KING DIAMOND: 'I Don't Take Tomorrow For Granted'

Danish heavy metal singer King Diamond, who underwent open-heart triple-bypass surgery in November 2010, says that he was never particularly concerned about the financial setback incurred due to high expenses of surgery and recuperating during convalescence period. He told "The Metal Voice" in a new interview (hear audio below): "I have not thrown my money away on unnecessary things in my life, so I'm okay. That was not the things I was thinking of. I was thinking of trying to survive, first of all.

"The things that matter to me was… It was a great thing to be able to lift a big glass of water. To be able to actually have strength to lift it was a big thing and a big step. That mattered to me. It didn't matter if I got a check in for this or that."

He continued: "I have never been like… I don't need five Ferraris in my garage to feel great; that's not what matters to me. Different things matter to me. Nowadays, I can tell you, a lot of good has come from that bad that happened. Now I do what the doctors have told me, 'cause I like being here. I got second chance. I value it. I don't take tomorrow for granted. I don't take for granted that I wake up. I appreciate it when I do, those times when it still happens. And I feel like I have a lot more to give. But there are other things where you pay attention to things. I feel like I'm in a house with 20 windows now compared to a house with 10 windows in the past. I just see so many more things and pay attention to more things."

He added: "So that whole thing with having this or that, status symbols and shit like that, that's not really what it's about for me, and it never really was. Then I would have jumped on the bandwagon and jumped on a trend with the band or something like that, but I can't do that. That's not honest, and that's not me. I have to do things from the heart, do things right, and that's what we have always done. And I know that we are only here because of all our fans, of course. We're not this super band that everyone has to buy 'cause we're so great. It is a two-way street, and it'll always be a two-way street, and without each other, it's no fun. What's fun to play to no one, even if they pay you a million dollars? I mean, what's the fun. You're not gonna get the thrill. I can guarantee you that."

King, 58, whose real name is Kim Bendix Petersen, has completed his cardiac rehabilitation program and has stopped smoking entirely, changed his diet and is getting regular exercise.

"Dreams Of Horror", a 2xCD collection of KING DIAMOND songs, newly enhanced into ultimate editions by King Diamond and Andy La Rocque themselves, will be released by Metal Blade Records on November 11.

"Dreams Of Horror" is the only "best-of" album covering the band's entire career. King Diamond and Andy La Rocque meticulously mastered and enhanced these 23 songs into the ultimate editions, chosen by the band from both the Roadrunner and Metal Blade catalogs.