Doro Fear No Evil
by Justin Gaines
Staff Writer
The undisputed queen of heavy metal, Doro Pesch celebrates her 25-year career (dating back to Warlock’s 1984 album Burning the Witches) with her tenth solo studio album Fear No Evil.
You pretty much know exactly what to expect from Fear No Evil. Aside from the (thankfully) brief electronic/industrial flirtation on 1995’s Machine II Machine, every Doro album since her debut has been in the same classic, melodic metal mold. In most cases, the lack of any meaningful change would turn people off. Doro is one of those rare artists (Dio is another), where “more of the same” is exactly what their fans want. No one does it quite like Doro and she’s been rocking long enough to have earned the right to do whatever the hell she wants.
Fortunately for us all, what she does is make first rate melodic metal albums, and Fear No Evil is no exception. There’s a nice mix of full-on rockers (“Night of the Warlock”, “Caught in a Battle”, “I Lay My Head upon My Sword”) soulful ballads (“Herzblut”, “Walking with Angels”) and a few surprises as well. “Night of the Warlock” is a great nod to Doro’s early career, and indeed sounds like it could have come from Triumph and Agony. “25 Years” is a fitting and moving testimony. The highlight of the album is the metal anthem “Celebrate”, which features guest backing vocals from Angela Gossow (Arch Enemy), Liv Kristine (Leaves Eyes), Veronica Freeman (Benedictum), Floor Jansen (After Forever), Biff Byford (Saxon) and Girlschool.
Overall, Fear No Evil is a completely predictable, completely rocking album that every Doro/Warlock fan would do well to check out. After 25 years on the metal scene, it’s great to see that Doro hasn’t lost a step and can still rock with the best of ‘em.
Edition Note – If you’re planning to pick up Fear No Evil, you should look out for the limited digipack version that has a pair of bonus tracks (“Wildfire” and “You Won My Love”) plus the video for “Herzblut”.
Oh, and if you get the chance to see a live Doro performance, do not turn it down. Her live shows are unbeatable, and she gives 110% whether there are 25 people or 10,000 in attendance.
Label: AFM
Lineup:
Doro Pesch: Vocals
Johnny Dee: Drums
Nick Douglas: Bass
Oliver Palotai: Keyboards
Joe Taylor: Guitar
Track Listing:
1. The Night of the Warlock
2. Running from the Devil
3. Celebrate
4. Caught in a Battle
5. Herzblut
6. On the Run
7. Walking With Angels
8. I Lay My Head Upon My Sword
9. It Kills Me
10. Long Lost for Love
11. 25 Years
Online: Official site
Hardrock Haven Rating: 7.5/10