METALTALK • OCTOBER 2021 PHOTO: STEVE RITCHIE
DAVIDSTONE DORO PESCH
TRIUMPH AND AGONY Doro Pesch, the Metal Queen, talks about her time in ‘80s New York writing the Triumph And Agony album with Joey Balin, the challenges of having Für Immer included on the record and how one of her songs was the first to include three languages. It is impossible not to be swept along by the Metal Queen Doro. Her enthusiasm is infectious, and the passion with which she talks about her near fortyyear career is wonderfully abundant. The albums Burning The Witches, Hellbound and True As Steel led Doro to become the first woman to front a Metal band at the Monsters of Rock festival in Castle Donington on 16 August 1986. “It started for us in ‘86 when we played the legendary Monsters of Rock festival in Germany and Castle Donington England,” Doro told MetalTalk. “That was for us the most important day. We did not know that at the time, but people started to give us a chance. We hopped on tour with Judas Priest, who were my favourite band. We went on tour with W.A.S.P in the UK. I’m a big W.A.S.P fan, and that was awesome.” Triumph and Agony followed in Septem-
ber 1987 and would propel the band to even greater heights. “We could then tour with the legendary Ronnie James Dio,” Doro says. “I couldn’t ask for more. I don’t know if I was lucky, but I could tour with my favourite bands in the world, Aerosmith, Motörhead, Saxon.”
gan advising her and later became her American manager. “Alex was from Switzerland. He could speak German and English,” Doro says. “I had had a hit, so Alex connected me with some people and suggested I check out the Metal scene, clubs and record stores.”
Doro was a big Kiss fan. “Gene Simmons produced one of our records, and it’s a dream come true every day. Still every day.”
Doro was introduced to Joey Balin, who would subsequently produce Triumph and Agony, and the pair explored New York. “I was in heaven,” Doro says. “Record stores opened 24 hours in New York, and I’m a big vinyl collector, so that was awesome. Joey was a musician, a little bit older than me, and a nice guy. We checked out the clubs.
Triumph and Agony was recorded in the US, but Doro was across the pond on a short promotion tour before that. “We were meant to stay for three dates, but after two, I knew I wanted to stay,” Doro told us. “Everything fell into place. I got hooked up with great people, but I wanted to have an American manager.” With a German manager already on board covering Europe, Doro found Alex Grohl, a psychologist, who be12
“I don’t drink much, and in Europe, we had great Metal clubs as well, so one night when Joey asked what I wanted to do, I said we should go to the apartment and have a little jam session, which Joey thought was a good idea.”
