Dressed in a studded leather jacket and sporting her signature black makeup over her light eyes, Doro Pesch chats with Wikimetal in a setting that's a mix of a teenage fan's bedroom and an altar to her own legacy.
Throughout the Zoom interview, it's noticeable that the iconic German vocalist has photos and posters everywhere, with her friend Lemmy Kilmister to her right, and another Doro (a life-size cardboard cutout) looking at the camera right behind her.
“We’re going to Brazil and we can’t wait, it’s so exciting. This will be our first tour of 2023 and there’s no better way to start the year,” the vocalist comments about coming to Monsters of Rock right away, with a contagious smile and enthusiasm. Even with so much time in her career and iconic status, having earned the well-deserved title of Queen of Metal, she seems like a young, lively, and genuinely happy person to be having that conversation, perhaps the fifth or sixth on her scheduled interview list for the day.
At 58 years old, the German vocalist made history in the world of metal, often without even realizing it. In 1986, at the Monsters of Rock in Castle Donington, England, Doro was still the vocalist for Warlock and became the first woman to perform at the festival. At the time, the band had no idea of the scale of the event.
“I thought there would be five or six thousand people there. But there were 80,000 headbangers, everyone going crazy, you could feel the good energy,” she recalled. “And it was incredible to be the first woman to play at the festival. I never felt different, but everyone reminds me [of that achievement], I think it’s great. I’m just a musician, I just do what I love.”
That performance was a game-changer for Warlock, who soon embarked on a tour as Judas Priest , allowing Doro to quit her formal job as a graphic designer to dedicate herself solely to metal. "When I started, I never thought it would last more than five years, but now I'm about to complete 40 years in the business and I can still play at Monsters of Rock, that's wonderful! That gives me the energy to make about 20 new albums in a row," she says.
Doro's next album, her first since Forever Warriors, Forever United (2018), is expected to arrive sometime in 2023. Still untitled, the singer's fourteenth album is "almost ready" and scheduled for release on October 27th.
Incidentally, the leather jacket from the outfit worn for the interview (and the matching fingerless gloves) are no longer made of animal leather as they once were. Doro has been vegan for years and intends to pay homage to animals in the song "Heavenly Creatures," part of her highly anticipated new album.
“These clothes look like real leather, but it’s artificial, because I love animals. When I started [in music], I wasn’t aware of this, but I became vegan many years ago,” she explains. “I love animals so much that I don’t want to hurt them, whether it’s for stage clothes or to enjoy food for a moment. So I’m totally vegan and I only use vegan leather too, it feels great.”
As a guardian of animals rescued from mistreatment, such as horses, and godmother to others in institutions, Doro's goal in her yet-to-be-released song, declaring her love for animals, is to raise awareness about the suffering of these creatures. "It's a sensitive topic, but maybe I can do something with this song to [touch] those who still don't know what happens to animals."
Although not always explicitly stated, Doro Pesch's activism is present in the artist's music in a subtle and palatable way within rock n' roll, but no less relevant for that. "I always want to empower people," she confirms. "To give strength and power to the fans, so that they fight for themselves, do the right thing, fight for good causes. I believe that everyone knows what is right in their heart, so that is my mission and I try to maintain a positive [message], which is difficult to do in metal."
For at least two decades, the singer-songwriter has made a point of avoiding infernal clichés or heavy lyrics, without ever abandoning quality heavy metal, as in "Raise Your Fist In The Air".
Known for her iconic look, with long platinum blonde hair and tight leather outfits, Doro was pressured throughout her career to show more skin and adopt a more objectified posture, something she never accepted, just as she never gave up on making the music she wanted, despite the pressure from the record labels, so powerful in the 1980s and 1990s.
“Some people just want hit albums and money, they want you to become more commercial, [they told me] to stop using leather, that I should be more radio-friendly,” she recalls.
In one of those clashes of wills, between capital and artistic desires, the album Love Me in Black wasn't even released outside of Germany at the time. Someone from Doro's record label at the time said she should dye her hair black, get a new haircut, and look "more modern" with a completely different style. "I'm not a fashion clown," was the artist's reply.
“Sometimes, the pressure was too much, especially regarding my appearance. In the music videos, they always said I needed more skin, more nudity, more sex appeal. And I would say, 'No, I feel comfortable the way I am.' It's natural, you know? I get dressed and think, 'Yes, I like this.' Sexy, but not too sexy,” she says.
One of the few female vocalists in 1980s metal bands, Doro was a counterpoint to the common images of eroticized women in rock and metal music videos, always dancing or scantily clad. “Yes, it was beautiful and sexy, but it’s not powerful. And I always thought that, whatever you do, you should be powerful, you shouldn’t look cheap or tacky.”
Monsters of Rock lineup , Doro promised all the Warlock classics, with emphasis on the albums Burning Witches and Triumph and Agony, and maybe a new song.
The seventh edition of Monsters of Rock in Brazil will take place on April 22nd at Allianz Parque in São Paulo. The event will feature KISS, Scorpions, Deep Purple, Helloween, Candlemass, Symphony X, and Doro. Tickets range from R$240 to R$2,500 and are available Eventim website .
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