Doro Pesch - DORO

By: Lori Smerilson Carson

“Metal Queen” truly fits Lead Vocalist/Songwriter Doro Pesch as she has literally dedicated her whole life to her music career that spans over four decades. She has received many accolades including a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022, being inducted into the Hall of Heavy Metal History, and she has sold over ten million records. Hailing from Düsseldorf, Germany, she started in a local band when she was just a teenager and then went on to achieve world renown status, first, with her band Warlock and their debut LP BURNING THE WITCHES in 1984, and then she continued with her solo band DORO releasing FORCE MAJEURE in 1989. Now, she has released her latest DORO album WARRIORS OF THE SEA on October 24^th via her Rare Diamonds label displaying not only extraordinary talent with an amazing variety of metal music, but also graphic genius of creating unique vinyl records.

Catching up with Doro just prior to her tour in Germany, she revealed some details about the new record that she and fellow bandmates Bassist/Keyboardist Nick Douglas, Drummer Johnny Dee, Guitarists Bas Maas and Bill Hudson created, as well as some insights to her music, additional projects, and what fans can look forward to.

SFL Music Magazine: How did the listening party go for your new album WARRIORS OF THE SEA at Rock N Roll Ribs in South Florida?

Doro Pesch: It was wonderful! It was great! People were in high spirits, and we had such a great time! They were coming from all over the world. There were two ladies coming from Australia. One guy came from Peru. Somebody from Canada and many die-hard fans. Many people from Florida. It was awesome! We did the christening of this album. Actually, Nicko McBrain did it with me. People were really happy and had a great dinner.  I was singing a little bit. People were singing with me. We almost had like a concert vibe.

SFL Music Magazine: I saw your post on social media about the christening, and it’s so cool that one album has an orange vinyl and one has a liquid fill?

Pesch: Actually, there’s one picture disc that’s the beautiful artwork that looks really good. Then there’s the other one that’s the liquid filled vinyl. I did my own cruise for the first time this year. Usually, I did other cruises like the Monsters of Rock Cruise and the Full Metal Cruise and the Megadeth Cruise and all kinds of cruises, and I always wanted to do my own cruise where I could play as long as I can and as long as the people want. So, we did it this year in Germany and it was immediately sold out. People liked the idea, so we did two cruises and then I wrote the song “Warrior’s of the Sea” for this cruise. That actually became a little hit. We played it all over the last summer festivals. Then I thought, oh I would love to do a little picture disc single. Then somebody said, “how about you do a twelve inch.” Then in the end we said, ok let’s do a whole album with all these rare tracks and live tracks, and everything were talks about warriors and the sea and stuff. So, that’s how it came about. Then I thought, I want to do something special for the die-hard fans. I don’t know if you know our history, Lori. We always had something really, really nice and special for the fans like the TRIUMPH AND AGONY album which was our biggest Warlock album that was in the Guinness Book of World Records. It was the biggest record sleeve ever. We had some cut out things, like a wheel one time, and it was really cool. People liked it, so this time I wanted to do something special as well. Then we thought about this liquid filled vinyl. At first, we thought ok, maybe we’ll put some Rhine water. It was on the Rhine, my cruise. Or some ocean water, and then I thought, no. I want to have it looking really cool. Let’s do Blue Curacao. Then we found a company who actually could do it. When you put it on your record player, it actually looks like, you remember these lava lamps back in the day?

SFL Music Magazine: Yeah.

Pesch: It almost looks like that. When you listen to the record, the liquid goes from one side to another. It’s really cool. Most of the people, they want to hang it on their wall, the die-hard fans (she laughed).

SFL Music Magazine: The album has side A studio recordings and side B live recordings, correct?

Pesch: Yes, we thought maybe two songs like a little single, A and B side. Then we thought, how about three or four songs and then we thought, how about a special album. It’s not a new album, but it’s a very special album and I could put some rare tracks on which like for example “Touch Too Much” that was not properly released. I did it for this tattoo convention one time, and “Tattooed Angels” as well. So, these two songs, hardly anybody knows. Maybe a couple of fans, but I thought, this would be nice, and some live tracks because live, that’s what I love the most. Playing in front of the people, with the people and everybody has high energy.

SFL Music Magazine: Your shows are amazing and I saw the video for “Warrior’s of the Sea” starting off with a live performance showing Johnny and then the rest of the band with you singing, and the scenes with the ship at sea with pirates. Are you going to be releasing any other new music videos?

Pesch: It’s not planned. Some people said, “how about “Touch Too Much” and I thought ooh, that would be nice, but we haven’t done it yet so far. We’re going on tour pretty soon, so maybe we can record some more live footage, but a real video, it’s not in the making, let’s put it this way, but maybe.

SFL Music Magazine: Something for fans to look forward to. I see you all are touring in Germany and Greece. Will you be coming to the U.S.?

Pesch: Yes actually, our first gig is a nice festival. I’ve played there before. It’s in Houston, Texas, Hells Heroes. That’s the very first festival next year. Then we’re planning on many more festivals. I think we will play on the 19^th of March. The festival is from 19^th through 21^st but I think we have the first date. We will play old school Warlock sets, so lots of stuff off TRIUMPH AND AGONY of course, like BURNING THE WITCHES and TRUE AS STEEL. All that good stuff.

SFL Music Magazine: We will definitely keep our eyes open for more dates.

Pesch: Yes. We will let you know as soon as we have more dates. I love the States and I love playing there.

SFL Music Magazine: What would you say inspires you when you write your music?

Pesch: Usually, I think the best songs, they come out when they just come out. When I fall asleep or when I wake up, then I’m in a good state of mind and suddenly there’s some ideas with melody and lyrics, they’re there. Then I think, ooh I’ve got to record it. I usually record it on my little cell phone right away. When I feel ideas, they just come out like natural, but they come out with full force that’s sometimes so, wow! So overwhelming and when I feel hmm, this idea could have something, I actually can tell there’s magic. My heart is pumping. I’m all excited. I can’t sleep anymore because of that song.  So, that’s always a good sign. That’s usually how I think the best songs come out when they just come out, and they’re coming out from deep of your soul, your heart. Like maybe great memories. That’s what I like the most, but I can write songs with the band as well when we say ok, let’s write for a new album. So, every song is actually different. I like to have the message and the lyrics there first. Maybe the chorus. The chorus is always I think the most important. So, when I have the melody and a nice lyric idea, then usually I go to either my guitar player or my best friend, he lives in Hamburg. He was the guitar player of Sisters of Mercy. His name is Andreas Bruhn, and Andreas and me, we’re working together since 1996. So, if I have an idea where I think oh, that might be something, then usually I show it to him or I show it to my band, but yeah, we’re all involved in the songwriting process of a new album. All the guitar players and sometimes the whole band. This “Warrior’s of the Sea”, I wrote with my bass player Stefan Herkenhoff. He was there with us now for a couple of years, but he took on a real job. He’s working now in the ocean, actually. He’s a first responder, that kind of job.

SFL Music Magazine: He really is a warrior of the sea, right?

Pesch: Yes. So, we have our bass player Nick Douglas back. He’s with me since 1990. Yes,  Nick Douglas and Johnny Dee, Bas Maas and Bill.

SFL Music Magazine: You mentioned that “Warrior’s of the Sea” was inspired by the cruises, but the song lyrics are really powerful, and of course your voice is so strong and amazing, as well as with the chorus toward the end. What inspired this song?

Pesch: Actually, when I knew that we wanted to do our cruise, I wanted to write a song for it and then it just came out. Usually, it’s always like the most important things I feel, that you have to fight the good fight. Fight for freedom which I always thought man, when we did cruises that was like a feeling of total freedom. Lori, did you ever go to a cruise?

SFL Music Magazine: Yes, I have.

Pesch: That feeling of total freedom, but being all together having the same vibe, and fighting the good fight. That’s usually for me all the warrior themes. All these records like, one was called WARRIOR SOUL. Not the new one. The new one was called CONQUERESS-FOREVER STRONG AND PROUD. The one before was called FOREVER WARRIORS FOREVER UNITED. So, I’m always trying to make people feel empowered and give them strength, and of course the fighting spirit. That’s important, especially in these days. It’s important to stay alive, to survive. Everything got really hard. I think with music you can totally give people so much motivation and hope and power and strength, and especially the last couple of days when we did this party, there were so many people sharing their story. Certain things that was hard core like when loved ones died. This one person, he said, “oh please write that on the poster for me and my lady, she’s not anymore here” and I thought oh. So, we talked a little bit, and many people were there and we were talking about heavy stuff in life. So, I always felt like man, I have to try even harder to give people all I can give of like strength and power and good feelings, and something for the heart because we all are living the same life. The same heartaches, the same problems. That’s what I always want to portray with my music. It used to be different in the early ‘80s. It was the pure metal lyrics, but then when I was moving to New York, then I changed. I changed my mind. I thought no man, I don’t want to write destructive lyrics so much anymore. I want to write positive lyrics. When you’re young and rebellious and a teenager, that’s so cool. My mother was always the Metallica, KILL ‘EM ALL. When you’re sixteen, seventeen that’s what you feel, but then later on I thought yeah, I want to try to always keep it positive which is much harder to do. It’s much easier to write destructive lyrics. It’s so easy, but a positive lyric which still sounds cool, which still is cool and not cheesy, that’s harder. But I want to do it. I don’t want to contribute to more destruction (she laughed). Even though I still love all these songs. I’m still a big Metallica. I still love the first album KILL ‘EM ALL. I have great memories. We played the very first festivals together in Europe when I had my first Warlock album out. It was a different time, but I must say when we started our first bands, it wasn’t so heavy. The world was still in ok shape, or we didn’t know about the bad stuff. It was just watching MTV, planning a new tour, planning a new album. That was all we were thinking about. Now, I feel the whole world is on everybody’s shoulders.

SFL Music Magazine: What inspired you to become a singer, a musician?

Pesch: I was about three years old, and I heard one song and it was Little Richard’s “Lucille”. You know the song, Lori?

SFL Music Magazine: Yes, I do.

Pesch: I heard it when I was a kid, when I was three years old and that was it. Then I wanted to become a singer, and I was so inspired by his energy and I thought, oh man. Then when I was fifteen, I had my first band and that was actually when metal was really, really just growing. The metal scene was die-hard, but really small, and then it was so nice to be a witness when something great was growing and growing. I had many bands and then we started Warlock in 1982, and then our first album came out in ‘83,’84. That was BURNING THE WITCHES. Then I knew I would love to do it for the rest of my life if I can, and then we did some other records. One time somebody said, “hey there’s a big festival in England, Castle Donington, Monsters of Rock Festival. I thought wow, that sounds really good, but back then there was no cell phone, no internet. You had not really an idea if it was something big and stuff, but I knew it was a good festival. So, we went and it was like eighty-thousand people there going crazy! I thought, wow! It was a great lineup. It was Ozzy Osbourne, Scorpions, Def Leppard, Bon Jovi, Motörhead and us, Warlock. We did pretty good and all the fans there, they were really cheering us on. It was really awesome! Then a couple of weeks later we got the Judas Priest tour in Europe, and we really got a chance. Then the second tour was with W.A.S.P. in England, and then I could do a little promotion tour in New York for this album TRUE AS STEEL. It was our third album, and I did like two days, and I knew I wanted to stay, and then I stayed in New York. I told everybody in Germany, yeah, I’m staying. Everybody thought yeah, you’re totally crazy like always! I was like, no, no I’m serious. Then everything fell into place. We did this album TRIUMPH AND AGONY, and “All We Are” became such a big hit and it was played on Headbangers Ball by MTV on heavy rotation, and then we hopped on tour with my first big tour in America, with Megadeth. Then we did many more tours with Ronnie James Dio. We did a couple of times, one in Europe, the other one in America. Then I thought wow, I want to go on making records, doing festivals, touring as long as I can do it. Now, it’s many, many years later and I’m still so excited, so happy and so grateful that I can do it. And doing special things. I just did a movie a couple of weeks ago. It’s a Western movie. I’m the character Calamity Jane. Lori, I don’t know if you know the character.

SFL Music Magazine: Yes, I do. Wow, that’s great! How did you get involved with the movie?

Pesch: I think it will come out next year in ’26. I don’t know when, but Johnny is actually part of this movie as well. I think he did his parts already. The producer’s name is Luke Gasser. He’s a very creative film producer and musician as well, and painter and sculptor. He has all these traits. One time he came to a concert of ours and actually, he was waiting there hours and hours after the show. I had a couple of interviews to do and then I saw this guy standing around just like really wild hair. He has so much hair. I’ve never seen that in a European guy. He was waiting there very patient. I thought man, this guy is still there. I knew he wanted to talk to me about something. So, after all these interviews, after so many hours he said, “I am Luke and I would like you to do the soundtrack for my movie. Would you be interested?” I said, wow! Yes absolutely! He gave me the script, and it was so fascinating. The script was one time, all the wording and the other script was every picture was painted. Every scene, and I thought wow! That was beautiful and unbelievable. I said, Luke it looks great! Let me read the script and I would definitely want to be involved and love it. So, he said, “ok then check it out.” Then we met the next time and I said, yes Luke. I saw the script. I love it! It was an adventure movie. It was called Anuk - The Path of the Warrior. Again, a warrior word (she laughed). I said, yeah, I definitely want to do music. So, we wounded up doing the whole soundtrack together. Then Luke said, “hey, would you like to play a part?” I said, oh yes. I would love to. He said, “You can choose. You can pick the part you want to play.” I said, Luke, there’s this one little girl. She’s like a fighter and her name is Meha and I love her! I love the character. He said, “You got it.” He said, “I knew you would pick that,” and he said, “that was actually my choice as well.” So, I was playing this part Meha, and we did three movies together. One was released and I went to the movie theaters, and the fans could see it. The other two ones, there was some problems with the management and stuff, so they were not officially out, but I think he resolved all the problems, so they will be released next year as well. They are adventure movies. They play on the Bronze time. It’s pretty wild. Then Luke asked me if I want to play a part again in this Western movie and he said he’s filming it in America and doing parts in Switzerland. I said, yes, I definitely want to do it. He said, “it’s this Calamity Jane character, but you can’t wear any makeup.”  And I said, oh, ok. Usually, I always like to wear makeup. He said, “no, no, no. Just put dirt on your face.” I thought, ok. If you want me to do it, I’ll do it. So, I did it a couple of weeks ago and we filmed it, and it’s pretty cool. I played this character and he said, “you’ve got to be more bossy.” And I thought, oh man! It’s hard for me because usually in our band or when we do something, I always do it very much super nice with lots of sensitivity and kindness and good vibes. He said, “no, no. She was the boss!” Ok. Then I did it and it was a lot of fun. So, that will come out in ’26. I think the work title is You Lucky Bastard. And we did three songs for the soundtrack.

SFL Music Magazine: At the Castle Donington you were the first female to front a metal band at that Monsters of Rock show which was monumental. It’s been over four decades. You’ve done a total of twenty studio albums both solo and with Warlock, correct?

Pesch: I think even more. Some records, they didn’t come out in America, especially when the grand times were big, it was pretty difficult for normal metal rock bands. So, we did a couple more records, but I think the die-hard fans, they got them all. They got the whole collection. Sometimes people say, “it was so expensive. It was like five-hundred dollars, but I got it!”

SFL Music Magazine: What would you say attributes to your success and longevity?

Pesch: Actually, it is easy to answer. It’s the love for the fans and the love for the music. I love them so much and that’s the reason why I don’t have a family. I don’t have kids. I was never married. I’m really married to the fans and to the music. I love it so much and I think it’s so exciting, and it’s so healing. You can do so much great things with music to touch people’s heart and soul. I just love it! I don’t know, sometimes I feel like that was my calling in life since I was a little girl.

SFL Music Magazine: What would you recommend to a new artist, a new musician?

Pesch: I would say, do what you feel is right. Always follow your heart. Follow your gut feeling.  Follow your soul and try to connect with good people who would support you. If nobody supports you, then just believe in yourself. These days you can do so much on the internet. Get a fan base. and then I would say, do it as much as you can. If you can practice every day, that’s great because you always learn, you always get better. When you give out lots of energy, then I think you get lots of energy back like lots of good people or friends or people who want to be part of your thing. Then I would just say, try out what really feels good to you. What you can bring to the table which is, everybody is unique. Everybody has something different to give. So, find your spot and then always try to get better. Practice a lot, and it’s always an up and down. So, know that for sure. It never goes straight up. It always goes up and down. Then hang in there and always do what you can, even in not so good times. Just give it your all and in the end, you will definitely succeed if you find your niche’, if you find your path. If you feel that you can change people’s lives. Give them something either motivation or a good feeling or some good thoughts. I think that’s all you can do. Just be yourself and follow your heart and soul and do what feels right to you, and then do it if possible, every day. I feel it’s important to not have too long, like times where you say, oh you know, I’ll go back and do it whenever, three weeks. It’s important when you have ideas to do it right away because the moment, that’s sometimes so powerful, so magical. So, don’t wait. If you have an idea, just do it. Even if it’s totally crazy, but go for it!

SFL Music Magazine: That’s great advice! You were a graphic designer. Do you ever give your input with your albums and everything?

Pesch: Yes, all the time Lori. I work with the graphic artist whose is doing the posters. I have a great painter, his name is Geoffrey Gillespie and he’s doing most of the stuff. Then we get it and we do a little special extra to it. I was specialized in types. So, in the logos and all the writing. I still love doing that. So, yes. I’m always involved with things.

SFL Music Magazine: Johnny Dee also has that background.

Pesch: Nick as well. Nick Douglas, he is really good at it as well, and Johnny. I think many musicians have the same. Somehow, they like art and music. The other day, I was in the Hard Rock Hotel in Fort Lauderdale, and I wanted to look at the guitar thing. Lori, you know what I’m talking about, right?

SFL Music Magazine: Yes.

Pesch: I was there. It was the first time that I saw it. Wow, it was overwhelming. Then I was walking around. Suddenly I saw a little gallery and it said, “Paul Stanley is coming up in two hours” and I said, no way! Then I saw Paul Stanley there and he had this exhibition and all his paintings, and the die-hard Kiss fans were there. So, I think many musicians, they like graphic stuff like painting and all that.

SFL Music Magazine: Was there anything else you want the fans to know?

Pesch: The fans mean the most to me. They are always the greatest thing in my world, and I will give it my all ‘til the day I die. I hope I will see them all next year at festivals on tour, and I love them. They’re always deep inside my heart Für Immer. Forever.