King Diamond on Ghost/Mercyful Fate Comparisons: “I’m sure they have a little influence from us” – 2022
Metal Hammer: King Diamond says Ghost didn’t rip off Mercyful Fate, so you can all shut up now.
King Diamond:
Some people have compared the two bands, but I never thought that,” the singer told Hammer’s Stephen Hill. “I very much saw them as a Blue Oyster Cult style band. I’m sure they have a little influence from us, and that’s a huge honor to hear, but they have their own style. I never felt that they were copying us. We have all these guitar solos, and they barely use any guitar solos on those first couple of albums.
“They also have a show which is completely different to ours,” he continued. “You see someone saying ‘Oh they got that from King Diamond and Mercyful Fate!’ but I don’t think that is true. It’s not like we don’t have any humor in our shows, but it’s very grotesque and twisted. With them I see it as a lot more tongue-in-cheek. Ours is a horror show, they have jokes going back and forth during the show.”
“I’m not so much into the pop side of what they do, but they’ve certainly done some very heavy songs too. They do it very well, they’re amazing songwriters.”
Ghost themselves appear on the cover of the latest issue of Metal Hammer, on sale now.
