DORO
"Fight"
(SPV/Steamhammer)

The Teutonic Metal Goddess returns! The press release for this album calls Doro Pesch, "The epitome of the female warrior", and I couldn't have said it better myself! Not only does she have one of the GREATEST voices in heavy metal history (I DARE anyone to say other wise!), but she is also a long standing fighter for metal and has stuck to her guns, even when the odds were against her. Doro's voice is as strong and powerful as ever on this new release. I've always thought of her as a female Rob Halford. Her singing is blustery and bold, operatic and earth shattering, but she can also sing in a beautiful, haunting, lilting voice that can bring tears to your eyes. She has been going at it for twenty years now, and her voice shows no signs of quitting! I've been a huge Doro fan since '85, when "Hellbound" (by her previous band Warlock) came out. Doro carved her niche in the 80's fronting Warlock, continued through the 90's as a solo artist (although many of her solo albums were never released stateside), and now seems poised to take on the new millennium. Although her classic work with Warlock was heavier than her solo material, her voice has never lost its powerful impact, and she has always played straight up hard rock on her solo efforts, never jumping on any flavor of the month bandwagons, although she did experiment with some other styles of music, but never betrayed her metal roots. "Fight" sees Doro continuing in her classic form. Doro belts out with power and passion throughout the album, on fist pumping anthems such as the title track (which kicks off the album) and "Rock Before You Bleed", and full throttle rockers like "Always Live To Win", "Chained", "Salvaje" (which features the guitar talents of Savatage's Chris Caffery in a guest appearance), and "Sister Darkness", which reminded me a little bit of Queensryche's "Jet City Woman". Doro also does a duet with Type O Negative's Peter Steele on "Descent", which, understandably, is a deep, dark, doomy little number, with fuzztone, Sabbath style guitars. Peter and Doro sing simultaneously, but Peter's singing sounds more up front. It actually sounds like a TON song with Doro singing backup, but it's a pretty cool tune, one way or another. There are also a number of ballads on "Fight". "Undying" (about how "True love Never dies", even when we lose a loved one); A cover of "Legends Never Die", written by Gene Simmons, and originally recorded by another Metal Goddess, the late, great Wendy O. Williams!; A heavier ballad called "Wild Heart"; "Fight By Your Side", about a soldier's wife saddened about her husband having to go off to war, and also a plea for world peace. An appropriate song in times like these; and "Hoffnung", the album's closing track, a classically inspired number in which Doro whispers seductively. Although all these ballads are very nicely done, I think too many ballads were included on this album. I've always thought there should always be more rockers/heavy tunes than ballads because, after all, this IS heavy metal. That, however, is my only negative criticism of this album. Doro has done a GREAT job here! Her voice never fails, the songs that rock really rock, and the ballads, although a few too many, are nonetheless beautiful pieces of work. And we can't forget her backup band! Consisting of guitarists Joe Taylor and Oliver Palotai (who also plays keyboards), bassist Nick Douglas, and drummer Johnny Dee (ex-Britny Fox), they also do a great job! Props to all of them for a job well done! Doro will undoubtedly keep up the "fight" for metal, will "always live to win", and her fans will continue to "fight by her side"! Rock on forever, Doro!

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