Doro
Triumph and Agony Live

As it happens, the latest live shows I have seen has been bands performing a classic album of theirs in its entirety. Last it was Dream Theater who celebrated Scenes From a Memory with playing it from start to finish in a fantastic manner, and before that it was the even more marvellous Ayreon show of Into the Electric Castle. The latter I have on blu-ray and record and play it frequently. I came to think of those a bit when I took on this classic by Warlock reimagined on the live stage. As it happens it was recorded in my home country of Sweden on the Sweden Rock Festival, and we get to hear Doro speak a little Swedish and that is a little fun I guess.

First time I play the album I notice that the tracks seem out of position, and first I thought that it was the files that was wrongly numbered or something but then I see that the songs are not in the same order as the album from 1987. I also notice that few reviewers seem to reflect on the anniversary aspect, of what? 34 years since it was released, or maybe that it was 30 years when the show was recorded as it was recorded in 2017. I personally think that if you look to do a 35-year anniversary it is better to do the show in 2022, maybe September 29 and release it a few months later when all the fiddling and cutting is done. That is what I would have done, but let’s not dwell on that and instead see what we can say about this 34-year anniversary of an amazing and timeless classic.

There is no need to point out that the songs are quite amazing, I have enjoyed All We Are kind of für immer I think and Für Immer isn’t a poor track either, the fact is that there are several excellent rock or metal anthems on this album that makes it great for the stage or the stadium. The sequence of songs on this one is slightly worse than the studio album, I understand why giving the most famous and probably most favourite song in the end but as an album it ends way better with Für Immer as the studio album from 1987 does. I think it would have been way cooler to do the album as it was originally sequenced on the stage as well. Another thing that I find a bit of a downer is that the show was in daylight, that makes for a lot less entertaining video.

But in the end Doro is as vital as ever and you have to be impressed by the timeless quality of these songs, and it puts to light how great that Triumph and Agony album really was. And it is certainly an album that should be recognised when it reaches a significant as it is one of those highlights in the scrolls of the metal history. This live version is maybe not a sure choice for me, I prefer the studio album, but the fans should immediately get themselves a copy. And you can buy it only on vinyl as the video offers no real additional value.

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