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WARLOCK
TARTAREAN DESIRE WEBZINE


DATA

ORIGIN : Düsseldorf, Germany
STYLE : Heavy metal
STATUS : Dissolved
LAST UPDATE : 2002-01-11



BIOGRAPHY





WARLOCK was formed in January 1983 in Dusseldorf, Germany after vocalist Dorothee "Doro" Pesch left her previous outfit SNAKEBITE. Joining Doro in WARLOCK were guitarists Rudy Graf & Peter Szigeti, Bass player Frank Rittel and drummer Michael "Micha" Eurich. After continuously playing the German club scene, the band were finally signed by the independent label Mausoleum Records and in early 1984 they released their debut album "Burning The Witches".
Combining the influences of such classic metal bands as Accept, Judas Priest & Motorhead, WARLOCK proved they were ready to take the metal world by storm. Containing music that was raw, energetic, intense and of course heavy "Burning The Witches" became an instant classic with fans and critics alike on the strength of cuts like: "Sign Of Satan", "After The Bomb", "Holding Me", the beautiful ballad "Without You" and the legendary title track. "Burning The Witches" also features the awesome, powerhouse vocals of Doro as she quickly became a name to be reckoned with within metal circles. Following the albums release the band embarked upon their first extensive European tour which was very well recieved.

Shortly after coming off the road the band went right back into the studio to record their second album "Hellbound" this time with Henry Staroste producing. Released in 1985 "Hellbound" was the bands first for a major label (Phonogram) and was another solid effort. With better production this time around Doro's vocals were allowed to shine on cuts like: "Hellbound", "Out Of Control" the concert anthem "Earthshaker Rock" and the very intense "Time To Die". Once again the band undertook a very extensive European tour. By the end of the "Hellbound" tour, they were forced to make their first line-up change, replacing founding member Guitarist Rudy Graf replacing him with Niko Arvanitis.

Undaunted the band returned to the studio to record their third album "True As Steel" released in 1986. Once again recorded in Germany with producer Henry Staroste, "True As Steel" as always showcased the awesome vocals of Doro. Even though "True As Steel" contained some very good songs, such as "Mr. Gold", the anthemic "Fight For Rock" and the title track, it was not elevated to classic status as had been the case with their first two LP's. Despite the cool reception give to the "True As Steel" album Warlock once again returned to a hectic touring schedule that saw them support such established acts as WASP, Judas Priest and Motorhead. Possibly the bands biggest moment came in the summer of 1986 when they were picked for the opening slot at the famed Castle Donnington Monsters Of Rock festival in England in front of 60,000 crazy metal fans and sharing the bill along side such metal superstars as Ozzy Osborne, Def Leppard & Motorhead.

In late '86 after coming off the road Warlock were once again forced to make changes. This time parting ways with founding members Peter Szigetti & Frank Rittel (two Germans) and replacing them with two Americans Tommy Bolan (Guitar) & Tommy Henrickson both from New York as Doro herself relocated to New York. The band then went into a New York City studio with producer Joey Balin to record what would prove to be one of their strongest efforts to date "Triumph And Agony" released in 1987. Following the somewhat disappointing reaction to "True As Steel", "Triumph and Agony" proved to be a success on the strength of live favorites "I Rule The Ruins", "Metal Tango" (My personal favorite) and "All We Are". The band then embarked on a very successful U.S. tour that saw them support U.S. metal giants Megadeth. Sadly, this is where the Warlock story ends. in 1988 following the completion of the "Triumph And Agony" tour, Warlock officially called it a day as band members chose to pursue other projects. Doro however continues to write a new chapter as a solo artist keeping many of the die-hard fans (myself included) fully satisfied.

The biography was taken from http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/S....