Doro: Under My Skin - A Fine Selection Of Doro Classics

Quite amazingly it is thirty years since Doro Pesch first joined Warlock in 1982 and while that band disintegrated some five years later, having released four albums of well above average Euro metal. Doro has continued since, pumping out albums in the same musical vein under her own name. For any musician three decades is a long innings (although the hype surrounding this Under My Skin states "25 Years In Rock And Still Going Strong" - hence it is the two and a half decades as a solo act we are commemorating here). However in the metal genres there can be few, if any women who could over that time lay claim to Doro's title of Metal Queen. Thankfully there are far more of the fairer sex now embroiled in the world of metal, but Doro still stands tall and proud as the longest serving and most easily recognisable lady this style of music has ever produced. So at such a milestone it is only fitting that a weighty career retrospective should be released, highlighting why Doro has endured, when her peers have all fallen by the wayside.

This 32 track double CD release gathers together Doro's best known songs,with some rarities and a few more surprising styles that will catch out those less familiar with the her catalogue. The likes of "Above The Ashes", "All We Are" (the 2007 version is included here) and "The Night Of The Warlock", illustrate perfectly what Doro has been all about, with a traditional Euro metal wallop smacking home through crunching guitars, pumping bass lines and, of course Doro's gentle warble and gruff muscular attack.

Also included here are a selection of cuts with the "The Classic Night Orchestra", adding a string laden bombast to the more metallic cut and thrust, with a jaunty "I Rule The Ruins" and stirring "Let Love Rain On Me" coming off best. The more left field outbursts come in the shape of "Celebrate" (Full Metal Version) which comes on like Rammstien lite and a string infused cover of the Judas Priest classic "Breaking The Law". That said there are also a fair few slower tracks, the best being an acoustic version of "Rare Diamond".

For a lapsed Doro fan like myself (Warlock were the first band I saw live when they supported Dio in 1984), I have to say that this release is an excellent addition to my collection. For long term devotees, having some of the more unusual or rarer moments on Under My Skin collected together should provide enough reason to invest. Although there's a good chance that if you fall into that category you've already snapped up the limited wooden box version of this release, that comes with a posterflag, patch, bracelet, postcard and certificate. Oh and both versions also come with three video selection that allowed me to relive many a teenage fantasy, but then the less said about those the better....

All hail the Metal Queen!

Track Listing
CD 1:
1. All We Are (Version 2007)
2. You're My Family
3. I Rule The Ruins
4. Celebrate
5. The Night Of The Warlock
6. Strangers Yesterday
7. Walking With The Angels
8. Metal Tango
9. Thunderspell
10. Herzblut
11. Warrior Soul
12. My Majesty
13. Für Immer
14. Love Me In Black
15. Always Live To Win
16. Running From The Devil
17. Above The Ashes
18. Let Love Rain On Me

CD 2:
1. Celebrate (Full Metal Female Version)
2. Rescue Me
3. Rare Diamond (Acoustic Version)
4. Angel In The Dark
5. 1999
6. In Liebe Und Freundschaft
7. I Lay My Head Upon My Sword
8. Tausend Mal gelebt
9. Wildfire
10. Breaking The Law
11. She's Like Thunder (Version 2005)
12. The Queen
13. You Won My Love
14. Lonely Wolf
Multimedia Bonus
Warrior Soul (Video)
Let Love Rain On Me (Video)
Herzblut (Video)

Added: August 28th 2012
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Doro Online
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Language: english

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