I was first introduced to
Doro about five years ago with
Warlock's "Triumph & Agony" and was quickly spoiled thereafter with her 2000 solo release, "Calling the Wild", a superb slab of metal mayhem and suffering ballads. After that I plowed through her entire back catalogue starting from the beginning and have been a steadfast admirer ever since. Her voice is unique, with strength and power but also can emote a very tender feminine side to lend a gentle touch to the slower tracks. It is believed that those involved with "Classic Diamonds" were counting on this rare ability in a female vocalist to be able to carry the audience with the stripped back setting on display here, but turning songs that relied heavily on electric guitars and thunderous drums into acoustic "diamonds" rarely turns out that way, usually we are left with just a piece of faceted glass masquerading as one precious stone, with more cracks in it than you can count.
Fortunately some of the songs save face, such as
"All We Are", which quite frankly seemed doomed from the beginning. How can you possibly turn such a rock anthem into an orchestra-backed ditty with the electric left out to dry? By leaning heavily on some mighty background vocals to get across that "in metal united we stand" feel, a feat thought to be impossible but is pulled off here with flair and emotion.
"We Rule the Ruins" is always a favorite and the version here is serviceable but a bit flat, that mysterious atmosphere that lightly brushed the original has been swept under the rug here.
"Fur Immer" is not quite the stretch as others on the disc, since its original essence was that of a stripped back ballad to begin with, mostly a play on vocal emotion and while some of
Doro's emoting comes out a little thinner than it did on the original recording over a decade ago, it is still a touching track that is a perfect pick for the orchestrated transition.
"Metal Tango" also turns out nicely with the orchestra, better than one would expect even.
Doro has had such a gigantic string of music released over the years, why did they feel it necessary to cover a
Judas Priest song? Much less one like
"Breaking the Law?" Sure it was a big hit, but is a poor selection for this type of setting. Unfortunately she hauls Udo from
Accept on the song to sing along with her. It is in my most humble opinion that neither Udo or Lemmy should ever be propped up with just an orchestra or acoustic diddling guitars in the background, it's just not enough to cover up their voices which should never be hung out like this. They have their place in rock music when backed up with grit and power, but when exposed, it's certainly an experience, although not a pleasant one.
The new material is also a snore, especially the one chosen for the single,
"Let Love Rain On Me". Tedious and boring does not even begin to describe it, although since it was written especially for this album, it comes across with a more natural flow than some of the conversions, but loses points for non-existant kitsch factor. Feeling like elevator music, some safe, uninspired song to play at a supermarket just because it is so generic and bland that it won't ruffle any tail feathers.
Doro fans will likely enjoy the disc as I did, as long as it is taken for simply what it is. If this is to be your
Doro introduction, then please look elsewhere, such as with "Force Majeure" or "Calling the Wild" or any of the later
Warlock discs. Unless you are a devotee to unplugged materials, study the source before experiencing the great changes offered up here, more often for worse than better. This really will not open any new doors for
Doro Pesch but her most diehard fans will likely be delighted, this one really is for all of you no matter what.
As a side note, I'd like to add that the promo copy that was reviewed here had each song shortened in length by the final 30-45 seconds, with the exception of
"I Rule the Ruins", so if something truly spectacular happened in the final moments of each song, then I was unable to hear it since it just wasn't there.
Written by
Alanna Wednesday, November 10, 2004
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