King Diamond is a Danish heavy metal band formed in 1985 by vocalist King Diamond, guitarists Andy LaRocque and Michael Denner, bassist Timi Hansen and drummer Mikkey Dee. King, Denner and Hansen had recently disbanded their previous group Mercyful Fate, and decided to form a new band under the King Diamond moniker, as it was already known from the initial Mercyful Fate era. Since the band's inception, there have been over fifteen musicians in and out of King Diamond, with the only two mainstays being Diamond and LaRocque. Their current lineup consists of Diamond, LaRocque, guitarist Mike Wead, drummer Matt Thompson, and bassist Pontus Egberg. King Diamond has released a total of twelve studio albums (most of them are concept albums), two live albums, two extended plays, five compilations and five singles. Their first album, Fatal Portrait, was released in 1986, followed a year later by the band's first concept album Abigail (1987). Three more albums – "Them" (1988), Conspiracy (1989) and The Eye (1990) – were released before the band was put on hiatus around 1992, when King Diamond (along with Denner and Hansen) reformed Mercyful Fate. He reformed the King Diamond band in 1994, and would balance recording and touring with both Mercyful Fate and his eponymous band for nearly a decade, until the former went on hiatus again by the early 2000s. King Diamond's studio output has been minimal since 2007's Give Me Your Soul...Please, though the band has continued to perform live and has occasionally been teasing a new album, titled The Institute.