''Fatal Portrait'' is the debut album by Danish heavy metal band King Diamond. It was produced by Rune Hoyer and released in 1986 via

Roadrunner Records Roadrunner Records is an American record label focused on heavy metal and hard rock bands. Founded in the Netherlands in 1980, it is now a division of Warner Music Group and is based in New York City. History The label was launched in 1980 in ...

. Guitarist Andy LaRocque joined the album recording sessions at the last minute, as the band's second guitarist at the time "wasn't working out" in the studio. As a result, it is the only King Diamond album which does not feature any writing credits from LaRocque. Recording a solo for "Dressed in White" functioned as his audition for joining the band. Along with ''

The Spider's Lullabye ''The Spider's Lullabye'' is the sixth studio album by Danish heavy metal band King Diamond, released on 6 June 1995. Unlike other King Diamond albums, it is not a full concept album; only half the songs form a single plot. The album was recor ...

'', it is one of the band's only albums which is not a whole

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Some ...

. ''Fatal Portrait'' has sold over 100,000 copies in North America alone. The title of the album comes from ''

The Picture of Dorian Gray ''The Picture of Dorian Gray'' is a philosophical novel by Irish writer Oscar Wilde. A shorter novella-length version was published in the July 1890 issue of the American periodical '' Lippincott's Monthly Magazine''.''The Picture of Dorian G ...

'' by

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...

. Wilde describes the painting as "the fatal portrait" several times throughout the novel.

Plot

Five songs on this album (first four and "Haunted") form a short story. Narrator sees a face in "every candle that eburns". This face speaks one word to him: "Jonah". So he finds an old book, speaks a rhyme and frees the spirit from the candle. It's the spirit of a little girl named Molly, who tells him her story, that happened seven years before. Mrs. Jane kept her 4-year-old daughter Molly in the attic until she (Molly) died. Before, Mrs. Jane painted Molly's portrait and put it above the fireplace, so that Molly would become immortal; however, Molly made the portrait speak to her mother, so that Jane would know about Molly's pain. Mrs. Jane then speaks a rhyme and burns the portrait. A free spirit of Molly returns to haunt her until she goes insane.

Track listing

Personnel

;Band members * King Diamond – lead and backing vocals, all guitars on "Voices from the Past", producer * Andy LaRocque – guitar *Michael Denner – guitar, assistant producer * Timi Hansen – bass * Mikkey Dee – drums ;Production *Rune Höyer – producer *Roberto Falcao – engineer

References

{{Authority control King Diamond albums 1986 debut albums Roadrunner Records albums