KING DIAMOND parts ways with guitarist ANDY LA ROCQUE, welcomes GUS G

KING DIAMOND parts ways with guitarist ANDY LA ROCQUE, welcomes GUS G. to the band

27-07-2026

KING DIAMOND has announced the addition of guitar virtuoso Gus G. (FIREWIND, ex-Ozzy Osbourne) to the band’s lineup. Gus G. joins as guitarist and will compose, record, and tour with KING DIAMOND going forward, marking an exciting new chapter in the band’s storied history.

The band extends their deepest gratitude and utmost respect to Andy La Rocque, whose extraordinary 40-year contribution to KING DIAMOND has left a permanent and irreplaceable mark on the band’s legacy and on heavy metal as a whole. Andy‘s musicianship, dedication, and artistry have been an essential part of what makes this band what it is, and that will never be forgotten.

Comments KING DIAMOND‘s namesake frontman: “It’s a big honor for me to welcome Gus G. as our new guitarist. Gus will still continue with all his current projects, FIREWIND, solo project, etc. No restrictions, just careful planning. We are already working with Gus and I simply can’t wait for you to hear all the new KING DIAMOND music with him playing guitar on it! STAY HEAVY.”

Andy La Rocque has commented on his decision to leave KING DIAMOND after more than four decades.

The 63-year-old Swedish-born guitarist, whose real name is Anders Allhage, took to his social media to write: “

Hi everyone !

Just a short heads up:

as many of you have seen I’ve left

the King Diamond band.

Leaving a ” family” after more than 40 years full of great music, friends and lots of good memories is not an easy decision but we mutually decided to part ways in a respectful and friendly manner wishing each other the absolute best for the future!

Now is the time for me to move on with full focus and write some more music and play live with Lex Legion.

Thanks for your support,

See you out there!“

One of heavy metal’s most celebrated and in-demand guitarists, Gus G. — born Konstantinos Karamitroudis in Thessaloniki, Greece — has built one of the most impressive resumes in the genre. As founder and driving force behind FIREWIND for over two decades and ten studio albums, and as Ozzy Osbourne‘s lead guitarist from 2009 to 2017 — contributing to the Grammy-nominated album “Scream” (2010) — Gus G. has proven himself to be one of the most versatile and technically gifted players in metal. A celebrated solo artist with six albums to his name, he has also appeared as a guest on records by Bruce Dickinson, ARCH ENEMY, Doro Pesch, IN THIS MOMENT and many more. He has graced the covers of Guitar World, Total Guitar, Metal Hammer and Young Guitar, and earned accolades including Metal Hammer‘s Golden God Award for “Best Shredder”. His addition to KING DIAMOND represents a pairing of two of heavy metal’s most iconic forces.

King Diamond and Gus G. are already deep in the creative process together, working on what promises to be one of the most anticipated new chapters in the band’s career. Fans can expect new music from the full lineup in the future. Stay tuned for further announcements.

KING DIAMOND is quite possibly the most recognizable and prolific personality ever in heavy metal. Revered by icons as big as METALLICA and PANTERA and inspiring newer upstarts globally, King Diamond, the man and the band, have left an indelible mark on the history, and now again, the future of heavy metal.

In December 2024, KING DIAMOND released a new single, “Spider Lilly”. The official music video for the track, which was directed by My Good Eye Visuals, can be seen below.

Watch “Spider Lilly” below.

A first-time mixing collaboration with Arthur Rizk, who also mastered “Spider Lilly”, has produced an incredibly powerful sound picture, as clear and dynamic as a full moon on a star-filled black night. The music and lyrics are written by King Diamond.

The recording lineup for “Spider Lilly” is still the same, with King Diamond handling lead and backing vocals plus playing the Hammond Organ, Andy La Rocque and Mike Wead on guitars, Pontus Egberg on the bass, and Matt Thompson on drums. There is also a special guest appearance by Danish female vocalist Myrkur with some amazing additional backing vocals.

Part of the new “Spider Lilly” video was filmed at the very haunted Pennhurst Asylum outside of Philadelphia on a travel day during the band’s recent North American tour, two days before Halloween. It was only King himself and actress Jodi Cachia who could participate on that specific day, together with producer David Brodsky, Allie Woest and their killer crew.

“What a dark but great experience,” King says, “Hopefully that was not the last video we will be able to film there.”

There are already several tales waiting to be told about all that has happened before, during, and after the birth of the song “Spider Lilly”…

KING DIAMOND performed “Spider Lilly” live for the first time at the kick-off concert of the band’s long-awaited North American headlining tour, which launched on October 15 at Boeing Center at Tech Port in San Antonio, Texas. The “Saint Lucifer’s Hospital 1920” trek ran through December 6 in Dallas, Texas. Support came from OVERKILL and NIGHT DEMON. Additional backing vocals for the KING DIAMOND set were provided by the special guest Myrkur.

Watch the previously shot live footage of “Spider Lilly” below.

In October 2023, KING DIAMOND released a music video for the 2019 single “Masquerade Of Madness”. The clip was directed by David Brodsky and Allison Woest of My Good Eye Visuals.

At the time of the video’s release, King commented: “‘Masquerade Of Madness’ was released digitally in 2019 before our North American tour. During rehearsals, we took one full day to film ‘Masquerade Of Madness’ with David Brodsky and Allison Woest. We spent all day and all night recording while performing the song with our full tour stage show choreography. After the tour, Covid happened. “The video was all but forgotten as the world came to a standstill — we never saw a single frame from all the footage. Years later, as things began to pick up and writing began for both new MERCYFUL FATE and KING DIAMOND records, we wondered, what happened to that video from four years ago? So we decided to check in with David Brodsky and a couple of weeks later, we had the first cut of the video. “I was speechless! I had nothing to criticize and after just a few notes from Andy La Rocque, the video for ‘Masquerade Of Madness’ was finished! There’s so much mood and black and white is used in a perfect way with Jodi‘s performances. The visuals fit the music flawlessly and this is now among my favorite KING DIAMOND videos along with ‘Sleepless Nights’ and ‘Welcome Home’ — and not to forget of course, our double live DVD.” A month after KING DIAMOND released “Masquerade Of Madness” in November 2019, KING DIAMOND guitarist Andy La Rocque told The Metal Voice that he came up with the music for the track first before passing it off to King, who “needed to arrange a few things and change just a small few things for making it work with his vocals. And then, of course, he wrote the lyrics for it,” the guitarist revealed. “So we [went] a little back and forth until he felt like, ‘Okay, this is cool, man. This is the right key to sing in,’ and all that.” KING DIAMOND received a Grammy nomination in the “Best Metal Performance” category for the track “Never Ending Hill” off the band’s last album, 2007’s “Give Me Your Soul … Please”. “Give Me Your Soul … Please” sold 4,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 174 on The Billboard 200 chart. KING DIAMOND released a DVD/Blu-ray, “Songs For The Dead Live”, in January 2019 via Metal Blade Records. The set captures 1987’s seminal “Abigail” album in its entirety, twice, and in very different locales: Belgium’s Graspop Metal Meeting in June 2016 and Philadelphia’s Fillmore in November 2015. The performances feature KING DIAMOND‘s current band, comprising of guitarists La Rocque and Mike Wead, bassist Pontus Egberg and Matt Thompson. KING DIAMOND 2024 touring lineup: Andy La Rocque – guitar Mike Wead – guitar Pontus Egberg – bass Matt Thompson – drums Myrkur – additional backing vocals, keyboards

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