Wednesday, December 31: King Diamond, "Follow the Wolf"
House of God was another convoluted and melodramatic narrative from King Diamond that was less blasphemous than slightly confusing and more than slightly cheesy and came out too quickly after the previous convoluted and melodramatic narrative. Kim Bendix Petersen did not understand the concept of diminishing returns, delivering the record barely two years after Voodoo and just a year after also coming out with two Mercyful Fate albums in rapid succession, so at best “Follow the Wolf” was what it was. At least it could be enjoyed as a standalone headbanger once listeners decided to not bother with the concept, since Glen Drover and Andy LaRocque riffed with enthusiasm and King’s growling and wailing was potent as ever. To the extent that every latter-day King Diamond record had to have at least a couple bangers, “Follow the Wolf” was good enough on those terms to keep one interested in the band even if it came in the middle of a rather terrible stretch of albums.
