Doro – Strong And Proud - 30 Years Of Rock And Metal album review

Metal’s warrior queen Doro marks a milestone

Doro album cover

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Dorothee Pesch has made quite an impact since bursting onto the scene in the early 80s as a member of Warlock.

Blessed with a wide-eyed enthusiasm that never waned, the singer from Düsseldorf helped to set many of the boundaries that we know today, never using her gender to sell records, each victory or landmark – in 1986 she became the first woman to front a metal band at Castle Donington – however large or small, building towards a career that now spans more than three decades.

Including a spot in front of 85,000 fans at the Wacken Festival, Strong And Proud is a three-DVD celebration of The Metal Queen. Two further anniversary gigs were filmed in her home town, one enhanced by an orchestra, the other a more traditional affair. A two-hour-plus documentary called Behind The Curtain, Inside The Heart Of Doro also attempts to pierce Doro’s metal skin. Followed around by a camera crew for 12 months, she appears earnest, modest, driven and at times vulnerable, but never less than likeable. At more than six hours long Strong… may bore the casual fan, but it’s also a sincere portrayal of one of our genre’s most loyal and genuine servants.

Dave Ling

Dave Ling was a co-founder of Classic Rock magazine. His words have appeared in a variety of music publications, including RAW, Kerrang!, Metal Hammer, Prog, Rock Candy, Fireworks and Sounds. Dave’s life was shaped in 1974 through the purchase of a copy of Sweet’s album ‘Sweet Fanny Adams’, along with early gig experiences from Status Quo, Rush, Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Yes and Queen. As a lifelong season ticket holder of Crystal Palace FC, he is completely incapable of uttering the word ‘Br***ton’.