******
- Verified Buyer
This would be my second excursion into the twisted mind of heavy metal legend/storyteller King Diamond, and, boy, does this album have one of the highest goosebump factors of any metal albums out there! The King builds a very strong narrative throughout each song, but that isn't to say that they cannot stand on their own in any music collection. As a huge fan of the more progressive (e.g. Pink Floyd, Dream Theater, Queensryche, Savatage), less party-hardy chest-pounding species of mainstream music, "House of God" satisfies on many levels.The story takes place in 19th Century Southern France, where on a chilling night a lone traveler meets a rather sinister wolf, yet is somehow spellbound by the magic of this beast's inner beauty. The next day, he trails the wolf to a church on the top of a hill (based on a real location in France: Rennes-le-Chateau), and inscribed above the entrance in Latin: "This Place is Terrible." After entering this dark, yet holy place, the traveler's life would change forever. King Diamond ultimately offers a very potent ending, leaving some of his listeners pondering the history of Christianity and all its inner demons, especially in similar light to Dan Brown's popular novels "The Da Vinci Code" and "Angels and Demons." Anyone with a fascination for horror stories and conspiracies may love this album for its art and insight, but be advised that the over-the-top falsetto vocals of King Diamond can be an acquired taste, there is nothing quite like his set of pipes. Plus, the exchanging guitar solos of Swedish virtuoso Andy La Rocque and former Megadeth guitarist, Glen Drover, are also top notch.In short: Get this album!
