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DORO/WARLOCK
Triumph And Agony Live
Rare Diamonds Productions - 2021
http://www.doromusic.com

My introduction to Doro Pesch and my more than three decades of fandom for her work all started with the 1987 WARLOCK album Triumph And Agony, and that ever-powerful "All We Are" anthem that opens the album.

When I finally got to see DORO in concert for the first time, it was when she was celebrating the 30th anniversary of the album's release in 2017. It was opening night of the very short tour in Worcester, MA and the show (which I reviewed for KNAC.COM) was fantastic!

Four years on from that tour, DORO now has a live release that memorializes the live full album performance of the release with Triumph And Agony Live. The release comes in a variety of formats (although the supposed DVD version has proven impossible for me to find) including cassette, CD, vinyl, Blu-Ray and a massive box set that comes with a figurine. The Blu-Ray has the video version of the concert as well as the documentary feature "The Story Behind Triumph And Agony".

I checked the set list from my review and this release follows the same running order. Yes, each of the ten songs are included but in a different order than as they appear on the album. This makes sense particularly in the case of "All We Are" which is the concert ender but is actually the first track on the studio album.

With guitarist Tommy Bolan in the fold, the concert opens with a gothic sounding track called "Legacy" that mixes both music and a somewhat inaudible spoken word piece and serves as the "intro" to the rest of the concert.

When DORO and the rest of her band (Johnny Dee, Nick Douglas, Luca Princiotta, Bas Maas and Bolan) hit the stage, it's with all guns blazing as they rock their way through each of the ten songs.

Anyone who has witnessed DORO in concert or even just heard audio recordings knows that she is a constantly replenishing ball of energy when she's performing. Between her still incredible vocals and the way she exhorts the crowd, you'd be hard pressed to not join in with the electric frenzy she creates. The bond between her and her fans is amazing.

Hearing tracks like "Touch Of Evil", "I Rule The Ruins" and "East Meets West" is guaranteed to get your blood pumping even all these years later. When the pace slows down for "Make Time For Love" or the classic "Fur Immer", there's still an undercurrent running through those tracks that keeps you glued to what you are witnessing. And when those slower tracks are done, you get your engine revved back up with DORO calling out to the audience to "Dance Demons!" to "Metal Tango" and then bringing things to an unstoppably thrilling crescendo on "All We Are". No matter how many times I hear that song, I get the same kind of jolt as I did the first time I heard it.

Recorded at the Sweden Rock Festival, Triumph And Agony Live captures a near perfect encapsulation of just what makes not only DORO PESCH, but the Triumph And Agony album resonate so strongly with fans more than three decades after it was recorded. Grab this up and do a little "Metal Tango-ing" of your own!

4.5 Out Of 5.0