History Music / AbigailAlbum

* ItIsPronouncedTroPAY:
** At one point, King mispronounces "embyo" as "embraio" for some reason. He also seems to pronounce "sarcophagus" like "sarco-PHA-gus."
** King admits this nowadays, stating he knows now he's pronouncing it wrong, but is too used to that pronounciation to change it.

-->''We are gathered here tonight''
-->''To lay to rest Abigail La'Fey''
-->''Whom we now know was first born dead''
-->''On the 7th day of July 1777''

-->''"Abigail, nothing I can do / but give in, Abigail''
-->''Follow me to the crypt''

* TitleByNumber: "The 7th Day Of July 1777"

* GoodAdulteryBadAdultery: One line in "The 7th Day Of July 1777" implies that this wasn't the first of Countess La'Fey's affairs. Whether she deserved to die over it is up in the air.

-->''"I'm having your baby my love''
* YourCheatingHeart: The Countess, Count de La'Fey's wife and Abigail's mother. Her actions (directly or indirectly) set off the entire plot.

Sitting among the band's best-selling works, the album was the first of Roadrunner Records' to break into the Billboard 200. ''Abigail'' marks a step up in King Diamond's storytelling prowess, exploring cinematic, horror themes over vivid set pieces, all of it delivered by King's haunting, multi-layered falsetto vocals. More over was the twin guitar attack of Andy [=LaRocque=] and Michael Denner, trading off tasteful-yet-epic leads without compromising the flow of the story. The airtight rhythm section provided by Timi Hansen's driving basslines and Mikkey Dee's complex, {{speed metal}} drumming was also highly-praised, a massive step in a career that would eventually lead to his joining Music/{{Motorhead}}. All in all, the album is a moody, theatrical, riff-laden tale that meticulously weaves its music into the arrangement of its story without sacrificing either.

%% commented out as ZeroContextExample * ConceptAlbum

'''Abigail''' is a [[HorrorTropes horror-themed]] ConceptAlbum by HeavyMetal band Music/KingDiamond, released in 1987. Widely regarded as a pinnacle of horror among concept albums, heavy metal or otherwise.

* AlwaysNight: In "Arrival," the hill the mansion sits atop is said to cover the entire surrounding area in heavy darkness (which has only gotten worse as the story progresses). By the ending during "Black Horsemen," [[TheStarsAreGoingOut the moon itself has actually gone out]].

* YourCheatingHeart: The Countess, Count de La'Fey's wife and Abigail's mother. Her actions (directly or indirectly) set off the entire plot.

'''Abigail''' is a [[HorrorTropes horror-themed]] ConceptAlbum by HeavyMetal band Music/KingDiamond, released in 1987. Widely regarded as a MagnumOpus for the band, and a pinnacle of horror among concept albums, heavy metal or otherwise.

* ApocalypseMaiden: Jonathan is told early on by Count de La'Fey that Abigail's spirit is inside his wife, and he has to kill her to prevent "the second coming of the devil in disguise." He naturally refuses at first, but succumbs in the title track.

* ArcNumber: 7 mostly, but the phrase "18 is 9" from "Arrival" is important in "The Possession" as well.

* CallBack

* ItIsPronouncedTroPAY: At one point, King mispronounces "embyo" as "embraio" for some reason. He also seems to pronounce "sarcophagus" like "sarco-PHA-gus."

* WhamLine

* ConceptAlbum

* NonAppearingTitle: Only "The Family Ghost," "Omens," "Black Horsemen" and the title track ([[CaptainObvious naturally]]) directly drop their titles at some point, and often only briefly. Otherwise every other song qualifies.

** GoodAdulteryBadAdultery: One line in "The 7th Day Of July 1777" implies that this wasn't the first of Countess La'Fey's affairs. Whether she deserved to die over it is up in the air.

** StartsWithTheirFuneral: Abigail's.
* AlwaysNight: The story takes place mostly during the night, with only "The Possession" and the end of "A Mansion in Darkness" explicitly mentioning the day. In "Arrival," the hill the mansion sits atop is said to cover the entire surrounding area in heavy darkness (which has only gotten worse as the story progresses). By the ending during "Black Horsemen," [[TheStarsAreGoingOut the moon itself has actually gone out]].

* BigNo: The Countess let one out as she was pushed down the stairs.

* DownerEnding: [[spoiler:The couple is dead and Abigail gets buried forever by the black horsemen.]]

* FightingFromTheInside: Miriam, while possessed, manages to break from Abigail's control for only a moment.

* SoloDuet [=/=] TalkingToHimself: Every character is played by King Diamond.
** [[LarynxDissonance Including Miriam and Abigail]].

** DeathByFallingOver: She breaks her neck upon landing.

* TragicMonster: Miriam isn't connected to the La'Fey family's history, but gets possessed by Abigail and [[spoiler:ends up being the one who [[NotQuiteDead apparently]] kills Jonathan by pushing him down the stairs.]]

* VoiceOfTheLegion: "Funeral" has King narrating with this effect, proceeding over Abigail's funeral.

# "Funeral"
# "Arrival"
# "A Mansion in Darkness"
# "The Family Ghost"
# "The 7th Day of July 1777"
# "Omens"
# "The Possession"
# "Abigail"
# "Black Horsemen"
----
!! This album demonstrates the following tropes:

* HumanPincushion: When Abigail was laid to rest, she was impaled with "7 silver spikes, 1 through each arm, hand and knee" (with the last of them "drawn through her mouth")

* TragicMonster: Miriam isn't connected to the La'Fey family's history, but gets possessed by Abigail and [[spoiler:ends up being the one who kills Jonathan by pushing him down the stairs.]]

''Abigail'' is a [[HorrorTropes horror-themed]] ConceptAlbum by HeavyMetal band Music/KingDiamond, released in 1987. Widely regarded as a MagnumOpus for the band, and a pinnacle of horror among concept albums, heavy metal or otherwise.

* AlbumCoverDesigners: Thomas Holm, who did several covers for King Diamond and Mercyful Fate.

* MurderBallad:"The 7th Day Of July 1777" goes back to Count de La'Fey killing his unfaithful wife by pushing her down the stairs while she was still pregnant, miscarrying the child ("''No bastard baby / [[InadequateInheritor will inherit what's mine]]''"). He later burns her body, and mummifies the stillborn fetus, naming it "Abigail."

* MurderMakesYouCrazy: After he kills his wife, Count de La'Fey becomes strangely obsessed with mummifying Abigail ("for the future to find").

* SoloDuet[=/=]TalkingToHimself: Every character is played by King Diamond.

* SupernaturalGoldEyes: Abigail is said to have "a pair of yellow eyes" (which where the last thing Miriam ever saw).

* AlbumIntroTrack: "Funeral," overlapping with OpeningNarration ([[HowWeGotHere sort of]]).

* AndIMustScream: Miriam's screams can still be heard near the stairs, her soul unable to rest.

** 18 stands for Miriam, who is 18 in the story. 9 stands for Abigail, who was stillborn at least 9 months into her mother's pregnancy.

* DeathByChildbirth: Miriam dies when she gives birth to Abigail.

* DownerEnding: The couple is dead and Abigail gets buried forever by the black horsemen.

* ExpressDelivery: According to one lyric, Miriam "grew hour by hour."

* FetusTerrible: Abigail ''[[BodyHorror ate her way to life from inside Miriam's womb]]''.

** It's also implied to be a gambit by Abigail speaking through Miriam to get Jonathan close enough to the stairs so she can push him herself. Just based on lyrics like...

* FlashBack: "The 7th Day Of July 1777" takes place 68 years earlier, to the original incident that created Abigail. [[FlashBackEcho It ends with the Countess being pushed down the stairs, a fate that later befalls Jonathan]].
* {{Foreshadowing}}: This line from Count de La'Fey:

* HowWeGotHere: The final track ("Black Horsemen") reveals that "Funeral" was chronologically the last event to take place, with the titular horsemen dragging Abigail to a chapel in the forest to finally be buried ([[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice impaled by silver spikes]]).

* IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight: Jonathan tries to call out to Miriam in the title track, telling Abigail that he'll get a priest to get his wife's soul back. It doesn't work out, and in the next song, the possessed Miriam pushed him down the stairs of the crypt where Abigail was buried.

-->''That's the end of another lullaby''
-->''Time has come for me to say goodnight''

* SinsOfOurFathers: Jonathan's [[DisproportionateRetribution only real mistake]] is not listening to the black horsemen. Other than that, it was his ancestor The Count who really created Abigail.

* TragicMonster: Miriam isn't connected to the La'Fey family's history, but gets possessed by Abigail and ends up being the one who kills Jonathan by pushing him down the stairs.

* UnfinishedBusiness: Count de La'Fey appears before Jonathan as a SpiritAdvisor, to show him the crypt where Abigail rests. Given the final lines in "The 7th Day Of July 1777," [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation this act might actually make him]] the true villain of the story.

!! This album demonstrates the follow tropes:

!! Tracklist:

* UpdatedRerelease: Twice, most definitively as a part of Roadrunner's "Top Shelf" series, released in 2005 [[MilestoneCelebration in honor of the label's 25th anniversary]] (a testament to what a landmark album it was to them). It includes the song "Shine"[[note]]which was originally released as a B-side to "The Family Ghost" single[[/note]], three demos, expanded artwork, an interview with the band in the liner notes and a DVD containing 3 videos and a live performance from Gothenburg, Sweden in 1987.

* DesignatedVillain: Besides [[SinsOfOurFathers taking her revenge out on Count de La'Fey's ancestor]] and his [[RevengeByProxy essentially-innocent wife]], Abigail doesn't really do anything extraordinarily evil. We're told by The Count himself and his servants, the black horsemen that Abigail is "evil itself" and "the devil in disguise."

* EpicRiff: "Arrival," "A Mansion In Darkness," "The Family Ghost," and "Black Horsemen." The entire album is full of them, really.

* SignatureSong: "The Family Ghost" for the entire band, [[http://www.setlist.fm/stats/king-diamond-23d680ab.html which is the most-played original]] in their discography.

* CassandraTruth: Jonathan doesn't believe the 7 black horsemen that warn him not to into the mansion, even if it belonged to him.

* ColdFlames: When the spirit of Count de La'Fey first appears, the fireplace is mysterious lit and yet the room is freezing cold.

* OminousPipeOrgan: "Funeral" and he title track end with one.

* {{Poltergeist}}: During "Omens," spooky things start happening around the house, like a third chair appearing in the dining hall, a crib that seems to rock on its own, and a rotten smell permeating the mansion.
* RecordProducer: The DIY method, produced by King himself (with assistence from Dee and Denner)

* UnfinishedBusiness: Count de La'Fey appears before Jonathan as a SpiritAdvisor, to show him the crypt where Abigail rests. Given the final lines in "The 7th Day Of July 1777," [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation this might actually make him]] the true villain of the story.
* UpdatedRerelease: Twice, most definitively as a part of Roadrunner's "Top Shelf" series, released in 2005 [[MilestoneCelebration in honor of the label's 25th anniversary]] (a testament to what a landmark album it was to them). It includes expanded artwork, the song "Shine"[[note]]which was originally released as a B-side to "The Family Ghost" single[[/note]], three demos, an interview with the band in the booklet and a live DVD from Gothenburg, Sweden in 1987.

* YourCheatingHeart: The Countess, Count de La'Fey's wife and Abigail's mother. Her actions set off the entire plot.
** GoodAdulteryBadAdultery: One line in "The 7th Day Of July 1777" implies that this wasn't the first of The Countess' affairs. Whether she deserved to die over it is up in the air.

-->''Abigail, you ought to be reborn / where you died. Abigail"''

-->''Soon I'll be free!''"

* ItIsPronouncedTroPAY: At one point, King mispronounces "embyo" as "embraio" for some reason. He also pronounces "sarcophagus" like "sarco-PHA-gus."

* AlwaysNight: The story takes place mostly during the night, with only "The Possession" and the end of "A Mansion in Darkness" explicitly mentioning the day. In "Arrival," the hill the mansion sits atop is said to cover the entire surrounding area in heavy darkness. By the ending during "Black Horsemen," [[TheStarsAreGoingOut the moon itself has actually gone out]].

Sitting among the band's best-selling works, the album was the first of Roadrunner Records' to break into the Billboard 200. ''Abigail'' marks a step up in King Diamond's storytelling prowess, exploring cinematic, horror themes over vivid set pieces, all of it delivered by King's haunting, multi-layered falsetto vocals. More over was the twin guitar attack of Andy [=LaRocque=] and Michael Denner, trading off tasteful-yet-epic leads without compromising the flow of the story. Mikkey Dee's complex, speed metal drumming was also highly-praised (a massive step in a career that would eventually lead hi to his join Music/{{Motorhead}}). All in all, the album is a moody, theatrical, riff-laden tale that meticulously weaves its music into the arrangement of its story without sacrificing either.

!!Band Members:
* King Diamond: vocals
* Andy [=LaRocque=]: guitar
* Michael Denner: guitar
* Timi Hansen: bass
* Mikkey Dee: drums

----

It was later followed up in 2002 with a sequel, ''Abigail [[NumberedSequels II]]: [[RevengeOfTheSequel The Revenge]]''