KING DIAMOND : ROCK SINGER IS RAISING THE DEVIL

Like the crusading Washington Wives, singer King Diamond is offended by rock bands’ use of satanic themes and imagery. But that’s where the similarity ends.

“I haven’t seen very many of these bands that actually stand up for--or even know--what they’re singing about,” the Danish rocker said this week. “It’s more like they want to create an image that’s pure blood and gore, just trying to be as evil and nasty as possible.”

Diamond (who performs Friday at Fender’s and Saturday at the Country Club) is offended because he considers himself a bona fide satanist. When rival metal merchants incorporate satanic references into their music, he said, it’s “very obviously a gimmick.” And it’s one that demeans his beliefs.

“Some people think that people who call themselves satanists are really like that, drinking the blood of babies and that sort of thing,” he said.

“When I use the word Satan, it doesn’t stand for a guy with horns. To me, that word means the powers of the unknown, the powers of darkness. It’s not just power, it’s powers --and there’s a big difference. I don’t believe in heaven, and I don’t believe in hell as a place with flames where people are burning and having eternal pain. I don’t believe in that at all. I believe in a place I call ‘beyond.’ ”

The singer-songwriter said he realizes that his fascination with the occult--the thematic core of the two albums he made with the heavy-metal band Mercyful Fate and his recent solo LP “Fatal Portrait”--will inevitably generate controversy. One doesn’t have to be particularly cynical to wonder if that’s partly the point.

“But, you know, there’s a funny thing about people not accepting you if you sing about the occult,” he said. “Look at Stephen King. He’s one of America’s favorite writers; nobody thinks he’s an evil guy walking around doing weird things. But if you’re a musician, it’s looked at differently for some reason.”

In order to minimize misunderstanding, the Copenhagen resident purposely avoided using the words Lucifer and Satan in the songs on “Fatal Portrait,” although the record still explores the same themes as his previous work. “More people are understanding what I’m saying now,” Diamond said. “They don’t misunderstand me so much, don’t think I’m some crazy, weird guy.”

Of course, this doesn’t suddenly make him a purveyor of silly little love songs. If anything, he said, his beliefs have intensified in recent years, and they’re still expressed over the roar of standard-issue majestic metal. Those beliefs are not likely to be confused with more conventional forms of worship.

“We believe in revenge, for instance,” said Diamond, who performs in striking makeup that includes an inverted cross on his forehead. “If somebody hits you or your very dearest, you don’t turn the other cheek--you hit them back 10 times.

“And you don’t love everybody, like ‘You have to love your fellow man.’ That’s not the way you believe if you’re a satanist. You give tenfold to those you really care about. But those you don’t really know, how can you have feelings for them?”

Diamond, 30, said that his interests grew out of a childhood fascination with all things mysterious, including classic horror films like “Frankenstein” and “Dracula,” and later “The Exorcist” and “The Omen.”

“But what really got me interested were some experiences I had that I could not explain at all. . . . I saw some glasses rising from the table into thin air,” he said. When similar episodes followed, he began studying the occult.

If all this doesn’t mark Diamond as an unusual rock figure, consider his pre-musical career--as a star of the Danish national soccer team. He played competitively for about a decade, until he decided to pursue music and his fascination with satanism.

While he combines the two, he claims there’s no effort to recruit new satanists.

“We are not preachers of any kind. We don’t want to convert anybody,” said Diamond, adding that he hasn’t been the target of any attacks or protests by Christian organizations. “When we are on the road, we do a real horror show--and it’s pure entertainment. That’s it. I don’t force anything onto other people, because you’ll never get a good satanist out of forcing somebody to be one.”