Label: AFM Records
Review by Tony Cannella
It’s hard to believe that Doro celebrated her 25th year in music business last December. She has definitely been a model of perseverance and dedication throughout her career and that has continued to show on her most recent releases. With her latest output “Fear No Evil”, the German metal queen shows no signs of slowing down.The opening track “The Night of the Warlock” gets things off to a rousing start, with a demonic sounding vocal intro as the track begins. Obviously, the title is a bit of a nod to her past. The song is a nice fierce way to open things and a great tempo-setter. Next is “Running from the Devil”. This song has a great live feel to it and I’m sure it will go down great in a live setting. It features a great, heavy riff and a steady beat. The next track is the one that has gotten a lot of the attention. “Celebrate” features a who’s who of metal legends. Floor Janssen (After Forever), Angela Gossow (Arch Enemy), the girls from Girlschool, Biff Byford (Saxon) and Liv Kristine (Leaves’ Eyes) – to name but a few – all lend their immense talents to the song on the chorus. This song is indeed a celebration of the power of metal. There is no better group of people to bring that sentiment home. “Caught in a Battle” is just a pure metal track that has a truly ferocious guitar riff and just hammers through with machine gun-like precision. This is one of my favorites. After this song your going to need to catch your breath, so the next track “Herzblut” is a welcomed change of pace. It is another beautiful ballad sung in German, and it fits in their quite well with classics such as “Für Immer” and “Alles Ist Gut”. “On The Run” is next and it is another powerfully heavy track that is sure to get some heads banging. Next has got be one of the most anticipated metal collaborations in quite some time. “Walking with the Angels” is a duet with Doro and Tarja Turunen and man is this just awesome. Two very different vocal styles come together to create a stirring masterpiece. The lyrics convey a positive and inspirational message. This is one of the absolute highlights. “I Lay My Head upon My Sword” has a cool vibe to it and is another favorite. “It Kills Me” and “25 Years” are two of the most different songs that Doro has ever recorded, showing that 25-years on and she is still not afraid to take chances. Fear not though, these songs are quite good and fit in well with the rest of her immense catalog of songs. The limited edition features the bonus tracks “Wildfire” and “You Won My Love” making it essential for any self respecting DORO fan. Also, the CD packaging deserves special mention. Great artwork by Geoffry Gillespie, beautiful photos and a glossy gatefold sleave makes this the complete package. As always Doro is joined by a great array of musicians: Nick Douglas (bass), Johnny Dee (drums), Joe Taylor (guitars), Oliver Palotai (guitar/keyboards) and Luca Princiotta (guitars/keyboards) all put in excellent performances. With 25 years in the books, Doro continues to make great metal music that comes from the heart. There is nothing pretencious and fake about it, she does what comes natural, as she has throughout her career. “Fear No Evil” is as solid a record as she has made in years.
Rating – 90/100
Tracklist
- The Night of the Warlock
- Running from the Devil
- Celebrate
- Caught in a Battle
- Herzblut
- On the Run
- Walking with the Angels
- I Lay My Head upon My Sword
- It Kills Me
- Long Lost for Love
- 25 Years
- Wild Fire (Limited Edition Bonus Track)
- You Won My Love (Limited Edition Bonus Track)
Line Up
- Doro Pesch – Vocals
- Joe Taylor – Guitar
- Oliver Palotai – Guitar, Keyboards
- Luca Princiotta – Guitar, Keyboards
- Nick Douglas – Bass
- Johnny Dee – Drums
Links