Årets upplaga av Time To Rock Festival går av stapeln 5-8 juli 2024 och vi laddar upp med intervjuer med banden som spelar. Första band ut är Doro där Rocknytts Diane Webb fått ställa några frågor till Doro.
Hi Doro, great to speak with you again. I hope you’ve been well. Let’s just dive right in… With live gigs being back in full force and the pandemic on the downside, how do you think the pandemic changed you as an artist?
– I don’t think much because I always try to keep busy, and like you said, the “Triumph and Agony Live”, I did, and it was a Blu-ray as well. There was a lot of stuff to do. And then I worked nonstop on the new album. It took like three years, and I could use the time to really concentrate on every song on the recording, and on the mixing.
When you’re on tour all the time it is hard to do a record at the same time. So, for me, it was actually pretty good, and I think I just can appreciate it now much more when we play live and where we can play all these great festivals because when you know when there was no chance to do it then wow, you really could feel like, man, I miss it. I miss the fans and especially the festivals, and the gigs… so yeah, I can appreciate it all even more so. But as a person, I think not much has changed.
I always like to work on stuff. When I’m working on something, I don’t even know what’s going on outside of the studio. When I have something to do, I always get lost in the work, and the process and then I’m totally exhausted and I fall asleep. I don’t even know if it’s day or night. Usually, it’s late at night. I love working at night. It was ok for me, I didn’t suffer. I could do some gigs that were a little different, gigs like beach chair shows and drive-in shows, so we could still kind of keep it going. We did some streaming. It was actually pretty cool, and I could travel still because I have a green card, so I could go to America, fly and work there some more on the album. There was a total lockdown in Germany, so that was pretty good to be able to do.
Is 2024 back to full-speed touring for you?
– Yes, full-speed. Lots of festivals lined up, gigs, and touring. Our booker is still booking some more stuff. You know, that’s my favorite thing to do, playing live. I love it. I had two great gigs, one in Wacken and one in my former hometown, Dusseldorf. And we celebrated my big anniversaries, and it was great. It was like a 2 and 1/2 hour show.
Many guests came up like Mickey D of Motörhead and Phil Campbell. We did some Motörhead stuff to give thanks and honor to Lemmy and Tarja Turunen was there in Dusseldorf and Elissa White-Glutz, of Arch Enemy, and Angela Gossow of Arch Enemy were both there as well. It was a historic moment, both of the ladies were on stage for the first time together. George Schneider, Mille Petrozza of Kreator and Andy Brings, were there and so many great people. We played Ace of Spades with Mille at the show in Dusseldorf. We had different guests in Wacken and different guests in Dusseldorf. We’re working on a big DVD package.
I’m excited to hop on stage again. Getting ready, practicing the songs, and doing some studio stuff.
That sounds so amazing. The Swedish fans love Doro, and they welcome you to the Time To Rock Festival. Do you have any hopes or expectations for this festival?
– The Swedish audience was always great. It was always fantastic. Phenomenal. I just expect a great atmosphere again. You know the same way, like we always rock together. We’ll play all the highlights from old-school stuff to some of the best songs on the new album. I let the fans pick all the new songs on the album. Because I can’t make up my mind, I love them all. They’re 20 songs on this new album.
We are trying to get a good show together and playing the best of the best stuff. I know the fans are always there. I am excited, it’s always so great to play there. It’s one of my favorite countries to play in. I love the mentality and you always get treated very well. It’s rare, especially in festival situations. I always felt like, you know, other countries could learn from them. It was always perfect. We always had people who took care of us (the band, the crew), and it was super, super professional. That’s great. My tour manager and my road crew are always so happy there, you know? And everything works well and it’s organized. I just hop on stage. I don’t have to do anything like the technical stuff that’s up to the guys and the crew. I feel like everybody can enjoy the show more. There are no surprises, and everything is set up. So that has been my experience there and I’m pretty sure it will be the same. Always has great sound, a great location, great audience. That’s the most important thing for me. I’m really looking forward to it.
In your opinion as a performer, what characterizes a good festival for you from your perspective?
– To me, the audience is the most important ingredient and I live for the fans. When I can make the fans happy, they go crazy, and they have a good time. When I feel I can touch their heart and souls, then that’s a highlight for me and I always try my best to give the fans, all I’ve got, always give it 110%. The fans, that’s all I care about and how they feel. That they enjoy it.
What is it like for you, and is there a difference for you playing a festival compared to a club or an arena? How does it feel to you? Is it all about the fans or do you have a preference?
– No, preference. I love it all. I love it from super small, sweaty, dirty clubs to super nice festivals and big festivals, arenas, small festivals. It’s all good. Every show is a real privilege, and I always feel like it’s great. I want to do my best even in front of a couple of people. I would give it my all. So, there’s no difference. It’s always an adventure, sometimes small things, you know, can be so exciting. When a few of the fans are sweating. When I feel they’re sweating in my face, like with their long hair you know. I definitely love these small clubs when you can get really close. And the big festivals when you hear like, yeah, everybody’s singing along when it’s like a massive choir like this is like, wow, you know. Sometimes it brings me to my knees, and I love it all. It doesn’t matter.
If I feel people enjoy it, that’s the most important thing and so far, in the last 40 years, I thought every gig was good. People enjoyed it and had a great time. I always hope they will never forget it, and that they had the time of their lives. That’s always my goal for each show.
That’s awesome and it’s true, live events are all about making great memories. As a fan, if you go to a great show, you remember every moment. No matter how long ago it was.
– Yes, absolutely, it’s great to meet friends from other bands too. That’s what I love. You know, when we do festivals, sometimes I haven’t seen people in a couple of years and then, you know, just a big hug, and it feels like the time didn’t pass. I love so many bands, and so many bands inspired us, and inspired me. So last year there when we played with Judas Priest in France at Hellfest, a very nice festival, and we were hanging out backstage talking and then, you know, and Rob Halford was asking me what I’m doing, and I said, just finishing up a new album, you know, just mixing and then we looked at each other and I said, Rob, are you thinking the same?
It would be a good idea to do something together and he said absolutely, we’ve known each other for such a long time, my first tour with Judas Priest was in 1986, and we’ve stayed friends. Then we said let’s do something together. There are these two duets on this new album, and it was all because of the festival.
It wouldn’t have been possible, just writing an e-mail or something. It doesn’t work like that. You know, when you see each other, talk a little bit, hang out, especially backstage when it’s a good, good atmosphere, then yeah, certain things can happen and it’s that’s fantastic. I met Gene Simmons again from Kiss and he produced one of our records. That was in Brazil, at the Monsters of Rock Festival. The Scorpions were there too. It always feels like a big family. I always feel everybody supports the other bands. That is a very nice feeling. You know it’s like it, it goes without saying, but you feel it. And then sometimes when people are standing at the monitor desk and watching the show, I think oh, that’s so awesome, you know? Even behind the scenes, even backstage, it’s great, and sometimes I make a lot of friends backstage. It doesn’t take a long time, especially when you’re a musician or singer or whatever, you always have so many things in common, you click right away and it’s like, wow, that’s so cool.
You answered part of one of the questions I had about how the collaboration came up on “Living After Midnight.” How did the other happen?
– Yes and “Total Eclipse of the Heart”. Actually, that was the last song we recorded for this album, and I was already happy having Rob Halford doing a duet of “Living After Midnight”, with me. Then the record was done and suddenly I got an e-mail and Rob [Halford, Judas Priest] said so what’s about, the song I wanted to do, “Total Eclipse of the Heart?” I said, oh my God, really two songs. That’s almost too much. Then, we went right back into the studio, and worked some more on it because we did demos of both songs, and I gave him a demo of “Total Eclipse of the Heart” in Spain. There was Rock Fest, another festival, and I said yeah, you know, up here I recorded a little demo. Check it out. It’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart.” He said he said, oh, wasn’t your choice “Living After Midnight?” and I said, yes, you want to do it too. So, I recorded “Living After Midnight” and I thought, man, you know, it would be impossible to do even two songs. We finished “Living After Midnight” but then Rob said, yeah, definitely, let’s do “Total Eclipse of the Heart”, and I think it’s one of the absolute highlights on this album. We did a video, and it came out so nice. That means so much to me because I was a big fan and he was a big influence on my first big tour in 86, so it meant so much to me.
You also had a duet with Sammy Amara or the Broilers, “Bond Unending”, how did that one come about for the album?
– It was at the end of 2022. I was on tour and then somebody said, hey, can I give out your phone number? There’s somebody who wants to ask you something. And I said, well, who is it? He said it’s Sammy Amara of the Broilers.
And I said, oh yes, sure. I didn’t know him before. I just knew the band. The Broilers, they’re a big band in Germany and they fill stadiums, so I gave out my number and then we got in touch and Sammy was asking me if I wanted to do a guest appearance on their two shows in Dusseldorf, they’re from the same hometown Dusseldorf, and they always do like these two Christmas shows. And they’re great and always sold out and he said, would you like to be a guest? And I said, yes, you know that would be great. So that was the first time we met, and we rehearsed in my old rehearsal room. I didn’t know that they were rehearsing in the same. It’s an old factory where many bands rehearse, and I started there with my first band, Snake Bite and Warlock and all these bands I was in. We rehearsed and it felt good. We had good chemistry, and we did one song and then we said, man, you know, one song is not enough. Let’s do another song. And then we said, how about “Breaking the Law”, and we said, oh, yeah, let’s do it. So, I did two songs each night and after the second night, the fans loved it, they have a little bit of a different audience, they’re very young. The audience is like, I guess I would say, between 15 and 25. I have a little bit older audience and you know, but the young people loved it. After the show we said, hey, it worked out so well, let’s do something together.
You know, I’m just finishing this album and then a couple of weeks later, we met and wrote the song “Bond Unending”, a song about a deep friendship which will last forever. And yeah, and then it came out so cool and now so yeah, it must be on this album.
It has a bit of a different flavor. I think radio picked up on it and it got many radio plays which usually for our metal songs that’s not the case. But this one did good. So that was a treat. I didn’t know him and he’s a super nice guy, a great guitar player as well. Great performer, a great singer and yeah, so there was, there was a big surprise for me.
What is your favorite song to perform live?
– “All We Are” and “Für Immer”, because I know people are always so happy singing along. It’s usually the sing-along part in the middle of the song that can sometimes go on and I see people getting more and more excited. Oh yeah, it’s always great.
“Für Immer”, was the first song. And yeah, German and English, a little Spanish sentence. And there we have a middle part as well, like an oh, oh, oh part… that always gives me goosebumps. I know sometimes people, you know, have little tears in their eyes because they feel so touched. So, these two songs are my favorites.
I haven’t really played the new songs yet. Two times I did “Time for Justice” and one time “Children of the Dawn.” So, I hope that the new album will have songs which make everybody feel the same as getting excited or touched.
But “All We Are” and “Für Immer”, did wonders. The whole “Triumph and Agony” album, that’s the reason why we did a “Triumph and Agony Live” album. We recorded it all over the world, but we took all the bits and pieces from Sweden, and there’s a little bit of the Spain gigs in it, but most of it is Sweden because the Swedish audience was unbelievable, and the feel is so great.
That’s awesome. Let me ask you if you could choose completely without, even thinking about any sort of financial obligation or anything of a collaboration to do, who would it be with and what would you do?
– One collaboration is unfortunately not possible anymore because it would have been Ronnie James Dio and me, I heard from some journalists that there was a plan to make Magica 2 and Magica 3 albums and we were on the Magica Tour in America. We got along so great we became great friends and so we told some journalists that we would do a duet together. That would have been my dream, but it never came to that, and sadly can’t anymore.
Some other people I would love to do it with Blackie Lawless of W.A.S.P. I’m a big W.A.S.P. fan.
It was my first tour in 86 in the UK. David Coverdale, oh I love him so much. That was the first rock concert I’ve ever seen. It was in 1980 when I had my first band, and I was blown away. He was such a good frontman and singer.
Rob Halford. I did already, one dream came true.
Maybe James Hetfield. That would be awesome. I hope I can do many more records and surprise the fans with many more duets.
When we were in Dusseldorf, Elissa White-Glutz was there, and we did “All for Metal” together and “Touch of Evil” and that worked so well. So maybe I will call her and ask if she’s into doing a new song or doing that song again. That was cool and sounded good.
And I think the fans loved it, so that was perfect. She did sometimes her normal singing voice and sometimes the growl vocal especially for “Touch of Evil, that song of “Triumph and Agony.” That was really, that was fantastic.
Lizzy Hale, I like a lot. We’ve never met in person. We just know of each other and sometimes we write little messages on Instagram and stuff. That would be good.
There are many people which would be awesome and of course one of my favorite duets was with Johann Hegg of Amon Amarth.
Yeah, with the two songs on their album “Jomsviking”, “A Dream That Cannot Be”, and on my last album, “The Forever Warriors // Forever United”, it was kind of the follow-up, you know, like the dark love story, “If I Can’t Have You – No One Will.” That was great. And I love them. That’s one of my favorite bands.
All these people I just mentioned would be awesome. There are probably more surprises on the way of people I don’t even know yet.
Last question, what do you hope that the audience takes with them from your performance at Time To Rock?
– I would hope they have memories they will never forget. Usually, it’s, you know, with these anthems like “All We Are” and “Für Immer”, and I hope that it will embrace the new songs as much as these two songs.
I will definitely play the highlights all killers, no fillers. And you know from old school metal, you know, from probably “Burning the Witches” to the new album.
There’s something for everybody, for the younger fans who maybe just know the last couple of records, to the old-school metal heads who started with us in the 80s. The whole spectrum will be there from super-hot to anthems to some soulful stuff. Everything that gets you going, you know, lots of fire and passion. I hope I will see some sweaty metal heads banging their head and singing along the loudest they can.
Then they will go home and say, wow, that was a hell of a night or a hell of a day, and they will not forget it. And everyone says yeah, I want to see that show again and I want to see that woman again on stage. This would be awesome.
Thank you for the great interview, Doro! See you at Time To Rock Festival in July!
Time To Rock Festival går av stapeln i Knislinge, 5-8 juli.
Alastair Green, Aldo Nova, Amaranthe, Amorphis, Anti-Nowhere, League, Bite Me, Bow Wow, Brian Downey’s Alive and Dangerous, Doro, Ebba Gold, Electric Banana Band, Eradikated, Eric Johanson, Gabba, Geordie, Hardcore Superstar, Hexed, Janne, Schaffer’s My Music Story Band, Jean Beauvoir, Joddla Med Siv, Junkyard Drive, Kee Marcello, Michael Monroe, Mike Tramp, Murasaki, Pedalens Pågar, Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons, Portrait, Pretty Maids, Raven, Sator, Släkkten, Sme’ns Baglomma, Steelwings, The 69 Eyes, The Anti-Queens, The Fiascos, Torsson, Unleash The Archers, Uriah Heep, Vandenberg, Velvet Insane, Visions of Atlantis, Vypera.
