KING DIAMOND guitarist Andy La Rocque has spoken about the status of the band's forthcoming horror trilogy album, part one of which is titled "Saint Lucifer's Hospital 1920".

In a new interview with Pod Scum's Rexx Ruger, La Rocque expressed hope that the album would still be released in 2026, stating: "I really hope so.

That's our goal." The album's songwriting process was discussed by La Rocque during the Heavy Demons radio show last year, where he explained how he works with King Diamond to create demos for new songs.

He stated: "We pretty much come up with a complete demo with a programmed drum track and some keyboards on and some rhythm guitars." The guitarist also touched on his previous comments about achieving a more organic sound on the next KING DIAMOND album, saying: "Not really.

That's what we don't do this time around." La Rocque was speaking in reference to King Diamond's recent statements about the status of the long-awaited new KING DIAMOND album.

The album's working title has changed from "The Institute" to "St Lucifer's Hospital 1920", and several songs are reportedly completed, including an intro track called "Under The Surface".

The band plans to film a video for their next single "Lobotomy", with other songs already recorded and King Diamond working on additional tracks.

A choir is set to record vocals for one of the album's tracks, with La Rocque stating: "We want a more acoustic, kind of more of the acoustic drums, and stuff like that, to make it a little bit more organic." The band's last album received a Grammy nomination in 2007 and sold 4,500 copies in its first week.

KING DIAMOND released a DVD/Blu-ray titled "Songs For The Dead Live" in January 2019 via Metal Blade Records.