Another year, another Doro album and at this point it’s a bit like a pudding after a good meal – You know you will enjoy it but hardly essential

Conqueress: Strong and Proud follows the same template laid down with her debut album Force Majeure (34 years ago!) with a mix of old school heavy metal, ballads and the odd duet/cover all housed in artwork that is so distinctively Doro. 

At 15 songs it’s far too long. I never need to hear the awful Lean, Mean Rock Machine, a sort of hackneyed metal version of Greased Lightning with some terrible lyrics or the butchered Total Eclipse of the Heart duet with Rob Halford ever again.

There is still some great fun to be had – The rollicking All for You or the naggingly catchy Bond Unending for example.

There is also a much better duet with Rob Halford on Living After Midnight. You can clearly hear the enjoyment both are having with the song as they trade lines.

For someone celebrating 40 years in the business, Doro’s voice is still in fine form 

Never going to be album of the year but I still wouldn’t miss out on it.