Recorded on various dates during King Diamond’s 2003 tour to support The Puppet Master, Deadly Lullabyes Live is proof that the 20-year-old band showed no signs of fatigue after two decades of playing a highly demanding form of heavy metal. Featuring a cross section of material drawn from every phase of the band’s career, this album shows the group and their singer challenging each other to reach new peaks of exhilaration. Around this time, King Diamond claimed that his famously pliable voice had only improved with age—and after hearing this spectacular version of “The Family Ghost,” it’s hard to disagree. Led by their young drummer Matt Thompson, the band’s veteran guitarists Andy LaRocque and Mike Wead appear revitalized on “A Mansion in Darkness,” “The Puppet Master,” and “The Invisible Ghosts.” Following a triumphant rendition of the classic “Halloween,” the band bring down the house with a perfect closer: “No Presents for Christmas,” a slice of thrash metal so fast and ferocious it'll make you feel like it’s 1985 again.