I recall giving Doro's last album, Calling The Wild, ridiculously high praise, but I can blame that lapse of reason on having seen her play live only a few days before penning the review, a show that was 75% Warlock material and 100% kick-ass. Listening to said album now, there are perhaps four songs deserving of repeated listens, the remainder falling in line with the rest of the pseudo-metal filler she's put out over the last decade. With Fight, however, Doro stays true to her word and offers up the heaviest album she's done since 1989's Force Majeure. But, before the old fans get their hopes up, let's make it clear that while the new album does indeed slam in places, the material hardly lives up to its potential. Tracks like 'Sister Darkness', 'Salvaje' and the title track hint at Doro's old metal queen self; 'Hoffnung' comes close to being another 'Fur Immer', but there is an annoying safe quality to the music overall, almost as if she's holding herself and her killer band of musicians back. Many of the arrangements are simply too fucking square. On top of that, 'Always Live To Win' and 'Chained' are two runners-up that could have been winners if the guitar solos hadn't been buried underneath rhythm tracks and stupid crowd noise. I dunno, Fight is a step in the right direction, but someone should remind Ms. Pesch that her former appeal was derived from her willingness to throw herself and the band over the precipice into a realm of devil-may-care mayhem without a backward glance or a safety net.