Doro Pesch

Background

The German metal band, Warlock, consisted of guitarists Rudy Graf and Peter Szigeti, bassist Frank Rittel, and drummer Michael "Micha" Eurich, fronted by vocalist Doro Pesch. Originally formed in 1983, the group issued their debut album in 1984, Burning the Witches. Pesch immediately attracted the attention of fans and press, becoming the spokesperson and the main means of promotion for the band. The mix of traditional heavy metal and power ballads, together with her voice and stage presence, led Warlock to success -- a major exception in the 80's metal scene, normally dominated by male-fronted metal bands. Warlock signed a new contract with Phonogram, and released the albums Hellbound in 195 and True as Steel in 1986, sharing the stage of European rock festivals with some of the best hard rock and heavy metal bands of the period. On August 16, 1986, Pesch was the first woman to front a heavy metal band at the Monsters of Rock festival in Castle Donington, England -- the most important European rock meeting of the 80's (Henderson).

Warlock called it quits by 1988, as Pesch launched her solo career (Prato). As a solo act, she didn't inundate listeners with the sort of gothic fantasy themes that Warlock was known for. Released in 1989, Pesch's debut solo album, Force Majeure, was more pop-metal/hard rock than anything else, followed by her second album Doro and her third, True at Heart.

A few years after that, Pesch and similar artists suffered a major setback. When grunge icons Nirvana and Pearl Jam exploded commercially in 1992 and 1993, alternative rock became rock's primary direction; before they everyone knew it, heavy metal and hard rock were suddenly out of vogue. Nonetheless, Pesch continued to command a small but loyal following, especially in Europe, and kept touring and recording as a solo artist (Henderson).

Why She Matters

In the 1980's, the presence of women in rock, and in particular in heavy metal bands, was usually considered by press and fans more for glamour and sexual exploitation than for the musicianship showed. However, Doro Pesch was one of the few exceptions -- her qualities as a vocalist and songwriter in Warlock and her commitment in promoting their music and her avoidance of posturing as a sex symbol won the respect of a solid fan base. Her frequent tours in the 1990's maintained her visibility in the eyes of the fans and granted her enough income to survive the bleak period. In Spain, she was so popular that was voted for thirteen times Best International Singer by the readers of the music magazine Heavy Rock. With the return of heavy metal in the charts worldwide, Doro again became a star of the metal scene, highly requested all over the world, and was treated by the media as a revered veteran and an inspiration for new female singers (Prato). As Floor Jansen of After Forever stated in a 2007 interview, to duet with Doro "was a huge honor and we chose her because she was a pioneer of the female fronted scene" (MetalRules). Doro herself was also aware early in her career to have the role to give other women self-confidence in the metal world.