There is no doubt that Doro Pesch will always be viewed as a metal icon, having been at the top of the German scene for some four decades, first with Warlock and then as a solo artist. To celebrate we have a new album, which in its full form actually includes some songs from the ‘Maximum Celebration – Strong and Proud’ EP, which I guess why this is renamed as it is. Doro still has a great voice, and never sounds as if she has been around as long as she has, but it must be said that many of the songs on this release are basic metal and have little going for them. I certainly cannot see her gaining any new fans on the basis of the originals. But the version I am listening to contains 20 songs and is 77 minutes in length, so what about the covers?

The first Priest album I ever heard was ‘Sad Wings of Destiny’, and I love ‘Unleashed In The East’. There is no doubt in my mind that they have released some of the greatest classics of the genre, yet they have also released some of the biggest dogs, and “Living After Midnight” is something which should be left in the vaults. I have never liked this as it is just so basic, and while Doro duets well with her guest Rob Halford, it does little to make me enjoy it anymore. Mind you, this is still better than the other duet from the couple, which is “Total Eclipse of the Heart”, the least said about that one the better – it is worse than you can imagine. However, Doro does redeem herself with the final bonus cut, “The Four Horsemen” where the band are cooking and Doro is out there pushing it along – one of my favourite Metallica songs, back from when they were a proper band and not a pastiche of themselves. If you are a fan of Doro then this album holds no surprises and is a safe purchase, but whether this has enough in it to make a newcomer interested in her back catalogue is open for debate.

Rating: 7/10

Links:
https://www.doropesch.com/
https://www.nuclearblast.com/