King Diamond’s LaRocque Names Solo That Best Represents Him

King Diamond‘s Andy LaRocque has enjoyed a varied and storied career, having also played with King Diamond and working with a number of musicians on other projects. And during a recent chat with Guitar World, the musician reflected on several of his career best moments, including revealing the solo that best represents him and naming his favorite session outside of his primary bands.

When asked about the solo that best represents him, the question was phrased to limit it to his work with King Diamond and Death. Without hesitation, he offered, “This one is easy: ‘Welcome Home’ from the [King Diamond] album Them.”

“I was inspired when I got into the studio – I had some new guitars and new amps, and I was on fire during that solo,” recalls LaRocque. “‘Welcome Home’ turned out great! It combines the fast stuff with the melody, which is important. It sounds good to me still; I’ve always been happy with it.” You can check out that nimble solo in the video below.

King Diamond, “Welcome Home”

It’s notable that LaRocque cited “Welcome Home” for its combination of “fast stuff with melody,” as the guitarist seems to think his melodic side gets a bit overlooked.

When asked about his favorite outside session, the guitarist commented, “People always think I play super-fast, which is what you’d expect from a metal guitarist. But I would remind people that I’m very melodic, so I’ve done a lot of guest solos.”

While admitting it’s tough to pinpoint just one guest spot as his favorite, he mentions, “Rick Altzi, the vocalist of Masterplan, made a solo album [All Eyes on Me], and I played on that. A lot of people heard that and said, ‘I didn’t realize you could play that melodic; this is nice.’”

Rick Altzi, “Point of No Return”

READ MORE: King Diamond Reveals Horrific History Behind Castle Inspiration for New Music

What’s Next for Andy LaRocque?

It’s back to work with King Diamond. The band has been working on their first new album since 2007’s Give Me Your Soul … Please. “I’ve sent King a bunch of songs, which are still demos. We’ve been working on those for a year and a half, and once that’s all done we’ll tour,” he reveals to Guitar World.