'Diamonds Are The Worlds' Best Friend!'

Doro Pesch always did it her own way: constantly raising from the eighties legendary heavy metal underground into the spheres of premiere division rock ladies of planet earth. 1986 the then singer of Germany´s newcomers Warlock experienced an early breakthrough, impressing tens of thousands of people by playing a thunderous gig at the British mega-event "Monsters of Rock".

An early success that opened wide the doors of the American market as well. Since then millions of copies of Doros records found their way into collections of dedicated fans around the world. Her last Warlock-Album Triumph And Agony sold more than one million units over the years. 1989 her first solo album Force Majeure went gold in Germany with more than 250.000 sold copies.

Doro received awards in various countries, topped by Germany´s "Echo"-Award in 1994 as "best female singer". In Spain she´s a reigning goddess: 13 times in a row the Spaniards voted her as "best international female singer of the year".

Roughly nine months after her stage performer anniversary, held as a huge birthday party in Dusseldorf´s Philipshalle, Doro opens up a new facet of her musical universe. No doubt about that: Classic Diamonds will fill her supporters with enthusiasm. The noble record delivers both stylishly and discreetly arranged orchestra variations of all-time-classics (´Fur immer´, ´All We Are´), dramatic ballads (´Love Me In Black´, ´Rare Diamonds´) plus an unearthly overwhelming coverversion of Judas Priest´s ´Breaking The Law´ with co-singer Udo Dirkschneider (Accept/U.D.O.).

The record is rounded up by four brand new numbers, including the superb slow-song ´Let Love Rain On Me´ (title track of the MCD) and a new boxing ring anthem supporting Germany´s undefeated female world champion Regina Halmich, a close friend of her since years. Doro is a boxing lady since many years. She also dedicated the title track of her last studio record "Fight" to one of Regina´s earlier campaignes.

Chatting recently with Doro, I first wondered what were those days like back in the early ‘80s singing with Snakebite? "Oh it was fantastic. I always wanted to sing and do music since I was about 3 years old and Snakebite was my first band ever. I was so excited, happy and proud of it. That was like a big dream come true, it was awesome."

Then you changed bands and began your illustrious career singing gothic fantasy metal with Warlock. Looking back now do you think that you were one of the pioneers for so-called ‘ladies of loudness’ to become lead singers in a very male-dominated role? "Well, I just gave it my all, always 110 percent and I was ready to fight and to do what ever it took. I loved it so much and I never ever thought of the fact of being a lady. It was just like I was one of the musicians, one of the band members. I think music, especially metal music, gave me a real feeling of total freedom, total passion, total acceptance, and I never had a bad experience as a female musician. I felt there was this deep connection with the fans from the first day on, and we had many girls in our concerts, and maybe some of them felt so inspired to form a bad or to sing…this would make me really happy and I liked what you said in your question “Lady of loudness.” This sounds really cool!"

With albums released such as the debut ‘Burning The Witches’ and ‘Hellbound,’ I’m wondering if the Darkside is something that genuinely intrigues you ... or if it was/is all just for show?! "Well, yes I was flirting with that at one point maybe a little bit too much! I must say it’s very fascinating but I think it can be very destructive and I decided to break away from that and follow my heart into a good positive direction."

Why did Warlock come to an end in 1989? "Oh, that’s a sad subject and I’ve never quite gotten over it. We were a very young band when we started out, and we had a pretty shady manager who stole all of our money and what was even worse, he stole our name, Warlock. That was the main reason."

Is it true to say that the post-Warlock Doro is/was more pop-metal/hard rock than gothic fantasy metal? "I think I always was what I am today. Every song, every album came straight from my heart and I’ve always tried to stay true to the fans and to myself. I just did what I felt and I tried to write many different kinds of songs and every album is like a new adventure and takes you to different places, studio, level…so, naturally every album has its own magic, its own spirit."

Having done most of your singing in English over the years, why choose that over your native German tongue? "English is much cooler and sometimes I like to sing in German, French, or Spanish when I feel it is meant to be, but most of the time English is the coolest tongue and I love to write in English too."

The recordings on ‘Classic Diamonds’ with the Classic Night Orchestra are so crisp, so clean, but did you ever consider recording them live at a one-off concert in front of your fans? "Yes, we have. There is a DVD out called “Classic Diamonds: The DVD” and it shows the live concerts we did. It is absolutely beautiful and the highlight is the show we did at the Wacken Festival in Germany. Wacken is the biggest heavy metal open air and it is a place where all the metal fans from all over the world come together and celebrate straight for 3 days and nights and this show was taped and it came out so good…you gotta see it. Than fans go crazy! And they sing along and headband, man, I love that so much!!! The other shows and specials on the DVD are very nice as well but Wacken is my favorite and something for the diehard fans, I think."

Taking some thoughts from your new album, please answer these questions as honestly as possible!
‘Breaking The Law’ – When was the last time that you broke the law?! "Oooh, I think that was a really long time ago!"

‘Undying’ – Who in this world has your undying love and respect? "My father who was such a great man. I love him so much and I miss him every day. He is in heaven now and I hope we’ll meet again when my time here is up."

‘All We Are’ – At this stage in your life, who exactly is Doro? "I think I’m person who always tries to stay true, tries to stay positive and I always try to give my best and give 110 percent when it comes to the music and to my fans. The fans are the most important thing in my life and they always were, and they always will be. That’s for sure."

What cheesy ‘80s song would you love to cover today if asked…and why?! "Hmmm ... I don’t know. Please don’t ask me. I can’t say right now!"

If you were asked to record a single for charity, and had to choose 3 other known hi-profile musicians to aid you in the project, who would they be, what instruments would they play, and what would the name of the NEW song be?! "Lemmy of course, Gene Simmons definitely, and the beautiful Christina from Lacuna Coil, and the song would be a new version of “All We Are (2006)” since this song made so many people around the world so happy."

Lastly, I like Penguins ... do you?! "I love all kinds of animals and I’m sure penguins are really special, but so far I never had the chance to meet one!"

Lots of love, Doro

Interviewed by Russell A. Trunk

www.Doro.de

If you would like to win an AUTOGRAPHED copy of Doro's brand new CD, just answer this easy question: Where is Doro's hometown?