Doro: 7 Things We Learnt From ‘Magic Diamonds’
Best of collections can often be a dirty word in heavy metal, a commercialised cash-in that adds little to the legacy of the artist in question. However, 2020 is no usual year, and the 56-song three-disc collection from DORO is the exception to the rule. Jam-packed with live cuts, classic reimaginations and famous faces, it’s a history lesson in one of heavy metal’s longest standing voices. Here’s seven things we’ve learnt listening to Magic Diamonds – Best Of Rock, Ballads & Rare Treasures.
Doro has friends in high places
Across Magic Diamonds three discs and 56 tracks, it’s abundantly clear that DORO’s inner circle reads more like a who’s who of heavy metal’s most iconic voices and personalities over the years than simply just friends she’s picked up along the way. From the string-laden acoustic-driven cover of JUDAS PRIEST’s Breaking The Law with ACCEPT’s Udo Dirkschneider to the hauntingly gothic Descent with TYPE O NEGATIVE’s Pete Steele to the beautiful balladry of Walking With The Angels with symphonic metal royalty Tarja Turunen; Magic Diamonds runs the gamut of DORO’s duets. The icing on top of the cake is the gloriously magical meeting of minds of heavy metal’s king and queen in Love Me Forever, featuring a blisteringly brilliant albeit rare appearance from the late Lemmy Kilmister.
Doro can break your heart
Ballads have long been staples of hard rock, heavy metal and power metal over the years, and DORO has dabbled deep into their depths over the years. Across Magic Diamonds Best of Ballads disc, you’ll not only find time for DORO’s powerhouse pipes to shine but also find your heart breaking in two at the sheer emotion poured into each and every song. The live edition of Rare Diamond will have you reliving that lighters in the air moment, whilst Constant Danger unplugged is the epitome of heavy metal heartbreak.
Doro’s kept metal alive through the decades
Magic Diamonds isn’t DORO’s first foray into the world of best of’s, which for many artists would’ve been way too much of a risk, but for DORO is a blessing in disguise. The majority of the collections cuts are taken from her post-millennial output, with 11 of the tracks coming straight from 2000’s Calling The WIld, highlighting her presence as one of heavy metal’s heroes, even when grunge waged war in the nineties and pop music tried to purge metal out. Whether it’s the high-octane mid-noughties update to Warlock anthem All We Are or the ineffably powerful You’re My Family, DORO is clearly at the heart of defending the faith.
Warlock deserve a space in the history books
Before the trials and tribulations of lawsuits leant DORO her solo identity, she was a founding member of power metal pioneers WARLOCK, and if Magic Diamonds does anything across it’s journey, it underlines just how important their music truly is to the spirit of heavy metal. The majority of WARLOCK cuts are either taken from live solo recordings or reimagined orchestrally – which only adds to their magic. Whether it’s the symphonic grandiosity of the Classic Night Orchestra edition of I Rule The Ruins or the speed-metal ferocity of Hellbound live, WARLOCK’s influence cannot be left out of the history books.
Orchestras are the new heavy
It’s long been known that the technical wizardry of heavy metal has often been likened to the grandiosity of classical music, and Magic Diamonds strengthens this collection and then some. Bringing together a number of DORO’s collaborations with former tour-mates the Classic Night Orchestra, Magic Diamonds highlights just how heavy metal can sound as strings collide with riffs. The Latin-funk string-led reimagination of WARLOCK classic Metal Tango is worth the price of entry alone.
Doro is a live act like no other
If there’s one thing we can take away from this collection more than anything else, it’s that DORO is a force to be reckoned with live on stage. The majority of Magic Diamonds is made up of various live cuts from across the years, and in a time where concerts are like contraband, it’s music to your ears. Raise Your Fist In The Air showcases DORO’s sheer sing-along superstardom, Alles Ist Gut is a hauntingly heartbreaking display of emotion personified and Bad Blood featuring Blaze Bayley is the sound of DORO having the time of her life. If it doesn’t make you want to hear heavy metal live, nothing else will.
Doro, simply put, is underrated
In collecting over three hours of music from a career spanning four decades, Magic Diamonds makes the case for DORO’s influence and impact on heavy metal across the years. From her power metal pioneering days in WARLOCK to her ability to put out anthem after anthem without failure, to her sheer commitment to the spirit of metal across the years, DORO and her contribution to everything that’s come since, is understated and criminally underrated.
Magic Diamonds – Best of Rock, Ballads & Rare Treasures is out now via Rare Diamonds.
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