| Force Majeure | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1 February 1989 | |||
| Studio | Kajem Recordings, Victory Studios, Gladwyne, Pennsylvania Right Track Recording, New York City | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 46:05 | |||
| Label | Vertigo | |||
| Producer | Joey Balin | |||
| Doro chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Force Majeure | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Hi-Fi News & Record Review | A:1/2 [2] |
| Metal Hammer (GER) |   [3] |
| Rock Realms | [4] |
Force Majeure is the debut solo studio album by German singer Doro, released in February 1989 by Vertigo Records. [5]
After the success of Warlock's album Triumph and Agony , which gained Gold status in Germany [6] and reached number 98 on the Billboard 200 in the United States, [7] Doro remained the only original member of the band. Some legal issues about the use of the name Warlock were raised by the former band manager and Doro settled the dispute, renouncing to issue any new album with the band's name, but using her name instead for any new releases. However, the first print of the LP was issued with a sticker on the cover near Doro's name with "+ Warlock" written on and for some fans Force Majeure should still be considered as the last album by Warlock. [8]
Just like Triumph and Agony , the album was recorded in the US and produced by Joey Balin. Bass player Tommy Henriksen, who was part of the last line-up of Warlock plays in this album, too. The line-up is completed by drummer Bobby Rondinelli (Rainbow, Scorpions, Quiet Riot, Black Sabbath, Blue Öyster Cult,) and guitarist Jon Levin, whose name was incorrectly reported as Jon Devin on the album sleeve.
Trying to follow the positive American feedback of the previous Warlock album, the songs of Force Majeure are even more oriented to radio-friendly glam metal than to the European power metal of Doro's earlier works and include for the first time a cover, Procol Harum's famous "A Whiter Shade of Pale". [1] The album sold quite well in Europe but had a limited success in the US, reaching number 154 on the Billboard 200. [9]
Billboard reviewer described the music of this work as "metal rock with Pesch's intriguing voice surrounded by screaming guitars and pounding drums" and expressed an opinion that she could gain a lot of new fans with a little help from MTV and a good spot on a tour. [10]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "A Whiter Shade of Pale" (Procol Harum cover) | Gary Brooker, Keith Reid | 3:49 |
| 2. | "Save My Soul" | Joey Balin, Doro Pesch | 3:47 |
| 3. | "World Gone Wild" | Balin, Pesch | 3:54 |
| 4. | "Mission of Mercy" | Balin, Pesch | 3:57 |
| 5. | "Angels with Dirty Faces" | Balin, Pesch | 3:59 |
| 6. | "Beyond the Trees" | Balin, Pesch | 2:28 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7. | "Hard Times" | Balin, Pesch | 3:32 |
| 8. | "Hellraiser" | Balin, Tommy Henriksen, Pesch | 4:57 |
| 9. | "I Am What I Am" | Balin, Henriksen, Pesch | 2:35 |
| 10. | "Cry Wolf" | Balin, Henriksen, Pesch | 4:47 |
| 11. | "Under the Gun" | Balin, Jon Levin, Henriksen, Pesch | 3:49 |
| 12. | "River of Tears" | Balin, Henriksen, Pesch | 3:55 |
| 13. | "Bis aufs Blut" ("'Till It Bleeds") | Pesch | 0:36 |
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Warlock were a West German heavy metal band, founded 1982 in Düsseldorf by members of the underground bands Snakebite and Beast. The band gained popularity and some commercial success in Europe in the mid-1980s, due to the personality and stage presence of lead vocalist Doro Pesch. Warlock supported successful heavy metal bands on tour, such as W.A.S.P., Judas Priest, Dio and Megadeth.
Paul Morris is a musician best known as a keyboardist in Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow. He played keyboards on the Stranger in Us All album and co-wrote the song "Black Masquerade".
True as Steel is the third studio album by German heavy metal band Warlock, released in 1986.
Triumph and Agony is the fourth and final studio album by the German heavy metal band Warlock, released on 29 September 1987.
"Für Immer" (Forever) is a song composed by the German heavy metal band Warlock, from their 1987 album Triumph and Agony. It was the band's sixth single and it was published by Vertigo Records.
Doro Pesch is a German heavy metal singer that started her career in native Düsseldorf in the early 80s with the underground bands Snakebite and Beast. In 1982, she joined the German heavy metal band Warlock, which got its first contract with the Belgian independent label Mausoleum Records to record the album Burning the Witches. The new band quickly entered the circuit of the most sought-after support bands in the European boiling panorama of metal live shows of the 80s, receiving enthusiastic reviews and gaining a solid fan base. Warlock soon stepped up to main attraction on European tours and their albums, issued under the Vertigo label, sold well in Germany and caught the attention of US promoters, who organized a tour in the United States. Their fourth album Triumph and Agony was produced in the US and entered the Billboard 200 chart, thanks also to the videos of the songs "All We Are" and "Für Immer" on rotation on MTV. By 1988, all German members of the band, except Doro, were replaced by American musicians and Warlock ceased to exist, because of legal problems about the rights on the name and logo.
Machine II Machine is the fifth studio album by the German female hard rock singer Doro Pesch. The album was released in March 1995 and mixed by Kevin Shirley and Greg Smith. It is the most mainstream oriented album of the German singer to date, thanks to the production of Jack Ponti (Bon Jovi, Alice Cooper, Baton Rouge) and the collaboration of musicians and authors coming from pop, country and even Latin music. The lyrics break new ground for Doro, as many of the songs deal with erotic themes. The last track is a remix done by members of the German industrial metal band Die Krupps, who worked with Doro on her next albums. The limited edition of the album contains the bonus track "Tie Me Up ".
Doro is the second solo album of the German female hard rock singer Doro Pesch. The album was released on 25 September 1990.
True at Heart is the third solo album of the German female hard rock singer Doro Pesch. It was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee and released in August 1991.
Rare Diamonds is a compilation album, containing songs of the German heavy metal band Warlock and songs coming from Warlock singer Doro Pesch's first two solo albums. The album was released as LP in 1991 at the same time of a VHS with videos of the band and Doro's.
Fight is the eighth studio album of the German female heavy metal singer Doro Pesch. It was released worldwide in 2002 by SPV/Steamhammer.
Tommy Henriksen is an American musician from Port Jefferson, New York, best known for his work as a guitarist, bassist and songwriter with Alice Cooper, Hollywood Vampires and German metal band Warlock. He has also fronted punk rockers P.O.L. and released several albums as a solo artist. In addition, Henriksen is a songwriter, arranger, producer and mixer who has worked with artists such as Lady Gaga, Meat Loaf, Lou Reed, Halestorm, Kesha, and Daughtry. Henriksen is currently based out of Zurich, Switzerland where he lives with his family.
Best Of is a compilation of songs released by the German hard rock singer Doro Pesch and by her former band Warlock with the label Vertigo Records. The compilation was published after the singer had left the label in 1996, ending a ten years long collaboration.
The Ballads is a compilation of songs released by the German hard rock singer Doro Pesch and by her former band Warlock with the label Vertigo Records. The compilation was published after the singer had left the label in 1996, ending a ten years long collaboration.
Fear No Evil is the eleventh studio album of the German female hard rock singer Doro. It was released worldwide in 2009 by AFM Records. The album was produced and engineered by usual collaborators Andreas Bruhn, Chris Lietz and Torsten Sickert and reflects in the songs a strong celebrative mood. In fact, titles like "Night of the Warlock", "Celebrate", "25 Years" and the new collaboration with the American Joey Balin, who had produced the last Warlock album, were meant to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the first LP released by Doro Pesch, Burning the Witches in 1984. On 13 December 2008, a big celebrative concert with dozens of guests was held in Doro's native city of Düsseldorf, featuring also some of the musicians who had participated in the making of this album;Tarja Turunen performed a duet with Doro on "Walking with the Angels", Saxon singer Biff Byford sang on the single "Celebrate" with many female metal singers that Doro had befriended during her many tours and festival attendances.
"All We Are" is a song composed by the German heavy metal band Warlock, from their 1987 album Triumph and Agony. It was released as the band's fourth single and published by Vertigo Records. A music video for the song was shot by director Mark Rezyka in the Los Angeles river basin and was on heavy rotation on MTV's heavy metal program Headbangers' Ball. The song was published again in every compilation of Warlock songs and is a staple of Doro's live shows to this day.
Metal Racer is the first video album released by German heavy metal band Warlock in 1986. The VHS contains live footage of a concert played at Camden Palace Theatre in London on 24 September 1985, during the European tour promoting the studio album Hellbound. The VHS was published in the USA through PolyGram Video. Starting from 2001, the video was re-issued by various publishers in DVD format under different titles and often with the title Doro Pesch and Warlock: Live. A special collectors edition includes also the soundtrack of the live video on CD.
Celebrate – The Night of the Warlock is an EP by German female hard rock singer Doro Pesch, released in 2008 through AFM Records. The EP preceded of a few months the album Fear No Evil and includes three versions of the song "Celebrate". In the single version of the song the chorus is provided by a group of Doro fans, while the other two contain in the chorus the vocal performances of Saxon's frontman Biff Byford and of many female heavy metal singers. The song itself is a new collaboration of Doro with the old Warlock producer Joey Balin and is meant to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Doro's career.
Let Love Rain on Me is an EP by German hard rock singer Doro Pesch, released in 2004 through AFM Records. It is an enhanced CD containing both musical tracks and a live video. The title track is present in three versions sung in English, Spanish and French. "Let Love Rain on Me", the Judas Priest cover "Breaking the Law" and the Warlock song "I Rule the Ruins" were played acoustically with a full orchestra and are featured in the following album Classic Diamonds in slightly different versions.
Dorothee Pesch, known professionally as Doro Pesch or simply Doro, is a German heavy metal singer and the former frontwoman of heavy metal band Warlock. Dubbed the "Metal Queen", Doro's contributions to music and culture made her a global figure in metal culture for over three decades. The name Doro has also been associated with the touring band accompanying the singer, whose members have continuously changed in more than 20 years of uninterrupted activity, the most stable presences being those of bassist Nick Douglas and drummer Johnny Dee.
