Support announced for London gig
KING DIAMOND has announced special guests at his first full UK indoor headline performance in almost ten years, where they will, as part of their live set, perform the iconic ‘Abigail’ album in its entirety for the first and possibly last time ever in the UK, as well as numerous other hits.
Legendary UK outfit ANGEL WITCH will join KING DIAMOND at London’s O2 Forum Kentish Town on 21st June.
Formed under the name Lucifer back in 1977, South London’s Angel Witch were leading lights of a now legendary movement known as the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal.
Unlike a great many of the groups with whom they shared stages their style was dark, uncompromising and heavy; a perfect complement for the sword & sorcery-themed lyrics of songs such as White Witch, Gorgon and Angel Of Death – no wonder Geoff Barton of Sounds magazine once memorably described their bludgeoning sound as: “the first Black Sabbath album played through a cement mixer”.
First time around, Angel Witch amassed a large and loyal following, releasing a debut album that, 35 years on is, rightly, classed as an all-time heavy metal classic. And yet they found themselves constantly undermined by the heavy metal press because, well… they were an actual heavy metal band in a time of teased up sleeze or neckbreaking thrash gained column inches. Strange but true.
Since then Angel Witch have existed in many different permutations, yet Kevin Heybourne – guitarist, singer and chief songwriter – remains a consistent driving force.
The current line of Heybourne, Jimmy Martin (guitar), Will Palmer (bass) and Alan French (drums), are currently working on the follow up to 2012’s ‘As Above, So Below’ Angel Witch’s last studio album, produced by Jaime Gomez Arellano (Ghost/ Paradise Lost) and unquestionably the finest thing to bear the band’s name since the first, iconic release. Sounding like they were intended to almost 30 years before: this record avoids the trap that so many of their contemporaries have fallen into; trying to assimilate to the musical climate around them, With ‘As Above, so Below’ Angel Witch went back to the genesis moment, the Big Bang. It’s 1979 revisited and damn the consequences.
Tickets are on sale now at www.myticket.co.uk and www.seetickets.com
Last chance to win KING DIAMOND signed guitar competition in Metal Hammer
METAL HAMMER magazine is currently running a competition in their latest issue to win a Andy LaRoque Abigail Custom 350F guitar courtesy of Dean Guitars which the band will sign when the lucky winner meets them at the upcoming London show on June 21, 2016
For your chance to win pick up the mag now at your nearest stockist
Alternatively order it here:
