Review by Steve Bruty for MPM
For those like myself that remember 1987 and the rise of hard rock /metal acts such as HELLOWEEN,WASP, and the monumental, Somewhere in time tour from IRON MAIDEN and of course the beginning of the explosion which was GUNS N ROSES then if you do you should have no problem recalling the fantastic 4th album from Germany’s WARLOCK a record so strong that I would comfortably place in my all time top ten albums.
With lead singer DORO going on her successful solo career after the albums release, its now 30+ years later we have the simply superb live album and DVD filmed and recorded at SWEDEN ROCK in 2017, with a line- up consisting of.
Doro Pesch / Vocals
Luca Princiotta / Guitars
Bas Mass / Guitars
Nick Douglas / Bass
Johnny Dee / Drums
And as a special treat the line -up is bolstered by guitarist Tommy Bolan who appeared on the original album all those years ago and is ever present on this live show.
With all ten tracks being performed, the only change is the running order from the original release.
Kicking off with a short intro called, LEGACY, its left to “TOUCH OF EVIL” to kick start the crowd into a frenzy with its familiar thunder drums intro and single power cord before DORO opens her mouth and its all 100 mph from there on, the sound is crystal clear and the difference a third guitar makes is evident from the very start.
I RULE THE RUINS” has DORO working the crowd with her “Hey Hey Heys” and the crowd respond accordingly before the track break downs for a quiet mid section where each side of the huge crowd gets the chance for a call and response with the human dynamo of a singer.
EAST MEETS WEST” with its chorus that I have always enjoyed sounds even better with 40,000 plus people singing along to every word. So much in this song is about the guitars and some serious shredding is coming out the speakers such a great modern sounding version.
“THREE MINUTE WARNING” with its frenetic drum intro from JOHNNY DEE who powers the track along with some insane hard hitting while the remaining band members all try to keep up with the tempo of this classic live version.
What a great live version on offer here with “ KISS OF DEATH” which rolls along at a slightly slower tempo than the previous songs on this album and allows the listener time to grab a breather and appreciate just how strong DORO’S voice is after all these years of recording and touring, a catchy version and highlighted even better on the DVD,
“FUR IMMER” is just so beautiful played live, stretched to over 7 minutes in length and sung in her native German it gets the loudest response from the gathered crowd and with its solemn dark undertow I have to personally say that for me it is one of the stand out moments and is performed with so much feeling its hard not to get caught up in the moment.
“COLD COLD WORLD” gets the pace back up top gear with its guitars slicing through another mad bout of drumming and those vocals sounding better than at any other time on this release, the interplay with the 6 musicians on stage is amazing to hear as well as see visually.
“MAKE TIME FOR LOVE” and “METAL TANGO” show the 2 sides to this album with the former being the most sensitive of ballads whilst the latter displays the funky rock side of the group showing that they are not just foot to the floor metal and both songs fit perfectly into the live show and reminds the listener that variety in whatever genre is a good thing.
Rounding things off is THE anthem… “ALL WE ARE” with the crowd roaring their approval and the group all stepping up to the mark to deliver a rabble rousing conclusion to proceedings, a perfect way to leave the stage with the crowd demanding more music,
Although I am not a huge fan of DVDS I have to add that this package is a complete success on a few fronts, mainly that the footage is shot so well and captures everything in all its glory and with the running time around 50 minutes its not over stretched, also it contains a interesting 40 minute interview with DORO discussing the making of the original album all those years ago, sometimes less is more and with this DVD its one that I know I will return to many times. As for the live CD its around the 50 minute mark and great sound recording. A wonderful reminder of a wonderful era.
If anybody is interested in knowing more about this release then check out the brilliant interview that our Captain of the metal planet ship, Darren Mcveigh conducted with the lady herself regarding her involvement with the project and her memories.
► You can buy the album here: Amazon (DE): https://amzn.to/3F1GyvJ
