It is well over forty years since Doro Pesch, Metal Queen, started her career, fronting Warlock in the 1980s and then going solo. Since then, she has never stopped working and producing her anthemic Classic Metal, and Doro is one of the most loved, respected, and professional artists on the scene.
Doro’s striking voice and stage presence remains as potent today as ever, and her set at Stonedead Festival was incendiary. Songs from recent album, Conqueress – Forever Strong and Proud, such as Time For Justice and Children of the Dawn, stand proudly with the classic anthems I Rule The Ruins and Burning The Witches, every track receiving the same jubilant reception.
We were speaking with Doro shortly after she had come off stage, where she had left half of the Stonedead crowd probably worn out and needing a sit-down. But the Metal Queen is sparkling with energy and looking fantastic. It is always such a pleasure to have a short chat with her. And if anyone has David Coverdale’s number, can you put them in touch?
It is so great to see Doro in England. We all love it when she visits. “I love England,” Doro smiles. “It’s the most important country for me because the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal was so, so important to me. I was a big fan of Judas Priest and Saxon. We have a long history. My first big festival was Monsters of Rock in 1986 at Castle Donington.
“Everything started with this, it was like a door opening. People said, ok, let’s give this band a chance. Then we toured with Judas Priest in Europe in ’86 and then in England with W.A.S.P. It was awesome. Then, the next tour was with beloved Ronnie James Dio in England in ’87. People are so Metal here. They know what Metal is, they understand it, they live it, they breathe it. It means the world to me.”
With KK’s Priest and Saxon also at Stonedead, it is like a flashback to those times in some ways. “It’s great,” Doro says. “I did two songs with Rob Halford [on my latest album], so it brings back all these great memories. It feels like the good old days when Metal was so huge in the ’80s. We all know how it felt like in the ’90s and 2000s when grunge was taking over. Very tricky, nobody could believe it. It was super hard to survive, even as a band. But it always goes up and down, and I’m so glad to be part of this festival.”
In those days, Doro was a pioneer and a trailblazer for women in Metal. But there are so many of us now. Doro has been a constant, consistent presence and so many people credit you her an influence. “I just love what I can do, and I love the fans,” Doro says. “My whole goal in life is to make people happy, give them energy, give them power and play music that we love.
“Back in the day in the ’80s, ’90s, the record companies always tried to make it more commercial. You have to have a hit song, make it more pop. And I said, no, I don’t want that. I always try to fight for our little thing.
“Sometimes it was hard because manager, record company, producer, everybody tries to push you in another direction. And I thought, oh, man, no, I don’t want that. When I can do something like the new album and play for the first time the new songs, and people still love it or are totally into it, that’s great.”
It helps that Doro does write some fantastic anthems of course. “I love anthems,” she smiles. “Of course the last song is usually All We Are and everybody gets totally excited singing along. I see lots of happy faces. It’s so cool. I’m so blessed, and I’m so grateful.”
Does Doro still love being on the road touring? It really seems to suit her. “Yes, totally,” she says. “It is super exhausting, but it’s always great. When I’m on stage, when I feel fans have fun and it means something to them, then everything is worth it. It doesn’t matter to me. I could sleep on the floor as long as the people have fun.
“But yeah, touring is hard on the body. I just came back from America, so I’m totally jetlagged, but I love it, and I want to do it for forty more years, if that’s possible. Let’s see if the Metal gods are letting me.
“Well, we all know that Rob Halford is the Metal God, but see if the other Metal gods are granting me the chance to do it for many more years.
“Physically, I’m as fit as when I was twenty-five. I gave up smoking, so that helped. I became a vegan. I work out, so I have many, many more records, many more gigs and festivals and touring in me.”
Over the years, Doro has performed with so many amazing people on stage and in the studio, but she says that completing the last spot on her duet list is not possible anymore. “I heard from some journalists that Ronnie James Dio was saying that he was planning on doing a duet, but unfortunately, that never happened. That would have been my dream.
“But [I’ve played with] all my heroes like Lemmy and Rob Halford and Udo Dirkschneider, Amon Amarth, so many great bands and people and so much good stuff. David Coverdale would be great to sing with, so that would still be a chance. My first concert in 1980 was Whitesnake, and it blew my mind.”
Doro toured here with Michael Schenker in 2021 for a few dates. Are there plans to come back again soon? “Definitely,” Doro says. “The plans are doing more festivals and doing more gigs. Today was such a short setlist. We have many, many more songs for the die-hard fans. We can do a two-hour show – it’s what they like, what they deserve.”
At Stonedead Festival, Doro was backed by a heavyweight band who played with power and strength. This was an amazing set that made us all so happy and we all look forward to seeing her again very soon.
“I want to say thank you to all the Metalheads, especially here in England,” Doro says. “That’s what influenced me big time. That’s what I love, and it means the world to me.”
