Warlock - Burning the Witches (1984)

   Warlock gained wider success very soon during it's short existence under this name, and became one of the most remarkable bands in the European heavy metal scene.
   The band's characteristic singer/heavy metal diva, Doro Pesch had an important role in that. Her impressive performance and powerful voice made her an icon in the metal world, such as her leading role in the band, that counted as something quite extraordinary from a woman in those times. But Warlock didn't have any weak points at other sides either, catchy and stunning riffs were their music's most remarkable features. Except an emotional ballad the whole album rocks with it's intense energic guitar themes (by Peter Szigeti and Rudy Graf), and defining well how traditional metal used to sound like. These themes raised them up to the "elite" bands of heavy metal, and made "Burning the Witches" a cultic classic of the genre. Warlock's influence could be compared to the greatest Western German bands of the '80s.