It’s always a great pleasure to talk to Doro! Since we started this magazine in 2003 we have never stopped supporting the German Metal Queen not because we have to but because she really deserves it. In the wake of the release for the very first time on picture disc of “Force Majeure” we get in touch with her via zoom for another enjoyable interview as you will find out below…
Interview: Sakis Nikas
Rockpages.gr: Doro, how are you doing these days?
Doro: We just had a big celebration. It was universal and yeah, and we were talking about good old times. It was awesome. And I had two surprise guests, actually. They invited my former boss from way back then from Polygram/Phonogram. His name was Louis Bowman, and he was actually the main force who made sure that we could get, like, tour support. He was there when we did the Judas Priest tour and the Megadeth tour in America. So he was the surprise guest and my former product manager. So we had a big celebration in Berlin and I got this gold record for “Rare Diamonds” Dollar. It even made the charts without digital sales…we even released a very limited picture disc edition of the album…
Rocpages.gr: (we show Doro the actual vinyl) You are talking about this beauty… Doro: Of course, you have it (laughs)! So I just came back from Berlin and it’s snowing here. It’s so cold. I’m sitting in my car. It’s like, wow, it’s freezing. But yeah, but I wanted to be punctual because it’s been quite a while since we talked together.
Rockpages.gr: Thank you…yeah, it’s been a while but it’s always great talking to you. I really appreciate it. Let me start by asking you about your last album, “Conqueress – Forever Strong and Proud”. It’s been more than a year since its release. How do you feel about it after all this time?
Doro: Really really good and happy about it. It was a great success. All the singers, all the videos, it got great reviews. The fans loved it. We did many festivals, and the last tour was in December and songs like “Time for Justice” and “Children of the Dawn” and “Fire in the Sky” went down like a storm. So yeah, I’m really pleased with…it couldn’t have been any better. I thought the first single “Time for Justice”, the video, I think that was so kick ass. And then the duets, especially with Rob Halford, was so special to me. We did this one video for “Total Eclipse of the Heart”. That was actually his choice. I wanted to record “Living After Midnight” because I was born and raised with the “British Steel” and he said: “OK, let’s do both”. And I was like…wow, It was unbelievable. It was a great collaboration, and it meant the world to me because I’m a huge fan of Judas Priest.
Rockpages.gr: Let me tell you that you did a phenomenal job with “Total Eclipse of the Heart” because it’s a difficult Jim Steinman composition and it came out great.
Doro: It took a long time to get it right, but it was all worth it and it was actually a group effort. Everybody gave their two cents, and I truly believe that the final result was really good. Thank you!
Rockpages.gr: Speaking of duets I just received yesterday, actually the promo version of the upcoming Dirkschneider album “Balls To The Wall – Reloaded” where you and Udo recorded an awesome version of “Winter Dreams”.
Doro: Isn’t it great? I am glad that you liked it! We had so much fun. And then I found out that the record company felt the same, and they said: “Man, it’s one of the best songs…let’s put it out as a single”! So, we just did a beautiful video in this castle, and it took a couple of days. It was in the castle one night, and the other day it was in the middle of the mountains. So cold but the song is called “Winter Dreams”, right? (laughs)
Rockpages.gr: If I told you back in 1984 when you started your professional career with Warlock that one day you would sing a duet with Udo for a song off “Balls To The Wall”, I bet you would say that I was crazy…
Doro: (laughs) Definitely! It’s crazy. I was a big Accept fan and maybe I had told you before a funny story…I was a big, big Judas Priest fan and I wanted to see them live. And they were coming to Germany and I was a graphic artist back in the day. My day job, I mean. I was still working and I had to pick up everybody because I was the only one with a driver’s license. So I picked up everybody and we came late to the venue in Essen..all the big bands were playing there. So we came into the venue and it was so crowded, it was sold out and we were like, you know, like standing in the very back. But I could feel the energy and it was so great and was so awesome. And then I told my guitar player at the time, I said, Man, that is even better than the record. I love Priest. And then the guy said, Hey, that’s not Priest, that’s the support band…Accept! I was absolutely blown away! It was 1980 and then the headliner was Judas Priest who were unbelievable, too. But I was so impressed with Accept!
Rockpages.gr: You go back a long way with Udo…
Doro: Oh yeah, we are friends for a long, long time. We did many things together like “Breaking the Law”, from my album “Classic Diamonds”, and I did a duet with him on “Man and Machine” for the song “Dancing with an Angel”. And then we did other stuff together, and we always invited each other for like, big concerts, like the big 40th anniversary show of mine. He was there at my 20th anniversary show, too. So, as you said, we go back a long time. And now he’s playing with his son Sven who was a small child when we were doing the 20th anniversary show. He was maybe three or four years old and he wanted to play the drums (laughs)! I remember that…he was jumping around. It was so cool. Now he’s playing with his father and he’s a great drummer. By the way, I was just coming back to Dusseldorf to see my mom. She’s actually sitting next to me because, you know, I couldn’t make it in time to drop her off. She’s now 91 and I always take care of her!
Rockpages.gr: You are one of the very few female artists who count more than 4 decades in the music business. Do you ever stop and wonder where the time has passed by?
Doro: All the time (laughs)! I think time flies. I still remember when I was 16, when I had my first band…man, yeah, time is flying by when you’re having fun, right? Yeah, but I’m still as enthusiastic and motivated as ever. Nothing has changed! I think I’m still the same inside and I always try to give 100% in every single concert, in every song or record, whatever it is…you know. I treat each day like it could be the last one and I never hold back. And sometimes it’s a problem because the body is aching from the big effort and as you know I always get sick while on tour…so it becomes even more difficult. The show must go on! I still know how to deal with it.
Rockpages.gr: You know what…I remember that you were telling me exactly the same thing when you were here for your first show in Athens back in 2003.
Doro: (laughs) I know! Do you remember that I was sick back then?
Rockpages.gr: Of course…but nobody understood a single thing when you performed.
Doro: (laughs) Yeah! Nothing has changed since then.
Rockpages.gr: Is it too early to speak for another studio album?
Doro: Actually, we are working on some stuff but it’s too early. We did two big shows, one in Wacken with many guests like Phil Campbell, Dee Snider and Joey Belladonna.
Did you go to Wacken last year?
Rockpages.gr: No, I didn’t travel this year to Wacken.
Doro: It was such a great show but the weather was so bad. So many people, you know, they couldn’t get in because of the weather and it was too bad because it was a fantastic show. So now we’re working on that…probably on DVD or Blu ray and a live CD. And then there was my big anniversary show in my former home town in Dusseldorf. It was a three hour show with many guests, like all these great ladies like Alissa White-Gluzz and Angela Gossow. So that was the first time that they were both together on the same stage. Mille (Petrozza, Kreator) was there, too. Many wonderful people and friends. So we are just working on this big DVD, Blu ray, live album package, and it will be probably like four CDs…something really big. And we recorded some other stuff for the 40th anniversary, like when we were in Colombia. We just did like the biggest festival in South America and it was in Bogota and it was so huge…so unbelievable. People were so passionate. So we want to put many things on the DVD as well as bonus tracks and it would be probably a big package and then yeah, and then I think of a new album and some new songs already. But we would start working on the new album when it’s all finished with the DVD.
Rockpages.gr: I also loved the great package that you did for “Triumph and Agony” where you played the whole album live…
Doro: Yeah…wasn’t it great? I loved it, too!
Rockpages.gr: I am sure you know that I am a huge fan of your early 90s albums of yours.
Doro: Yeah, I know (laughs)!
Rockpages.gr: You know, the more hard rocking style of yours. Is there any chance of revisiting that style?
Doro: It was a sign of the time but every song is unique. Every song is different. Whatever comes out, you know, like, whatever shoots out of your heart, that’s it. That’s what I think is the most, you know, magical thing. And I never think of, like, going more hard rock or more metal or more industrial. Definitely, sometimes it’s a sign of the times and sometimes it’s just like, you know, the, the way you feel. And yeah, I love it all. I love pure metal…I love speed metal. Like in the early days. I love hard rock, I love soulful, you know, like mellow dark things. It’s yeah. When I work on an album, I always feel every aspect should be there…like on the latest album, there was a variety of styles but I always try to give my best at whatever style I am writing…hard, fast, slow and so forth.
Rockpages.gr: In the wake of the recent release of “Force Majeure” on picture disc for the very first time, is there any chance of cutting more picture discs of your back catalogue?
Doro: That would be awesome…we have talked about many things including the release of more picture discs because the feedback was so positive for “Force Majeure”. There are some records that were never released on this format. We could maybe go with “Burning the Witches” or “Hellbound” with additional liner notes. Also, I have found some very cool unreleased stuff from the early days that the die-hard fans will absolutely love!
Rockpages.gr: Needless to say that there should be an official release at some point of the 4-track demo of “Burning the Witches”…
Doro: (laughs) Of course…that one, too! So, I would like to do more special things like the first demo that you mentioned but sometimes it is a little bit tricky with all the rights and stuff that we recorded. So, I know the record company, they always want to have, you know, the rights cleared, but I even have the Monsters of Rock show…both the live show and the rehearsals. We will see…
Rockpages.gr: From the top of your head, which is the absolute highlight of your career…which is the first moment in time that comes to mind?
Doro: Oh man, there were so many! Just one…? It’s almost impossible. I would say…because that came to mind first….working with Lemmy, my very first duet ever on the “Calling the Wild” album and the song “Love Me Forever”. We had so much fun, and then Lemmy said, Hey, let’s do another one and he played me the song “Alone Again” on his acoustic guitar. Tears filled up my eyes because it was so soulful. And then we went back into the studio, recorded both songs, and we spent about two or three weeks together, day and night because Lemmy never wanted to sleep! We finished in the studio maybe 3:00 in the morning, and then I wanted to, you know, go to my hotel and sleep. Lemmy would say: “No, just drive”. And he was telling me some stories and then next morning we went back to the studio and so on…he had so much energy! I remember one time I was so tired that I just wanted to sleep and Lemmy said to me: “you can sleep over at my place. And I slept in the bedroom with my leather jacket on with the biker boots on with the pants on (laughs)! Lemmy takes a look at me and says: You German girls are funny! (laughs) That was Lemmy! He was the best friend I had in the music business. So, I would say that was definitely one of my personal highlights.
Rockpages.gr: If you had the luxury to put in a time capsule just one record of your entire career so as the next generations would get a perfect image of what Doro’s music is all about, which one would that be?
Doro: Sakis, that’s another difficult one…I would say “True at Heart” because it is full of sould and deep emotional tracks…like “Fall For Me Again” or “The Fortuneteller”. And many others like “I Know You By Heart”, “Even Angels Cry” etc.I know that it’s not necessarily an album for metalheads but I think it really captures my feelings and it appeals to fans who are into stories and ballads. But I also love “Angels Never Die” and “Love me in Black”…I know that you these are two of your favorites!
Rockpages.gr: Most definitely…actually all the albums from 1989 up to “Love me in Black” are masterpieces in my book!
Doro: Thank you so much and I will see you soon!
