Album

The Spider's Lullabye

King Diamond

1995 · Rock

4 collectors on Gatefold own this

The Spider's Lullabye by King Diamond

The Spider's Lullabye is a Metal album by King Diamond, originally released in 1995. On Gatefold: 65 pressings tracked, owned by 4 collectors.

About

After a five-year hiatus, King Diamond reformed in 1995 for <i>The Spider’s Lullabye</i>, which broke the band’s tradition of full-scale concept records. Only the album's second half is thematically unified; it's a series of songs about a man tortured by arachnophobia. With mercurial arrangements and horror-movie atmospherics, “The Spider’s Lullabye,” “Eastmann’s Cure,” and “Room 17” most resemble earlier King Diamond triumphs like <i>Abigail</i>. While King Diamond’s calling card was their ability to put a theatrical spin on speed metal, the strongest moments on <i>Spider’s Lullabye</i> are its angriest. “Dreams,” “Killer,” and “To the Morgue” offer marauding and menacing riffs that recall vintage Metallica, while “Six Feet Under” echoes King Diamond’s roots in hardcore punk. Guitarist Andy LaRocque remastered the album in 2009, which helped enhance the songs’ spiky tones. Though it's only the fourth song on the album, “The Poltergeist” feels like its grand finale. A gloriously uncomplicated riff propels a tale about an awe-inspiring ghoul. It’s perhaps the most back-to-basics song that this famously ambitious band ever wrote, and yet it perfectly embodies everything that’s great about King Diamond.

via Apple Music

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Tracklist

  1. 1From the Other Side (Remastered By Andy LaRocque)3:51
  2. 2Killer (Remastered By Andy LaRocque)4:17
  3. 3The Poltergeist (Remastered By Andy LaRocque)4:29
  4. 4Dreams (Remastered By Andy LaRocque)4:39
  5. 5Moonlight (Remastered By Andy LaRocque)4:32
  6. 6Six Feet Under (Remastered By Andy LaRocque)4:02
  7. 7The Spider's Lullabye (Remastered By Andy LaRocque)3:39
  8. 8Eastmann's Cure (Remastered By Andy LaRocque)4:32
  9. 9Room 17 (Remastered By Andy LaRocque)8:17
  10. 10To the Morgue (Remastered By Andy LaRocque)4:57

Sound DNA

  • Metal
  • Heavy Metal
  • clean
  • theatrical
  • occult

Only the first press limited edition LP (opens in a new tab) and picture disc (opens in a new tab) feature the original artwork and the original red logo of the band.
All other issues and reissues have small differences like the first press CD (opens in a new tab), or totally different artwork like the 2015 LP (opens in a new tab) reissue.
This is the first King Diamond album that doesn't feature a continuous main lyrical theme throughout the album.
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, forcing himself to come back to life before it is too late.
"Killer" describes a Richard Ramirez-type serial killer who is being put to death by electric chair.
"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 appeared to be a paradise that existed on the opposite side of waterfalls in which they were swimming in. The sleepers finds out the little girls were not what they appeared to be and screams to escape the nightmare.
"Moonlight" tells about a group of cursed children, similar to the 1960 movie Village of the Damned.
"Six Feet Under" is an alternate chapter — a cutscene from Conspiracy and references from "Them" telling what would have happened differently if King's mother and his sociopath therapist Doctor Landau had buried him alive in a glass coffin so they (along with his family) could watch him suffer in agony and perish, while his sister Missy kicks dirt in his face, laughing at his pain. His "family" mentioned in the song are: Grandma, King's mother, his sister Missy, his grandfather, etc.
"The Spider's Lullabye" focuses on a reclusive man named Harry who is terrified of spiders and, out of desperation, finds a doctor who can cure his arachnophobia.
"Eastmann's Cure" is the continuing plot of Harry answering an ad in the local newspaper about a psychiatric hospital that specializes in curing phobias of all kinds. The second character in the song Dr. Eastmann introduces himself to Harry as a kind, friendly physician who hides his true intentions.
In "Room 17", a confident Harry awaits Dr. Eastmann and his assistant Nurse Needle Dear to begin his treatment and cure. The so-called "treatment" was nothing more than a torture session when Nurse Needle unleashes a wolf spider from the "Crawly Box". The next day, Harry complains of having a weird feeling on his neck, spider bites and intense pain. 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 had clearly died of fright (possibly from the result of a heart attack), when Harry (who is now reduced to bones and skin) is taken.
"To the Morgue": along with other patients who have died for reasons unknown, spiders begin making their home in his empty eye sockets.
1995 first press LP & PD are the only releases with the original artwork (red band logo etc.) all the rest (even the CD) have the grey logo. In 2009 (along with the remaster) the artwork changed completely and satyed the same until now.
LP (opens in a new tab)
Picture disc (opens in a new tab)
2009
500 black (opens in a new tab)
2010
500 red (opens in a new tab)
2015
500 red / black marble (opens in a new tab)
Red (opens in a new tab)
Black (opens in a new tab)
2017
Black (opens in a new tab)
Red translucent (opens in a new tab)
2018
2000 picture disc (opens in a new tab)

Credits

The people behind it.

Performers

  • Andy LaRocqueGUITAR
  • Chris EstesBASS BASS, KEYBOARDS KEYBOARDS
  • Darrin AnthonyDRUMS
  • Herb SimonsenGUITAR
  • King DiamondKEYBOARDS KEYBOARDS, HARPSICHORD, VOCALS LEAD VOCALS, KEYBOARDS, HARPSICHORD

4 collectors on Gatefold own this · 65 pressings tracked on Gatefold

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