Doro

Fear No Evil

Written by: TL on 09/01/2009 00:02:19

Doro is a name that the oldest and/or most knowledgeable of you might recognize as the former frontwoman of German 80's metal band Warlock - A band that had undergone such extensive line-up changes by their fourth album that Doro was the only original member still involved. So when she hopped labels for her fifth release and left the rights to the Warlock name with the original one, nothing was more natural than to just continue under her own, given that the whole thing had more or less become her show. The marketing value of a sassy blonde sex bomb singing heavy metal songs probably also had something to do with it.

Be that as it may, that was all back in the 80's, and while Doro claims to be still going strong here 20 years later, my guess is that her frequent involvement with other heavy metal names (Saxon, Tarja Turunen, Lemmy Kilmister and many more), both helping on their albums or having them help on hers, is an attempt to remain cool by association. Of course, I may be wrong, but that's just the feeling I get from listening to her latest release "Fear No Evil". You see like I said earlier, the Doro-show all revolves around the vocalwork of the leading woman, delivered mostly through poodle-metal ballads which don't imply that we're almost 20 years clear of the 80's soundwise. This would be cool if she had a great voice, but if you'll allow me to be quite frank, Doro sounds by now like the female equivalent to Ozzy Osbourne. I'm sure her somewhat raw delivery must've once been powerful and quite impressive, but in present day, she sounds like the grandmother of metal that just simply won't retire.

Don't get me wrong, I have every bit of respect for someone who's dedicated enough to keep making the music they love and make a living out of it for longer than I've been alive by now. The problem is that it just doesn't make for a good album here in 2009. In terms of sound and composition, this album is about as predictable as one by AC/DC, and while the songwriting is technically fine, the cheesefest that is its product will be more than too much for most to swallow. Choruses like "We ceeeelebrate our love for rock and metal!" and those of "Herzblut" (the only German track on the album) and "Long Lost For Love" (which seems to have its main melody blatantly stolen from Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On") are fine, but giving wordings like that, is it really something we're expected to take seriously?

So yeah, there's technically nothing on this album that doesn't work, as every element is a tried and true one from the 80's wave of heavy metal, but none of it avails to much, because "Fear No Evil" still sounds waaaay out of place being released in early 2009. Strictly for 80's metal appreciators.

Download: Celebrate, Herzblut, Long Lost For Love
For The Fans Of: Europe, Scorpions, Whitesnake, Pretty Maids
Listen: myspace.com/doroband

Release Date 30.01.2009
AFM Records

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