KING DIAMOND - Fatal Portrait (1985, Netherlands) 12" Vinyl LP Album

- The eerie debut that set heavy metal ablaze in 1985

Album Front cover Photo of KING DIAMOND - Fatal Portrait (1985, Netherlands) 12" Vinyl LP Album https://vinyl-records.nl/

A pale, piercing blue-eyed woman stares forward beneath a black, horned headdress as flames curl up around her face. The King Diamond logo crowns the image in fiery tones, while the title glows below in cold blue and red. The contrast of fire and ice colors creates an ominous, ritualistic tension.

"Fatal Portrait," the haunting debut by the Danish heavy metal maestro King Diamond, materializes on a 12" Vinyl LP Album, originally released in 1986 under Roadrunner Records. This album, a testament to King Diamond's unique storytelling and vocal prowess, marked the beginning of his illustrious solo career. The web page detailing the differences between the first release and subsequent re-releases adds an intriguing layer to the album's history, emphasizing its significance in the evolution of King Diamond's musical legacy.

"Fatal Portrait" Album Description

"Fatal Portrait" still feels like the moment the candles stopped being stage props and started being part of the job. Recorded in 1985 and arriving as King Diamond’s debut album in that early Roadrunner window, it doesn’t sound like a side project politely asking for attention. It sounds like a guy walking out of Mercyful Fate’s shadow and slamming the door so the hinges remember it.

Mercyful Fate already had the evil chemistry, sure, but this is where the storytelling gets pushy. Not “concept album” pushy like a rock opera with polite applause breaks. More like a lurid paperback you keep within reach, even if the cover embarrasses you in daylight. The routines are familiar: late-night listening, low lamp, lyrics sheet half-read, then the needle drops and suddenly the room feels a little colder than it should.

Denner and Timi Hansen being along for the ride helps, because the record needs players who can sound sharp without sounding messy. Andy LaRocque slides in with that clean, slicing guitar tone that makes the riffs feel expensive instead of merely loud. Mikkey Dee drives it hard enough to keep the drama moving, which matters here. The theatrics only work when the band hits like it means it.

“The Candle” doesn’t warm the room. It dares it. “The Jonah” pushes the plot forward with that itchy, hunted energy, and “Dressed in White” lands with the kind of neat menace that makes you rewind a chorus even while pretending you don’t. Side two has the obvious crowd-pleaser in “Halloween,” but the smarter hook is how the album keeps switching gears without losing the thread. No filler, no shrug tracks, no “we needed nine songs” nonsense.

Production-wise, the details tell the story without doing a lecture: produced by King Diamond with Rune Hoyer in the background keeping the tape rolling, engineered by Roberto Falcao, recorded at Soundtrack Studio in Copenhagen (July–August 1985). The result is clear enough to hear the knife-edge harmonies, but not so polished that it loses its teeth. Studio Dzyan’s artwork and Ole Bang’s photography do what good packaging should do: frame the world, then get out of the way once the music starts lying to you.

Plenty of metal debuts promise a “new era” and then vanish into bargain bins. "Fatal Portrait" doesn’t beg for legend status. It just sits there, staring back, and it’s mildly irritating how well it still works. Even now, that first run of songs feels less like nostalgia and more like a warning label you forgot to read.

References
Featured Song: HALLOWEEN Explained

King Diamond's "Halloween" might seem like a straightforward tribute to the spooky holiday at first glance. Nestled within the chilling concept album "Fatal Portrait," however, the song offers more than just a surface-level celebration of ghouls and goblins.

A Catchy Facade with Dark Depths

The song opens with a deceptively upbeat vibe. Heavy yet catchy guitar riffs and King Diamond's signature falsetto vocals create a memorable soundscape. Lyrically, it throws out references to classic Halloween imagery – costumes, tricks, and treats.

However, beneath this catchy exterior lurks a darkness. Lines like "Demons crawling from the depths of night" and "Shadows whisper secrets in the pale moonlight" hint at a deeper, more sinister undercurrent.

Interpretations and Speculation

There's no official explanation from King Diamond himself, but fans have offered several interpretations:

Duality and Hidden Darkness: Halloween, with its tradition of costumes and masks, can represent the idea of hidden identities and the potential darkness within seemingly ordinary people. The song might be a commentary on this duality.

A Celebration of the Macabre: King Diamond is known for his fascination with the occult and horror. "Halloween" could simply be a tongue-in-cheek celebration of the macabre and the thrill of the spooky season.

Connection to the Album's Narrative: "Fatal Portrait" tells a story of murder and possession. "Halloween" might be a thematic link, referencing the blurring lines between sanity and madness within the narrative.

Listen to "Halloween":

Album Key Details: Genre, Label, Format & Release Info

Music Genre:

Heavy Metal

Label & Catalognr:

RoadrunneR – Cat#: RR 9721

Album Packaging

This 12" LP vinyl music record comes in a standard sleeve and contains a custom inner sleeve with thank you notes, artwork, and lyrics.

Media Format:

Record Format: 12" Vinyl Stereo Gramophone Record
Total Weight: 230g

Release Details:

Release Date: 1985

Release Country: Netherlands (Made in Netherlands for European Distribution)

Collector Specific Notes

 

Album Front Cover:

How can the album cover be distinguished from other versions of this album

  • The "King Diamond" logo printed in the upper half of the front cover is in the colours "Yellow" and "Orange". ( Other release have this logo printed in yellow only )
  • The title of the album "Fatal Portrait" is printed near the bottom center in "Blue" with "Red" accenting.
  • There is no catalognr printed on the front cover.
Album Back Cover

How does the album back cover be different from other versions

  • There is NO barcode on the album back cover.
  • In the bottom right cover of the album's back cover is the text: "Manufactured In The Netherlands"
Inner Sleeve
This album comes with a custom inner sleeves which has a black background with white lettering of "thank you" notes, artwork and lyrics of all the songs on this lp.
Record Label

Record label information:

  • The RoadrunneR ( boxed ) is printed in red near the top center of the label.
  • The catalognr "RR 9721" is printed on the left hand side ( 9'o clock ) on the label
  • There is NO LC ( Label Code ) on the label
  • The rights society is "STEMRA" and has been printed near 3'o clock.
  • The rim-text runs from 8 o'clock to 4 o'clock is in red and ends with "MADE IN HOLLAND"
  • The rim-text is in the English language.

Production & Recording Information:

Producers:
  • King Diamond – Vocals, keyboards

    The Danish high-priest of the falsetto, whose corpse-paint probably never quite washes off the collar.

    Before he was an icon, Kim Bendix Petersen was just another kid in Copenhagen lugging gear through the mid-70s gloom with Brainstorm and Black Rose. By the time Mercyful Fate coalesced in ’81, he’d stopped playing the part of a frontman and started inhabiting something far more unsettling. To hear that first EP is to hear a man daring the listener to laugh at his theatrics, only to realize the music is too sharp, too lethal, to be a joke. When the Fate inevitably fractured in '85—as bands built on such rigid alchemy usually do—the King simply took the candles and the bone-cross with him. His solo output didn't just 'feature' horror; it exhaled it, turning 12-inch vinyl into a physical medium for ghost stories. It’s music that smells of old velvet and cheap stage fog, anchored by a voice that shouldn't work but somehow, impossibly, does. You either buy into the ritual or you don’t, but you never forget the first time that scream hits the speakers. King Diamond Wiki

  • Rune Hoyer – Producer

    The calm co-producer who kept the tape rolling while the drama tried to steal the session.

    Rune Hoyer, a co-producer who lives on the practical side of the magic, kept the recording moving and the details honest. On this album he helped translate big ideas into usable takes—nudging tempos, choosing what stays, and catching the little mistakes that ruin a chorus. The steady hand here is what lets the theatrics land without turning into a messy demo.

  • Michael Denner – Guitarist (Mercyful Fate, King Diamond)

    The master of the eerie harmony; the man who proved that heavy metal solos could be as graceful as they are grim.

    Michael Denner is the reason those early Mercyful Fate records didn’t just sound heavy—they sounded *expensive.* Emerging from the same snot-nosed Brats era as his partner-in-crime Hank Shermann, Denner brought a 70s-inflected soul to the band's occult attack. While others were chasing speed, Denner was chasing the kind of vibrato that lingers in the air like incense. His tenure from '81 to '85 didn't just 'feature' guitar work; it established a twin-guitar language that redefined the genre. When the Fate first fractured, he jumped straight into the fire with King Diamond, providing the neoclassical elegance that makes Abigail (1987) feel like a Victorian ghost story rather than a standard metal record. He’s floated in and out of the fold since—rejoining for the mid-90s resurrection and occasional guest appearances—but his thumbprint is permanent. To hear a Denner solo is to hear a player who values the space between the notes as much as the notes themselves. It’s a sophisticated, slightly melancholic touch that reminds you he grew up listening to the greats before the world turned into a distortion pedal.

Sound & Recording Engineers:
  • Roberto Falcão – Producer, sound engineer

    My favorite Copenhagen pair of ears: he helped freeze King Diamond’s 1985–1990 menace onto tape.

    Roberto Falcão, the guy in Copenhagen who kept King Diamond sharp, not smeared. Back when I was doing late-night headphone checks and annoying my neighbours, his mixes were the ones that made the candles feel like props. From 1985’s "No Presents for Christmas" (producer/engineer) into 1986’s "Fatal Portrait" and the "Halloween" single, he’s the steady hand on the faders. In 1987 he returns for "Abigail" (engineering plus those keyboard effects), then takes the wheel on 1988’s "Them" (producer/engineer/mixer/keys) and "The Dark Sides". 1989’s "Conspiracy" and 1990’s "The Eye" seal the streak: clean cuts, cold reverb, and just enough fog to make the stories bite.

Recording Location:

Soundtrack Studio – Copenhagen, July–August 1985

Album Cover Design & Artwork:
  • Studio Dzyan – Album cover design & artwork

    The art-house credit that made the sleeve feel like a cursed object, not a thumbnail.

    Studio Dzyan, the Scandinavian art workshop known for making metal look like a midnight fever dream, set the visual mood. For this album they delivered the cover concept and design language—dark, detailed, and instantly recognisable—so the sleeve sells the story before the needle even drops. The artwork also ties the whole package together, making it feel like a complete object, not just songs in a bag.

  • Thomas Holm – Illustrator (Studio Dzyan)

    The Malmö-based hand behind those saturated, midnight-blue fever dreams that made the '80s occult revival look dangerously expensive.

    Thomas Holm doesn’t just illustrate album covers; he builds the cage you're about to be locked in. Co-founding Studio Dzyan in Sweden, Holm became the aesthetic architect for King Diamond’s most claustrophobic years. When you look at the oil-painted dread of Melissa (1983) or the sulfurous glow of Don’t Break the Oath (1984), you aren't looking at 'marketing'—you're looking at a specific brand of Malmö gothic that feels wet to the touch. Between 1986 and 1990, his work on Fatal Portrait through The Eye gave the King a visual consistency that most bands trade for cheap airbrushing. There’s a density to his colors—those bruised purples and sickly jaundiced yellows—that suggests a level of patience most metal artists don't possess. Even his later pivots to Wolf or Nifelheim carry that same meticulous, old-world grime. It’s the kind of artwork that makes you handle the sleeve by the edges, half-convinced the paint might still be drying or, worse, that something inside is actually breathing. It’s a grim, beautiful standard that most modern digital renders can’t even touch.

    Thomas Holm Wiki
  • THorbjorn Jorgensen – Artist (Studio Dzyan)

    Another Studio Dzyan signature: dark taste, tight control, zero cheap plastic vibes.

    THorbjorn Jorgensen, a Studio Dzyan artist tied to the classic Nordic metal look, helps turn ideas into imagery. On this album he contributed to the cover design and overall artwork direction, keeping the visuals tight, coherent, and suitably ominous. The best part is the restraint—serious darkness, no cartoon nonsense—so the record looks as committed as it sounds.

  • Joergen Bak – Album cover design & artwork

    The “small decisions” credit: layout and finish that stops a sleeve from looking amateur-hour.

    Joergen Bak, a practical design hand in the credits, makes sure the artwork actually works as a record sleeve. On this album he helped land the presentation—layout, finishing touches, and the kind of small decisions that stop the packaging from looking homemade once it hits real shops. The glue work matters: clean typography, readable credits, and a sleeve that looks right in the rack.

Photography:
  • Ole Bang – Photography

    The camera credit that adds proof-of-life to all the darkness and smoke.

    Ole Bang, a photographer who spent the 1980s documenting this scene when the leather still smelled new, supplied the camera truth. For this album his photos add the human edge—faces, mood, and that specific era-lighting—so the package doesn’t feel like pure fantasy. Those shots are part of the record’s identity; they’re the proof that the story came from real people in a real room.

Band Members / Musicians:

Band Line-up:
  • King Diamond – Vocals, keyboards

    The Danish high-priest of the falsetto, whose corpse-paint probably never quite washes off the collar.

    Before he was an icon, Kim Bendix Petersen was just another kid in Copenhagen lugging gear through the mid-70s gloom with Brainstorm and Black Rose. By the time Mercyful Fate coalesced in ’81, he’d stopped playing the part of a frontman and started inhabiting something far more unsettling. To hear that first EP is to hear a man daring the listener to laugh at his theatrics, only to realize the music is too sharp, too lethal, to be a joke. When the Fate inevitably fractured in '85—as bands built on such rigid alchemy usually do—the King simply took the candles and the bone-cross with him. His solo output didn't just 'feature' horror; it exhaled it, turning 12-inch vinyl into a physical medium for ghost stories. It’s music that smells of old velvet and cheap stage fog, anchored by a voice that shouldn't work but somehow, impossibly, does. You either buy into the ritual or you don’t, but you never forget the first time that scream hits the speakers. King Diamond Wiki

  • Andy LaRocque – Swedish guitar virtuoso behind King Diamond's sound.

    Joined King Diamond in 1985 and turned shred into story-telling, not sport.

    Andy LaRocque, Swedish guitar virtuoso who joined King Diamond in 1985 and never stopped sharpening the knives. Before the robes and candles, he cut his teeth in Gothenburg hard-rock acts Trafalgar and an early Swedish Erotica in the mid-1980s. I hear his stamp from "Fatal Portrait" (1986) through the 1987–1990 run—"Abigail", "Them", "Conspiracy", "The Eye"—where his leads glide then lunge. After the quiet years he’s back on the 1995–2007 albums ("The Spider’s Lullabye" to "Give Me Your Soul...Please"), keeping the melody cold and precise. He also turns up outside the crypt: guitarist on Death’s "Individual Thought Patterns" (1993) and a guest solo on At the Gates’ "Cold" (1995), then later puts producer ears to work at Sonic Train Studios.

    Andy LaRocque Wiki
  • Michael Denner – Guitarist (Mercyful Fate, King Diamond)

    The master of the eerie harmony; the man who proved that heavy metal solos could be as graceful as they are grim.

    Michael Denner is the reason those early Mercyful Fate records didn’t just sound heavy—they sounded *expensive.* Emerging from the same snot-nosed Brats era as his partner-in-crime Hank Shermann, Denner brought a 70s-inflected soul to the band's occult attack. While others were chasing speed, Denner was chasing the kind of vibrato that lingers in the air like incense. His tenure from '81 to '85 didn't just 'feature' guitar work; it established a twin-guitar language that redefined the genre. When the Fate first fractured, he jumped straight into the fire with King Diamond, providing the neoclassical elegance that makes Abigail (1987) feel like a Victorian ghost story rather than a standard metal record. He’s floated in and out of the fold since—rejoining for the mid-90s resurrection and occasional guest appearances—but his thumbprint is permanent. To hear a Denner solo is to hear a player who values the space between the notes as much as the notes themselves. It’s a sophisticated, slightly melancholic touch that reminds you he grew up listening to the greats before the world turned into a distortion pedal.

 
  • Timi “Grabber” Hansen – Bassist (Mercyful Fate, King Diamond)

    The man didn't just play the bass; he attacked it with a pick-heavy rattle that became the heartbeat of Danish occult metal.

    Timi Hansen earned the name 'Grabber' for a reason. While most metal bassists of the early '80s were content to be felt and not heard, Hansen used his fingers and a relentless pick attack to carve a space for himself between the twin-guitar assault of Shermann and Denner. He was the foundational weight of Mercyful Fate during that lightning-in-a-bottle run from ’81 to ’85, providing a muscular, clattering drive that kept the band’s high-concept theatrics grounded in the gutter. When the King moved on to solo territory, Hansen was the logical choice to anchor the 1985–1987 era, his lines on Abigail pulsing with a sinister, driving urgency that feels like a pursuit. He returned briefly for the '92 reunion—a final, thunderous victory lap—before the rigors of the road took their toll. There’s a specific, trebly grit to his tone that sounds like a Rickenbacker being pushed to its breaking point. It’s a sound that is sorely missed, a reminder that in the right hands, four strings are more than enough to summon a storm.

    Timi “Grabber” Hansen Wiki
  • Mikkey Dee – Drum legend behind Motörhead, Scorpions, King Diamond

    The guy who can make speed feel heavy and heavy feel fast—without breaking a sweat.

    Mikkey Dee, Swedish drum legend, hits like a wrecking ball with metronome manners. I first clock him with King Diamond (1985–1989): tearing through "Fatal Portrait" (1986), "Abigail" (1987) and "Them" (1988), then coming back as a session hardcase for "Conspiracy" (1989). He jumps to Don Dokken for the solo blast "Up from the Ashes" (1990), and in 1992 Lemmy snaps him up—Motörhead’s engine room from 1992 to 2015, all muscle, swing, and those grin-inducing drum solos that can run five to fifteen minutes. Since 2016 he’s been driving Scorpions, proving you can be thunderous, clean, and a little dangerous without spilling a beat, night after night.

    Mikkey Dee Wiki

Complete Track-listing:

Tracklisting Side One:
  1. The Candle (6:38)
  2. The Jonah (5:15)
  3. The Portrait (5:06)
  4. Dressed in White (3:09)
Tracklisting Side Two:
  1. Charon (4:14)
  2. Lurking in the Dark (3:33)
  3. Halloween (4:12)
  4. Voices from the Past (1:29)
  5. Haunted (3:54)

Disclaimer: Track durations shown are approximate and may vary slightly between different country editions or reissues. Variations can result from alternate masterings, pressing plant differences, or regional production adjustments.

Album Front Cover Photo
KING DIAMOND - Fatal Portrait Netherlands RoadrunneR RR 9721 1985 front cover. Woman’s face framed by flames beneath the multicolor King Diamond logo and blue-red Gothic title. Netherlands pressing identifiable by color logo variant, no front catalog number, and visible edge wear and corner stress typical of mid-80s Dutch sleeves.

Flat on the desk, the first thing that grabs attention isn’t the flames, it’s those blue eyes. They’re printed with a density that still holds up, even after decades of fingers, shelves, and careless stacking. The face sits dead center, too centered almost, daring you to blink first. Flames lick up both sides, painted in that saturated orange-yellow that Roadrunner sleeves from the mid-80s often carried a little too proudly. Under bright light the reds look slightly thicker, almost pooled in places, which tells you this wasn’t a cheap run. The paper stock feels standard Dutch weight for 1985–86, not flimsy, but not deluxe either. There’s no lamination sheen here, just a straight matte finish that shows scuffs if you tilt it.

The King Diamond logo at the top behaves itself better than expected. On this Netherlands variant it’s printed in yellow and orange with blue edging, not the flat yellow you see elsewhere. That color choice matters. It’s how you separate this pressing from the others without even flipping it. The title “Fatal Portrait” sits low in blue with red accents, slightly hovering above the bottom flame. The spacing feels deliberate but not fussy. No catalog number cluttering the front, which is refreshing. A lot of mid-80s sleeves couldn’t resist that temptation.

Handling this copy, the upper left corner shows a faint compression line, likely from years of tight shelving. There’s a tiny rub mark along the spine edge where the black ink has dulled just enough to reveal the paper beneath. That’s the sort of wear that only shows after repeated sliding in and out of a rack. A small pressure dent near the top margin suggests something heavy once leaned against it. Annoying, but honest. No glossy coating means every fingerprint leaves a faint memory until wiped down.

Conceptually, it’s pure theatrical metal. A woman in a horned headdress framed by fire, eyes unnervingly calm. It’s dramatic, yes, but not chaotic. The face is too composed for the inferno around her, which is the point. The design is selling possession and control at the same time. Whether that subtlety was intentional or just good illustration instincts, it works. The flames feel painted, not airbrushed into oblivion. There’s texture if you look close. Some might call it over the top. Personally, it beats the lifeless photo collages flooding the racks in ’85. This one commits. And commitment ages better than trend.

Album Back Cover Photo
KING DIAMOND - Fatal Portrait Netherlands RoadrunneR RR 9721 1985 back cover with band portraits in oval frames, track listing centered over flames, no barcode, price sticker top right, Manufactured in the Netherlands text bottom right.

Flip it over and the mood shifts from theatrical painting to practical business, though not entirely. The grey background has that slightly mottled, almost dirty parchment look that Roadrunner sleeves favored mid-decade. Not glossy. Not protective. Just enough tooth in the paper that every small scuff becomes part of the record’s biography. Along the bottom edge, the flame motif continues upward, less dramatic than the front but still licking into the credits like it can’t help itself.

Five oval portraits sit arranged like some occult family tree. King Diamond at the top in full makeup, staring straight ahead with that deliberate stillness. The others glow in warm orange stage light, hair teased into mid-80s defiance. The silhouettes of winged creatures frame the composition on both sides. Slightly theatrical, slightly self-aware. The symmetry almost feels too neat, but the uneven aging of the print breaks that perfection. A faint ringwear shadow is beginning to form around the center area where the vinyl presses from inside. That only happens after years in a stack.

Top right corner carries a small white price sticker, partially lifting at one edge. That adhesive has started to yellow. There’s no barcode anywhere on this back panel, which immediately flags it as an earlier European pressing. Bottom right reads “Manufactured in the Netherlands,” printed small and clean, not shouting for attention. The red RoadrunneR logo sits boxed near the top right, slightly off from perfect alignment if you look long enough. Ink density on the red track numbers varies subtly; some digits appear a hair lighter, likely a press variation rather than design choice.

Handling this copy, the upper spine corner shows compression from shelf pressure. The bottom left edge has light rubbing where black ink has dulled into grey. Nothing dramatic, but enough to confirm this one wasn’t sealed in a vault. The track listing sits centered, tidy, almost conservative compared to the front. It’s functional. Credits are printed small and dense near the bottom center, the kind of text that makes you lean in with reading glasses. No unnecessary graphic flourishes beyond the portraits and flames. Practical, slightly grim, and honest about what it is. For a debut solo album trying to establish authority, it avoids over-selling itself. That restraint actually works.

First Photo of Custom Inner Sleeve
KING DIAMOND - Fatal Portrait Netherlands RoadrunneR RR 9721 1985 custom inner sleeve with black background, white occult cross and infinity symbol illustration, printed special thanks text, visible fold creases and handling wear.

Pull the record out and this is what slides free: a black inner sleeve that isn’t glossy, isn’t forgiving, and definitely wasn’t designed to stay pristine. The paper has that dry, slightly fibrous Dutch feel, thin enough to wrinkle if you look at it wrong. Across the center sits a stark white occult illustration, all sharp lines and ritual symmetry, printed with heavy ink that has settled into the grain. Run a finger lightly over it and you can feel the faint rise where the white ink sits thicker than the surrounding black.

Left side is dense with “Special Thanks” text in small white type, packed tight, no breathing room. It reads like it was crammed in at the last minute. The font isn’t elegant; it’s practical. The kind of layout that tells you this was about getting names in, not pleasing a graphic designer. On this copy the center fold crease cuts straight through the lower part of the symbol, a horizontal stress line that only shows after years of the record sliding in and out. There’s a soft diagonal wrinkle near the bottom left, likely from someone forcing the vinyl back in too fast.

The right side carries more acknowledgments and a “Big Hello To” list. The white ink has tiny speckling if you look closely, especially in the thicker lines of the cross. That’s not damage. That’s mid-80s print reality. Edges show minor feathering where the black has dulled from friction against the outer sleeve. Nothing dramatic, just the kind of honest wear that proves this wasn’t stored in a plastic coffin.

Concept-wise, it doubles down on the occult tone without apology. No band photos, no color distraction. Just black field and ritual symbol. It’s blunt, almost stubborn in its refusal to entertain. That works. The austerity gives the music room to breathe once the needle drops. Some might find it too stark. Personally, the lack of gimmick feels intentional. It reads like a band still proving itself rather than celebrating success. That tension gives the whole package more credibility than a slick full-color insert ever would.

Second Photo of Custom Inner Sleeve
KING DIAMOND - Fatal Portrait Netherlands RoadrunneR RR 9721 1985 custom inner sleeve lyrics side with full printed song texts in white on black background, Fatal Portrait title bottom center, RR 9721 and RoadrunneR Records logo bottom right, visible fold creases and edge wear.

Turn the inner sleeve over and the mood tightens. Gone is the big occult emblem. This side is pure text, wall-to-wall lyrics printed in white on a matte black field that shows every crease like a confession. The paper stock is the same thin, slightly stubborn Dutch stock that wrinkles if the record was ever shoved back in without care. A long horizontal fold line runs straight across the center on this copy, not dramatic, but permanent. That’s the mark of decades of sliding vinyl.

The song titles sit at the top of each column in a slightly larger serif font, balanced but not fussy. Underneath, dense lyric blocks stack downward with minimal spacing. No decorative borders. No indulgent graphics. Just words. The left column opens with “The Candle” and “The Jonah,” moving through the narrative like a printed script. You can almost feel the band wanting the story taken seriously. The ink has held up surprisingly well. Under bright light, there’s minor fading where fingers have rested near the lower center, a soft dulling of the black that only shows when you tilt it.

Bottom center carries the “Fatal Portrait” logo again in that Gothic type, slightly thicker white ink than the surrounding text. Bottom right shows “RR 9721” above the boxed RoadrunneR Records logo. Small, practical, nothing theatrical. The corners tell the real story. Top right has a gentle compression bend. Bottom edge shows light scuffing where the inner sleeve met the outer sleeve seam for years. No lamination means the black background picks up faint grey rub lines. Annoying if you’re chasing near mint. Honest if you actually play your records.

Conceptually, this side is about commitment to the narrative. No shortcuts. The lyrics are printed in full, not excerpted. It reads like a script handed to the listener. Some might find it visually monotonous. Personally, the austerity feels deliberate. The music is dramatic enough; the sleeve doesn’t need to shout. It just lays the story out and lets the needle do the rest.

Close up of the record's label Side 1
KING DIAMOND - Fatal Portrait Netherlands RoadrunneR RR 9721 record label close-up, Side 1 STEREO, 33 RPM, STEMRA, ℗ 1985, boxed red RoadrunneR logo, track list for side one, red rim text ending MADE IN HOLLAND, visible spindle wear around center hole.

Label close-up, Side 1, and it’s the classic no-nonsense Dutch Roadrunner look: a clean white field with that boxed red “RoadrunneR” sitting near the top like a stamp of approval. The red isn’t perfectly even if you stare too long, which is fine, it’s ink on paper, not a museum print. The catalog number “RR 9721” is printed on the left with “STEREO” above it, and “Side 1” tucked in like the label is trying to be polite about it. On the right, “33 RPM” and “STEMRA” are stacked with the year “1985,” the kind of utilitarian layout that tells you this was meant to be read under a lamp at midnight, not admired in a frame.

The center hole shows real-life use: light spindle scuffing and a faint dark ring where the label has met turntable hardware more than once. That’s the honest stuff collectors pretend they don’t notice until they do. The grey “FATAL PORTRAIT” title is printed above the track list, and the four Side One tracks are laid out in a tight block with timings in parentheses. The typography is straightforward, slightly cramped, and it does its job. No fancy borders, no cute icons, just information delivered like a receipt.

Around the outer edge runs the red rim text, starting with the usual copyright warning and circling all the way to the blunt closer: “MADE IN HOLLAND.” That line matters for this page, because it’s the kind of manufacturing clue that separates a Dutch pressing from a later, more generic run. The vinyl itself shows shallow hairlines in the light reflection, the normal kind you get from careful play rather than abuse. The label paper looks slightly matte, not glossy, and it’s picked up a couple of tiny specks and faint smudges that will never come off without doing something stupid.

Best part is how unromantic it is. This label isn’t trying to sell horror, candles, or theatrics. It’s just there, calmly listing songs and credits, while the music does the threatening. That contrast always amuses me. Plenty of records from this era over-designed the label to match the cover mood. Roadrunner didn’t bother, and honestly, good. Less nonsense between you and the needle drop.

Close up of the record's label Side 2
KING DIAMOND - Fatal Portrait Netherlands RoadrunneR RR 9721 record label close-up, Side 2 STEREO, 33 RPM, STEMRA, ℗ 1985, boxed red RoadrunneR logo, side two track list including Charon, Halloween, Voices From The Past, Haunted, red rim text ending MADE IN HOLLAND, visible spindle wear.

Side 2 label, same white field, same boxed red RoadrunneR logo at the top, but the mood always feels slightly different once you know you’re halfway through the story. “Side 2” and “STEREO RR 9721” sit on the left in that tidy, practical typeface. On the right, “33 RPM,” “STEMRA,” and the 1985 copyright are stacked with no flourish. The layout mirrors Side 1 almost exactly, which is comforting in a mechanical sort of way. No artistic surprises here. Just function.

The center hole tells its own tale. There’s mild spindle wear, faint grey scuffing around the opening, the kind you get from careful cueing rather than reckless dropping. The paper around the hole has a subtle darkening, barely noticeable until you angle it under light. That’s decades of contact with a metal spindle. The vinyl surface around the label shows light hairlines, shallow and consistent, not gouges. Someone played this, but they didn’t abuse it.

The track list runs from “Charon” through “Haunted,” printed in a compact block with timings in parentheses. The grey title “FATAL PORTRAIT” floats above it. Ink density here is slightly softer than the red logo, especially in the smaller text, where a few letters look just a hair lighter. That’s printing reality, not damage. Around the outer edge, the red rim text circles the label and again ends with the blunt declaration: “MADE IN HOLLAND.” That line remains one of the most important clues for collectors chasing early Dutch copies.

Nothing theatrical about this design. No occult symbols, no flames. Just clean information on white. That restraint works in its favor. The horror is in the grooves, not on the label. And frankly, a calm label makes it easier to focus when lowering the needle onto “Charon” late at night. Less drama on the surface, more in the sound. That balance feels intentional, whether it was or not.

All images on this site are photographed directly from the original vinyl LP covers and record labels in my collection. Earlier blank sleeves were not archived due to past storage limits, and Side Two labels are often omitted when they contain no collector-relevant details. Photo quality varies because the images were taken over several decades with different cameras. You may use these images for personal or non-commercial purposes if you include a link to this site; commercial use requires my permission. Text on covers and labels has been transcribed using a free online OCR service.

King Diamond Vinyl Discography: Iconic Album Covers and Releases

KING DIAMOND - Abigail Netherlands RoadrunneR
Thumbnail of KING DIAMOND - Abigail Netherlands RoadrunneR 12" Vinyl LP Album front cover

 RoadrunneR RR 9622 , 1987 , Netherlands

First release of Abigail the photo of Andy La Roque on the right hand side of album back cover."Abigail" is the second "King Diamond" album and their first concept album, 1987 Roadrunner Records.

Abigail Netherlands RoadrunneR 12" Vinyl LP
KING DIAMOND - Abigail released by Music On Vinyl
Thumbnail of KING DIAMOND - Abigail released by Music On Vinyl 2014 12" Vinyl LP Album front cover

 Music on Vinyl MOVLP1238 , 2014 , Made in EU

Audiophile High Quality release of King Diamond album "Abigail". Released in 2014 on the record label "Music on Vinyl" with catalognr: MOVLP1238.

Abigail released by Music On Vinyl 2014 12" Vinyl LP
KING DIAMOND - Abigail II Black & White Splatter Vinyl
Thumbnail of KING DIAMOND - Abigail II Black & White Splatter Vinyl 12" 2LP Album front cover

Metal Blade Records – 3984-14379-1 , 2012 , Germany

Abigail II pressed ob Black and White Splatter Vinyl is the album by King Diamond and is plotwise a successor to the 1987 album Abigail. The cover art was done by Travis Smith, Metal Blade Records

Abigail released by Music On Vinyl 2014 12" Vinyl LP
Updated King Diamond and Black Rose – 20 Years Ago – A Night of Rehearsal 12 inch vinyl LP album front cover https://vinyl-records.nl
King Diamond and Black Rose – 20 Years Ago – A Night of Rehearsal (Ltd Ed)

“20 Years Ago – A Night of Rehearsal” captures King Diamond’s early roar before Mercyful Fate. Raw and unrefined, the recording hums with basement energy — smoke, feedback, and defiance. This limited edition of 500 copies bottles the rehearsal chaos that shaped Danish heavy metal’s theatrical edge and dark charisma.

KING DIAMOND - Conspiracy European Releases
Thumbnail of KING DIAMOND - Conspiracy Netherlands Release 12" Vinyl LP Album front cover

 RoadrunneR Records RR 9461-1 , 1989 , Netherlands

"Conspiracy" is the concept album by King Diamond, being the second part of a story that begun on the album "Them". This is the Dutch ( The Netherlands ) pressing andwas released in 1989.

Conspiracy Netherlands Release 12" Vinyl LP

Conspiracy Made in West-Germamy 12" Vinyl LP

KING DIAMOND - The Dark Sides - Heavy Metal From Denmark 12" Vinyl LP Album
Thumbnail of KING DIAMOND - The Dark Sides - Heavy Metal From Denmark 12" Vinyl LP Album front cover

Roadrunner RR 2455 , 1988 , Holland ( The Netherlands )

"The Dark Sides" A rare 6 track vinyl EP by King Diamond. It was produced by: King Diamond, Roberto Falcao. This web-page has detailed information on each of the tracks on this vinyl record.

The Dark Sides - Heavy Metal From Denmark
Updated KING DIAMOND - Fatal Portrait album front cover vinyl LP album https://vinyl-records.nl

RoadrunneR RR 9721 • 1985 • Made in Holland — No Barcode, No Mercy

KING DIAMOND - Fatal Portrait

I still remember dropping the needle on this Dutch RR 9721 and thinking, right, this is where the candles stop being props. King Diamond shrieks like a possessed preacher, Denner and LaRocque trade razor riffs, and the whole thing reeks of occult theatre. It’s heavy metal with spine and attitude. No barcode, no polish, just pure mid-80s metal swagger pressed in Holland and meant to be played loud.

KING DIAMOND - No Presents for Christmas
Thumbnail of KING DIAMOND - No Presents for Christmas - 12" Maxi-Single Vinyl Record album front cover

Roadrunner Records RR 125485 , 1985 , The Netherlands

"No Presents for Christmas" the first record released by King Diamond band and is released 1985. The track is later made available as a bonus track on one of the later re-issues of "Fatal Portrait".

No Presents for Christmas - 12" Maxi-Single Vinyl Record
KING DIAMOND - The Eye incl OIS Netherlands Release
Thumbnail of KING DIAMOND - The Eye incl OIS Netherlands Release 12" Vinyl LP Record album front cover

RoadrunneR RR 9346 , 1990 , Holland ( The Netherlands)

"The Eye" a concept album by King Diamond released 1990. It continues to feature a major storyline such as other albums, though it is told differently. It is the only album with drum programming.

The Eye incl OIS Netherlands Release 12" Vinyl LP
KING DIAMOND - The Eye USA
Thumbnail of KING DIAMOND - The Eye USA Re-issue 12" Vinyl LP Album front cover

Metal Blade Records 3984-15316-1 , 1990-2014 , USA

This is an re-issue of King Diamond's album "The Eye" pressed on 180 grams audiophile vinyl "The Eye" a concept album by King Diamond released 1990. It continues to feature a major storyline

The Eye USA Metal Blade Records Re-issue 12" Vinyl LP
KING DIAMOND - Them Netherlands
Thumbnail of KING DIAMOND - Them Netherlands Release RoadrunneR 12" Vinyl LP Album front cover

 RoadrunneR RR 9550 1 , 1981 , Holland ( The Netherlands )

This album "Them" is the third album recorded by the Danish Heavy Metal / Thrash Metal singer: "King Diamond". This release has been Manufactured in The Netherlands and Made in Holland

Them Netherlands Release 12" Vinyl LP