obviously not going to like this disc. But any fans of old Mercyful Fate or any King Diamond material should be just as satisfied as me with this one.
