After 40 years in the metal fast lane, Doro Pesch looks back on an eventful career. Always with a lot of stainless steel, studs and leather in her luggage, the little blonde from North Rhine-Westphalia has traveled the world and performed in front of hundreds of thousands of genre believers. This year the queen of metal celebrates her 40th „stage birthday“.
In addition to an official live show, there is also a new album for the fans in the anniversary year („Conqueress – Forever Strong And Proud“). In an interview with ntv.de, the Düsseldorf native with the distinctive power voice talks about unusual duets, surprising sound preferences and dreams come true.
At some point I read the sentence from you: „When my first solo album came out, I was as happy as a little kid just before Christmas!“. 30 years later your anniversary album „Conqueress – Forever Strong And Proud“ is released. Is the anticipation comparable?
Doro: Absolutely! Maybe I’m even more excited than I was back then, because it’s such a great and important year for me, and because I’ve been carrying the ideas for the album around with me for three years now. It all has to go out to the people now. We’re in the final stages of preparation right now. Two days ago we shot the video for the new single „Time For Justice“. A few days before that, die hard fans flew in from all over the world to listen to the entire new album. We’re in the home stretch now. I really can’t wait.
Musically you stay true to your line. That means: The new album presents the complete sound spectrum of the genre. As in the past, again very exciting: the choice of duets. This time Sammy Amara from the Broilers and metal legend Rob Halford (Judas Priest) are guests. Let’s start with Sammy: How did the combination come about?
The thing with Sammy started last December when I was invited by him to the two Broilers concerts in Düsseldorf as a surprise guest. That was totally crazy. Actually we only wanted to play one song together. But during the rehearsals in my old rehearsal room in the Ronsdorfer Straße we built up such a cool vibe that we added the Priest classic „Breaking The Law“. After the two concerts we decided to write a song together for my album. That’s what we did in his home studio. That’s how the track „Bond Unending“ came about, a song about deep friendship – exactly my thing!
With the collaboration with Rob Halford you have fulfilled a childhood dream, right?
Absolutely! Rob is simply a legend. My first two concerts were Whitesnake and Judas Priest. That was in 1980. I was always a huge Priest fan. In 1986 we played with Warlock at the „Monsters Of Rock“ festivals in Germany and England. Especially the show in Castle Donington was very important for us, because at that time in England it was always decided which new bands might make it into the big halls in the long run. We suddenly stood there in front of 80,000 fans and I had totally shaky legs. But we delivered and got ourselves a big tour opening for Judas Priest. Since then, the contact with Rob has never broken off.
Two years later you announced the band Kiss on stage at the 88th „Monsters Of Rock“ edition in Schweinfurt. Do you still remember that moment?
Oh yes, as if it was yesterday. I have always been a big Kiss fan. Back then, I flew all the way from Los Angeles to Schweinfurt – just to stand on stage for a minute and announce the band. Pretty crazy.
That was also the day you met Gene Simmons. You recorded your first solo album with him four years later in New York.
Yes, that’s right. When I hear all this, I have to admit that the good Lord really fulfilled all my dreams. With Gene in New York, that was an extremely inspiring time for me. Gene used to be a teacher. He taught me so many things during that time. I remember that at one point we sat together and he explained the blues to me – with hundreds of records and concert visits. We went to really small dive bars together and saw Etta Jones and Dr. John.
Despite all these very special experiences and encounters, you were never involved in any scandal or negative headline. How did you manage that?
There must have been a hundred ways to make a wrong turn. But I was never interested in the whole shebang. For me, the music was always in the foreground – that was my drug. Sure, I had a drink once in a while, and I chain-smoked when I was eleven. But I never had anything to do with real drugs. Just take the time with Gene – back then we started in New York, and then recorded the record in Los Angeles. All hell broke loose there. There was a lot of action on the Sunset Strip every night. I can still remember when we were standing in front of the studio and one of the guys from the band Poison suddenly came around the corner on his brand-new motorcycle, completely stoned out of his mind, and started to lie down. The whole bike was a piece of junk. Gene and I, we just looked at each other frowning. Gene has never been drunk in his life.
You’ve been a metal singer for 40 years now. Do you actually play an instrument?
I used to learn a little piano and I can play a few chords on the guitar. But actually I am „only“ a singer. That’s exhausting enough. (laughs)
Speaking of piano: „Für Immer“, one of your most successful ballads, is carried by a delicate piano theme. Did you record that back then?
Well, the idea for it came from me. I wrote the song together with Joey Balin (Treat, Ina Deter, Al Corley). Most of the time I came up with piano themes – but they were recorded and played by real professionals. There’s also a crazy story about the song „Für Immer“: At first, the record company didn’t want to allow it. They thought that a German song wouldn’t fit. But after endless discussions it finally made it as the last song on the record „Triumph And Agony“. After the album we went on tour and the fans celebrated the song so much that the record company caved in and immediately started a single offensive. The motto was: We have to shoot a video right away, and the song has to be released as a single. So the tide turned and „Für Immer“ became one of my most successful songs.
„Für Immer“ is a very tender ballad, a kind of counterpart to the hard songs that we usually know from you. What music do you listen to in your private life?
I’m a rocker at heart, of course. I grew up with glam rock. T. Rex, Sweet, all the bands of the ’70s: those were my heroes. After that came the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal, with bands like Judas Priest and Iron Maiden. But of course I also listen to other music. I’m actually quite open. It just has to touch me. I remember the first time I heard „Nothing Compares 2 U“ by Sinéad O’Connor. That was a really magical moment. I also think well-made pop is great. Rihanna, for example, has a crazy voice. Oh yeah, I love Rihanna! Music just has to catch me. Then it doesn’t really matter what genre it is.
There will be a lot of live music for your ears on October 28 in your hometown of Düsseldorf, when you invite people to the big live anniversary show in the Mitsubishi Electric Halle. What can your fans expect?
It’s going to be a huge show, of course. 40 years: That’s quite a long time, a lot of songs have accumulated that mean a lot not only to me but also to my fans. Of course, I will perform all of them. And then, of course, there will be some very interesting and great surprise guests at the start. I’m really looking forward to it.
Source: NTV