PlanetMosh Keeping it Metal
It sure is a busy year ahead for the Metal Queen, marking as she will her thirtieth year in the music industry. An outstanding achievement in modern times, and a feat not equalled by many.
From her early years, fronting the sorely missed Warlock, right through her extensive solo career, Doro has always remained true to her personal values and ambitions, delivering classic Metal, time after time and maintaining her reputation as a seriously good live performer.
I will focus here on the bonus cd accompanying the re release of her highly successful and critically acclaimed album ‘Raise Your Fist‘(now with’ – 30 years anniversary edition’ added to the title), which will see its release shortly before the highly anticipated special live shows at Düsseldorf in May, the first night with full orchestra, whilst the second night will be a full on Rock affair, with many special guests due to make an appearance.
The cd itself is titled ‘Powerful Passionate Favorites’, which gives you a pretty good pointer as to what is in store for the listener. An album of remixes, covers, demos and indulgence, spread across nine tracks, and mixed up pretty well to form a very interesting tracklist.
So let us run through the nine on offer;
First up is ‘It Still Hurts’, a duet with long time friend Lemmy which featured on the original release of ‘Raise Your Fist’, however, here it sees a remix from Jacob Hansen. If I am honest, the version here does not differ much from the original but it is a really strong track, and I know, is one that is close to Doro’s heart.
‘Léve Ton Poing Vers Le Ciel’, which as I am sure you all know is French for ‘Raise Your Fist In The Air’, is really well reworked, staying musically true to the original, whilst being given a whole new dimension by the lyrical translation.
‘Babe I’m Gonna Leave You’, a cover of the Led Zep track, is one of my personal favourites on display, full of bluesy, anguish and heartbreak vibes that comes across really well.
‘Nutbush City Limits’, to be brutally honest is one I had to grit my teeth to. I hated the original, and so was more than a little biased when listening to this version. However, Doro has at least made the song palatable to my ear, which deserves praise but for me, this is not one to ponder on.
‘Only You’, on the other hand, is a real winner, a re working of the 1990 track, given a new lease of life, and sounding all the better for it.
‘Egypt (The Chains Are On)’, sees Doro covering a song by her hero, the late great Ronnie James Dio. On this track, she really lets her emotions go, paying homage yes but making it truly her own as well.
‘Nothing Else Matters’, is, of course, a cover of the Metallica classic. Again this was one I was a bit nervous about listening to, fearing a car crash cover but actually, this really succeeds on all levels, and one that, if she so chose, would sit comfortably within her live set list.
‘Warfare’ is actually a new track, one that has been written with her appearance in the film Anuk 2 in mind, and is an absolute stormer, a classic Metal riff , that powers along in true Miss Pesch style, no holds barred from start to finish.
Album closer ’NYC Blues’ is actually a demo version of a new track recorded in Doro’s apartment, and as such offers a fascinating insight into the song writing and development process. A classic blues riff shines through, coupled with a powerhouse vocal, making me highly impatient to hear the fully finished version.
As a bonus cd, the album works really well, offering a few gems along the way, and whetting the appetite for new material surfacing sometime soon in the future of this amazing woman’s career.
Out via www.nuclearblast.de on May 2nd
https://www.facebook.com/DoroOfficial
- £10.34
