The Spider's Lullabye
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''The Spider's Lullabye'' is the sixth studio album by Danish heavy metal band
King Diamond Kim Bendix Petersen (born 14 June 1956), better known by his stage name King Diamond, is a Danish rock musician. As a vocalist, he is known for his powerful and wide-ranging countertenor singing voice, in particular his far-reaching falsetto s ...
, released on 6 June 1995. Unlike other King Diamond albums, it is not a full
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. Som ...
; only half the songs form a single plot. The album was recorded after a four-year hiatus and this is the first release to feature guitarist Herb Simonsen, bassist Chris Estes and drummer Darrin Anthony. It is also the band's first release on
Metal Blade Metal Blade Records (often shortened to Metal Blade) is an American independent record label founded by Brian Slagel in 1982 based in the U.S. state of California. The label primarily focuses on heavy metal. History Metal Blade Records was ...
Records. Guitarist
Andy LaRocque Andy LaRocque (born Anders Allhage, 29 November 1962) is a Swedish guitarist, songwriter and record producer, best known as a member of the heavy metal band King Diamond since 1985. Biography LaRocque started out in the mid 1980s in the Gothen ...
said it was the most difficult King Diamond album to record because "we had a new band ndwe had a totally new environment recording in the U.S., with a totally different producer." The album was remastered by LaRocque and re-released in 2009.


Summary

The first half of the songs on this album are listed as a variety of short stories before the second half form the plot. ;"From the Other Side" Tells about the protagonist's struggle with an
out-of-body experience An out-of-body experience (OBE or sometimes OOBE) is a phenomenon in which a person perceives the world as if from a location outside their physical body. An OBE is a form of autoscopy (literally "seeing self"), although this term is more common ...
, forcing himself to come back to life before it is too late. ;"Killer" Describes a
Richard Ramirez Ricardo Leyva Muñoz Ramirez (; February 29, 1960 – June 7, 2013), better known as Richard Ramirez, was an American serial killer and sex offender whose killing spree occurred in Greater Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area in the ...
-type serial killer who is being put to death by an
electric chair The electric chair is a specialized device used for capital punishment through electrocution. The condemned is strapped to a custom wooden chair and electrocuted via electrodes attached to the head and leg. Alfred P. Southwick, a Buffalo, New Yo ...
. ;"The Poltergeist" Revolves around a ghost hunter who detects a spirit in their home. Fearing the invading ghost is evil, we are left unsure of the ghost's personality. The song ends with the ghost overcoming the hunter, who allows the ghost to "stay forever". ;"Dreams" Is about a man suffering a series of terrifying nightmares and encountering she-demons in the form of little girls who take him to what appears to be a paradise that exists on the opposite side of waterfalls in which they were swimming in. The sleepers finds out the little girls are not what they appear to be and scream to escape the nightmare. ;"Moonlight" Tells about a group of cursed children, similar to the 1960 movie '' Village of the Damned''. ;"Six Feet Under" The song tells the story of a person being buried alive in a glass coffin by their family; the story is similar to the ending of ''
Conspiracy A conspiracy, also known as a plot, ploy, or scheme, is a secret plan or agreement between people (called conspirers or conspirators) for an unlawful or harmful purpose, such as murder, treason, or corruption, especially with a political motivat ...
''. ;"The Spider's Lullabye" Focuses on a reclusive man named Harry who is terrified of spiders and, out of desperation, seeks a doctor who can cure his
arachnophobia Arachnophobia is the fear of spiders and other arachnids such as scorpions and ticks. The word "arachnophobia" comes from the Greek words arachne and phobia. Signs and symptoms People with arachnophobia tend to feel uneasy in any area they b ...
. ;"Eastmann's Cure" The plot continues as Harry answers an ad in the local newspaper, about a psychiatric hospital that specializes in curing phobias of all kinds. The character of Dr. Eastmann is introduced as a kind, friendly
physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...
who hides his true intentions from Harry. ;"Room 17" A confident Harry awaits Dr. Eastmann and his assistant Nurse Needle Dear to begin his treatment. The so-called "treatment," however, turns out to be little more than a torture session as Nurse Needle releases a
wolf spider Wolf spiders are members of the family Lycosidae (), named for their robust and agile hunting skills and excellent eyesight. They live mostly in solitude, hunt alone, and usually do not spin webs. Some are opportunistic hunters, pouncing upon ...
from the "Crawly Box". The next day, Harry complains of having pain and a weird sensation in his neck. Dr. Eastmann dismisses Harry's comments and thinks nothing more of it. The same night, when Harry is discovered by staff, they find him long dead and covered from head to toe in a spider web-like cocoon giving evidence that a series of spiders have wrapped him up like a fly, saving his dead body for consumption. Dr. Eastmann comes to the realization that Harry clearly died of fright, possibly the result of a heart attack. ;"To the Morgue" Harry, whose body is now reduced to bones and skin, is taken to the morgue. The coolers here are full of corpses (likely the result of Dr. Eastmann's experiments), and many more lie in the hallways. The narrative ends with spiders nesting in Harry's empty eye sockets.


Track listing


Personnel

*
King Diamond Kim Bendix Petersen (born 14 June 1956), better known by his stage name King Diamond, is a Danish rock musician. As a vocalist, he is known for his powerful and wide-ranging countertenor singing voice, in particular his far-reaching falsetto s ...
- vocals, keyboards *
Andy LaRocque Andy LaRocque (born Anders Allhage, 29 November 1962) is a Swedish guitarist, songwriter and record producer, best known as a member of the heavy metal band King Diamond since 1985. Biography LaRocque started out in the mid 1980s in the Gothen ...
- guitars, keyboards *Herb Simonsen - guitars * Chris Estes - bass *Darrin Anthony - drums


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spiders Lullabye, The King Diamond albums 1995 albums