A metal legend is down but not out, pausing concerts and asking fans to crank up “a Devil’s prayer or two” for a fast recovery.
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On Instagram, King Diamond shared with fans that he was diagnosed with strep throat on Saturday. While doctors have ordered him to rest, the 69-year-old metal legend is determined to speed up his recovery and get back to melting faces on the road.
The canceled shows include a festival in Dunaújváros, Hungary, on Saturday, and a concert in Vienna, Austria, on Sunday. Performances scheduled for Tuesday in Bucharest, Romania, and Wednesday in Sofia, Bulgaria, were also canceled.
King Diamond (whose real name is the decidedly less metal Kim Bendix Petersen) informed fans about his illness and announced he is shortening his recovery time to return to the stage on Thursday in Athens, Greece.
Metal Legend Requests Prayers to the Devil to Heal His Strep Throat
“King Diamond here,” the metal legend began in his statement. “As you may know by now, I was diagnosed with Strep Throat this past Saturday, and told to rest a certain amount of Days.”
“As I have had experience with Strep Throat before, I believe that with the medicine prescribed by the doctor and my own knowledge, I can be back singing before the estimated day,” King Diamond continued. “By cutting my recuperation from suggested 14 days to 6, which I feel might work in this case, we could be back performing this Thursday, July 10, in Athens, Greece.”
Finally, the “Black Horesmen” singer had one last request for his fans. A prayer (or two!) to the devil…
“Send me a Devil’s prayer or two, and I shall do my utmost for this to happen,” the metal legend demanded, before adding: “Stay Heavy.”
The next show after Athens is on Sunday in Istanbul, Turkey. King Diamond will then perform on July 31 in Bergen, Norway. Fans should stay updated for any changes to the final two shows.
Find all 2025 tour dates and tickets for King Diamond on their official website. While they hit the road, they’re also hard at work crafting a horror trilogy of records.