KING DIAMOND has confirmed what has been rumored for several weeks: the band will return to North America for a full tour this fall! The trek, which will wrap up with the previously announced performance at Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin, Texas, begins on October 11 in Atlanta, Georgia. A limited-edition KING DIAMOND jacket will be available through the SHOWstubs.com fan club presale, which begins tomorrow, June 24. Tickets will be on sale online and at box offices nationwide on Friday, June 27.

KING DIAMOND singer and namesake will be joined on stage by longtime band members Andy La Rocque (guitar), Mike Wead (guitar), Hal Patino (bass) and Matt Thompson (drums).

North American fans will witness the band's full European festival stage show. These will be the most ambitious and largest productions in North America in the band's entire history.

KING DIAMOND North American tour dates:

Oct. 11 - Atlanta, GA - Center Stage
Oct. 13 - Silver Spring, MD - The Fillmore
Oct. 14 - New York, NY - Best Buy Theatre
Oct. 16 - Worcester, MA - Palladium
Oct. 17 - Montreal, QC - Olympia
Oct. 18 - Toronto, ON - The Sound Academy
Oct. 19 - Pittsburgh, PA - Stage AE
Oct. 21 - Chicago, IL - The Vic Theatre
Oct. 22 - St. Louis, MO - The Pageant
Oct. 24 - Denver, CO - Paramount Theatre
Oct. 26 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Complex
Oct. 28 - Seattle, WA - The Moore Theatre
Oct. 30 - San Francisco, CA - The Warfield
Oct. 31 - Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern
Nov. 01 - Las Vegas, NV - House of Blues
Nov. 03 - Tucson, AZ - Rialto Theatre
Nov. 05 - Houston, TX - House of Blues
Nov. 06 - Dallas, TX - House of Blues
Nov. 08 - Austin, TX - Auditorium Shores (Fun Fun Fun Fest)

A special guest support act for the tour will be announced at a later date.

KING DIAMOND in December 2012 signed a new three-album worldwide deal with Metal Blade Records.

King, 58, whose real name is Kim Bendix Petersen, underwent open-heart triple-bypass surgery in November 2010. He has since completed his cardiac rehabilitation program and has stopped smoking entirely, changed his diet and is getting regular exercise.

In a February 2013 interview with Metal Sucks, King Diamond stated: "I had to change my diet and become a nutritional expert, eat much better food. I stopped smoking; haven't had a drag. [My wife] Livia quit, too. We walk at least five days a week.

"I felt the benefits during two shows we did [last year]. My voice is now clearer than when I started singing. It was like always driving a used car and suddenly you have enough money to buy a new car. It felt brand new! That's how my voice feels.

"I breathe different now than I used to. In the past [when we played live], it would been like [makes a gasping noise]. Now I go off stage and start talking to close friends…. I feel like I used to live in a house with ten windows and now I have twenty windows in the house. There's so much I can see and I pay more attention to what I do see.

"My philosophy hasn't changed but I don't take anything for granted."

King Diamond made his long-anticipated return to the stage with his MERCYFUL FATE bandmates Hank Shermann, Timi Hansen and Michael Denner on December 7, 2011 at the second of four intimate shows at the Fillmore in San Francisco as part of METALLICA's week-long celebration of its 30th anniversary as a band for fan club members only.

After a six-year touring hiatus, KING DIAMOND triumphantly returned to the stage in 2012 for European festivals Hellfest and Sweden Rock.

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