Interview with Warhead
Warhead is a Phoenix-based classic thrash metal band who pull influence from the likes of Metallica, Megadeth and Iron Maiden. Over the past few weeks, TBOS has been collaborating with them on a set of videos, chronicling the history of the band up to the release of their debut album, “Death Row”.
Here are some excerpts from the interview.
Sam Bollard, bass guitarist. Photo by Alec Damiano.
The Blog of Shredding: What inspired you to pursue music in the speed metal genre?
Sam Bollard (bass guitar): It’s what we write. It’s just what we write. We don’t write anything else.
Nolan Castles (lead vocals & guitar): Like yeah, it’s totally natural. It’s not like we’re going like for speed metal, or thrash, death, whatever. You know what I mean? It was just like, we got together, wrote some songs, and that’s what it came out to be.
Cody Bailey, lead guitarist. Photo by Alec Damiano.
TBOS: What moment made you realize, “I wanna pursue music for the rest of my life?”
Cody Bailey (lead guitar): Definitely watching a lot of live videos of just bands that I liked.
Dane White (drums): Metallica.
Cody Bailey: Yeah, I definitely just wanted to be in their position and get them the hell off the stage and put me there.
Drummer Dane White. Photo by Alec Damiano
TBOS: What differentiates you from the rest of the Phoenix metal scene?
Dane White: Our stage show is probably one of the (things). I mean, music is one thing for us, but we have electricity when we play that I don’t really see in a lot of other bands when I look at other local bands. No offense to any of them, but I feel there’s definitely a stronger performance chemistry we have when we play together, and I think the audience notices that too. So I think that’s one of the things that sets us off from the others.
Nolan Castles, lead vocalist and guitarist. Photo by Alec Damiano.
TBOS: How do you get your hair to be so fabulous?
Nolan Castles: To be honest, my hair is all-natural.
Sam Bollard: Head and Shoulders.
Nolan Castles: I wash my hair with dirt, shampoo. Hopefully someone leaves some regurgitation in the sink here.
Dane White: Oh God! (laughs)
Sam Bollard: We wash our hair with brew, take showers with dirt. (others laugh) And that’s about it. We’re thrash. We eat pizza. We drink. We f——- party and we get 45 seconds of sleep and we do it all over again!
Dane White: We literally do none of those things! (laughs)
Nolan Castles: Yes, we party hard. And then when we’re all done, we all go home for dinner.
Sam Bollard: We have a curfew.
Nolan Castles: “Two minutes to midnight” (in reference to the Iron Maiden song of the same name).
Sam Bollard: The f—— thrash curfew!… (laughs) Then we have to “hit the lights” (in reference to the Metallica song).
Warhead will perform at the Nile Theater in Mesa, Ariz. on April 18. Their debut album, “Death Row,” will be released May 16. They will also be interviewed on RockDefRadio Friday, April 5 at 8 p.m. ET.
You can hear their cover of Megadeth’s “Take No Prisoners” below.
Guest DJ Week here at the Blaze is always an interesting experience. In an attempt to one-up everybody else, Damage Inc. brought in one of Arizona’s most promising young death metal acts as well as one of the leading concert promoters in the Valley. Solar Impulse and Kim of 13th Floor Entertainment brought the house down with their lively discussion, earnest insights, and cock jokes. Click the pretty blue link below to jump in, and a very big thank you to all who helped make Guest DJ Week a complete success.
Be sure to check out Solar Impulse and listen to their music on Facebook and ReverbNation.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Solarimpulseofficial
ReverbNation: http://www.reverbnation.com/solarimpulsemetal
Chase Hansel (Guitars)
Matt Hobart (Vocals)
Nathan Bigelow (Drums)
And continue to check in with 13th Floor Entertainment to see what kickass shows are heading your way.
Official Website: http://www.13thfloorentertainment.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/13thfloorentertainment?fref=ts
Kimberly LaRowe
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Release Date: March 26, 2013
Label: Frontiers Records
Skid Row’s “Slave to the Grind” is one of my favorite albums of all time. When I heard that I had the opportunity to review Sebastian’s Bach’s latest solo effort, I jumped at the chance.
I had seen Bach live in December 2011 when he opened for Guns N’ Roses. He put on a fantastic show. I also saw Skid Row (with current singer Johnny Solinger) in July 2012, and they also put on a fantastic show. I refused to choose sides in the Bach-Skid debacle.
But “ABachalypse Now” leaves much to be desired.
“ABachalypse Now” is a CD/DVD package, but I was only able to review the audio portion.
The album is two discs. Disc 1 was recorded at Hellfest, France, and Disc 2 was recorded at the Club Nokia in Los Angeles. The latter was broadcasted on AXS TV. Both…
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Welcome to Warhead
Warhead is a speed/thrash metal band based out of Phoenix, Ariz. Their songs are written in the vein of the Big Four of Thrash Metal (Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax and Slayer). They look like they got time-warped into 2013 straight from the 80s, and they sound like it too.
TBOS got the opportunity to interview Warhead and film them as they were rehearsing for their upcoming show. You can also hear their song, “Death Row,” in the video below.
Tomorrow March 15, they will perform at the Rocky Point Cantina in Tempe, Ariz. Other bands on the bill include: Hemoptysis, Scattered Guts, Existence AD, and Fail to Reason. The show is all ages and tickets are $5. Doors open at 7 p.m.
Warhead will be touring in May in support of their debut album, “Death Row”. The full-length interview and more concert footage will be posted on TBOS closer to the album’s release date.
Warhead “Death Row” West Coast Tour 2013:
May 16 – Phoenix
May 17 – San Diego
May 18 – Los Angeles
May 19 – San Francisco
May 21 – Sacramento
May 22 – Eugene
May 23 – Portland
May 25 – Seattle
May 26 – Boise
May 27 – Salt Lake City
May 28 – Las Vegas
For more updates, visit their Facebook page.
Hands of a Traitor: High School Metal Heroes
Hands of a Traitor. From left to right: Jacob Ricker (vocals), Kieran Lynch (guitar), Emile Trudeau (bass), Darin Senyk (guitar). Photo by Alec Damiano.
Hands of a Traitor have opened up for legends like Doro Pesch. While many metal bands have to wait until they’re adults in order to accomplish such a feat, HOAT is comprised entirely of high school sophomores.
TBOS got to sit in with the band as they worked with local filmmaker, Gil Tabasa, who will be directing the music video for their single, “Paper Prisons”.
HOAT reflect on how they got their start playing music, why they have become successful, and their upcoming concept series.
You can hear the interview below!
Your Arizona Metal staff welcomes you to the month of March by giving you another installment of Damage Inc., the best metalcast this side of the Loop-101. John Brady, Tom Kushibab, and noob radio personality Alec Damiano bring you information on the latest metal releases and shows around the greater-Phoenix area, and update you on the shows soon to blow through venues near you. Also, be sure to listen to opinions on women in metal, how relevant metal music might be to the college environment (if at all), and the ongoing power struggles on the interwebz. Damage Inc. airs every Saturday at noon on The Blaze 1330 AM and http://www.blazeradioonline.com, but you can always find the latest episodes right here on Arizona Metal. Now, click that brilliant blue link below and buckle up.
This week’s featured local artist/song: Ursus Colossus – “Eidolon”
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ursuscolossus
Bandcamp: http://www.ursuscolossus.bandcamp.com
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Interview with Frosthelm
Frosthelm is number one on the ReverbNation metal charts in North Dakota. They will be working with Ralph Santolla (Death, Decide, Obituary), and are in the process of recording their first full-length album, which will be mixed by Grammy winner Matt Hyde (Slayer, Skeletonwitch).
TBOS got the chance to speak to bassist and co-founder Jim Cherry. You can hear the full chat below!
Their EP, “The North Winds Rend Flesh,” is available on iTunes.
CORRECTION (3/5/13): Ralph Santolla will be working on Frosthelm’s next album. Matt Hyde will be mixing and mastering the current album, not producing it.
An article I wrote for KASC The Blaze 1330 AM.
From: Sao Paulo, Brazil
Current Members: Fernanda Lira (vocals/bass), Prika Amaral (guitar), Amilcar Christofaro(Torture Squad, Sepultura – drums)
For fans of: Slayer, Exodus, Sepultura
Thrash metal. It’s sweaty, hairy, and usually the domain of men. But Brazilian thrash metal trio Nervosa proves that women can shred just as aggressively as their male counterparts.
Formed in 2010, Nervosa started out as an all-female thrash trio with Fernanda Lira on bass and vocals, Prika Amaral on guitar, and Fernanda Terra on drums.
Three years and two drummers later, they have opened for the legendary Destruction and Exodus. They were also featured in November’s issue of Metal Hammer.
Their 2012 EP “Time of Death” was a success, and rightly so.
The title track showcases Lira’s bloodcurdling vocals, fluctuating between the sound of a female Phil Anselmo and the growls of Angela Gossow.
“Masked Betrayer,” the highlight of the EP, is what…
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DORO, SISTER SIN and More Live in Tempe, Ariz.
Last month, TBOS had the honor of interviewing the Metal Queen, Doro Pesch. The interview was transcribed in four parts, and the audio was featured on Blabbermouth.net.
Doro Pesch onstage. Photo by Alec Damiano.
Saturday, we had the pleasure of seeing and hearing Doro do what she does best–making people headbang till their necks turn sore!
Tempe’s Rocky Point Cantina held an epic mini metal-fest Saturday night, with a total of six bands performing.
Local Phoenix bands Unconscious Minds, Hands of a Traitor, Epyon and NightSphere primed the audience for Sister Sin and DORO.
First up were classic/thrash metal outfit, Unconscious Minds. They made Pantera fans proud with their soaring vocals and melodic bass lines.
Vocalist Manny Lopez of Unconscious Minds. Photo by Alec Damiano.
Unconscious Minds were the first act of the night and played a thrashing set. Photo by Alec Damiano.
Next were metalcore group Hands of a Traitor. They were definitely the youngest out of all the local bands, and they had a dedicated fanbase moshing in the audience. If you’re into newer metal like Asking Alexandria, this band is for you.
Hands of a Traitor tear it up as their fans moshed in the background. Photo by Alec Damiano.
Epyon played an impressive instrumental set that reminded concertgoers of classic Metallica (think “Orion”) and Death Angel. They also announced that they had found a singer, though the band performed as an instrumental quartet.
Members from Epyon played an instrumental classic metal set. Photo by Alec Damiano.
The last local band to perform was power metal act NightSphere. They made an impressive stage entrance with dimmed lights and fog floating through the air.
Power metal outfit NightSphere. Pictured are singer CJ McConnell and guitarist Elsthon Gomez. Photo by Alec Damiano.
Next were Swedish glam metallers Sister Sin. They played a nine-song setlist, which included tracks from all their albums. Four of the songs were from their latest record, “Now and Forever”. Liv Jagrell interacted energetically with the crowd, actually stepping off the stage to greet fans at one point. The audience was left clamoring for more after they finished.
Liv Jagrell, the energetic frontwoman from Sister Sin. Photo by Alec Damiano.
Finally, at 11:20 p.m., headliners DORO took the stage. They played 20 songs, about half of which were from Pesch’s previous band, Warlock. Highlights from the set were “Hero,” which was written as a tribute to the late Ronnie James Dio, a cover of Judas Priest’s “Breaking The Law”, and the Warlock anthem “All We Are,” where the members from Sister Sin returned to the stage to sing along and engage with the crowd.
Doro Pesch, DORO’s frontwoman and namesake, interacts energetically with the clamoring crowd. Photo by Alec Damiano.
Saturday night was an unforgettable night for Tempe metalheads. The headliners more than delivered and great local talent was also showcased.
Sister Sin joined DORO onstage for a memorable rendition of “All We Are”. Photo by Alec Damiano.
This Week In Metal: Slayer, Machine Head, Mayhem Fest and more
- In what came as as a shock to metalheads everywhere, Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo was allegedly fired for questioning contractual matters. You can read the full statement on his Facebook page.
Slayer released a statement shortly afterward, confirming that John Dette from Testament will be replacing Lombardo on the upcoming Australian tour. It is unclear when or if Lombardo will be readmitted into the band.
- Another shocking lineup change. Machine Head bassist Adam Duce has left the band. Robb Flynn remains the sole original member. An official statement released on the band’s website describes the split as “amicable,” and they wish Duce the best in his future endeavors.
- Loudwire premiered Anthrax’s new cover of AC/DC’s “T.N.T.” Their covers album, “Anthems,” will be released March 19.
In other Anthrax news, former guitarist Rob Caggiano performed onstage with Volbeat for the first time.
(link from Blabbermouth.net)
- Ghost B.C. (formerly known as Ghost) released the music video for their single “Secular Haze”. They also released the album artwork for “Infestissumam,” which goes onsale April 19.
- A new TV commercial was unveiled to promote the 2013 Revolver Golden God Awards, which will take place May 2. The video features Chris Jericho, Zakk Wylde, Sebastian Bach and others. Metallica is headlining the show. You can vote for the award recipients here.
- Skid Row debuted a preview of their new single, “Kings of Demolition” and announced that they have signed a deal with Megaforce Records. Their new EP, “United World Rebellion – Chapter One,” will be released in North America April 16.
- Other bands that have released studio updates this week: Megadeth, Children of Bodom, Steel Panther, Deep Purple.
- The official Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival lineup for 2013 will be released on March 18. A rumored lineup includes Rob Zombie, Five Finger Death Punch, Lamb of God, Children of Bodom and Amon Amarth.
Thus concludes this week in metal.
Why the Grammys Are Clueless About Metal
Unless you’ve been away from the headbanging world, you are aware that Halestorm won the 2013 Grammy for “Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance”. This win is historic in the sense that singer Lzzy Hale is the first female singer to ever be nominated for that category and win.
By all means, congrats to Halestorm. They are a hard working band and “Love Bites (So Do I)” is a great song.
But once again, this decision reflects the cluelessness of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS), the head of the Grammys, when it comes to metal.
The hard rock/metal category has undergone several changes.
The first and only “Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance Vocal or Instrumental” Grammy was awarded in 1989. It was expected that Metallica would win. Their album “…And Justice For All” had spawned the hit “One” and was their best-selling album to date.
But non-metal band Jethro Tull won.
Jethro Tull released an ad in Billboard Magazine showing a picture of a flute and the line, “The flute is a real, heavy metal instrument!” Subsequent editions of Metallica’s “…And Justice For All” contained a sticker reading “Grammy Award LOSERS.”
Metallica: 1989 Grammy award LOSERS. Photo courtesy frenk tatranky on Flickr.
Entertainment Weekly called it one of the biggest upsets in Grammy history.
Due to criticism of the academy, separate hard rock and metal categories were created (though the two genres were recombined into one category for the 2012 awards.)
Here are some more examples of the board’s knowledge:
- Metallica won the 1991 metal Grammy for their cover of Queen’s “Stone Cold Crazy,” though Queen itself was never nominated.
- Motörhead won the 2005 metal Grammy for a cover of Metallica’s “Whiplash”.
- The 2009 metal Grammy was awarded to Judas Priest for a live version of “Dissident Aggressor,” a song originally released in 1977.
Now it’s 2013, and though the board appears to have made progress, there are still changes to be made.
Up against Halestorm were Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Anthrax, Marilyn Manson and Lamb Of God.
Iron Maiden has one Grammy to their legendary name. They are often credited as one of the pioneers of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal and are regarded as one of the most successful metal bands of all time.
Anthrax and Megadeth are two of the Big Four of Thrash Metal, which were credited with popularizing the genre. Neither have won a Grammy. Megadeth holds the record for the most Grammy nominations (eleven) in the metal category without a win.
The hard rock/metal category is the still the only one dedicated to this art form and the award is not televised. Eddie Trunk and other metal journalists have complained about the outright disrespect for these musical genres by the board.
Though the talent of all this year’s nominees is unmistakable, Halestorm’s win is reminiscent of actions by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Winners and inductees are not chosen according to a band’s record sales or influence, but according to politics.
While KISS, Deep Purple (“Smoke on the Water”), Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, and countless other influential rock and metal bands have yet to be inducted, newer bands like Guns N’ Roses and non-rock acts like Madonna are in there.
With all due respect to Halestorm, the proponents of “Music’s Biggest Night” have a lot of explaining to do.
Ex-Anthrax Guitarist Rob Caggiano Joins Volbeat
Today, Danish groove metal band Volbeat announced that former Anthrax guitarist Rob Caggiano has joined their band.
Caggiano onstage with Anthrax. Photo courtesy clintjcl on Flickr.
The guitarist announced his departure from Anthrax exactly one month ago. Caggiano wished to focus on a career in music production and was in Denmark to producing Volbeat’s latest album, “Outlaw Gentlemen and Shady Ladies,” when vocalist Michael Paulsen asked him to join the band.
Caggiano was a member of Anthrax from 2001 to 2005 and again from 2007 to 2013.
This Week in Metal: NAMM, Ozzfest Japan, Whitesnake and More
This week in metal was a hard one to cover due to the excitement surrounding NAMM. So here are the highlights of this week:
- Ozzfest Japan 2013 will take place in May and feature Black Sabbath. Other bands include: Slipknot, Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators, Deftones, Tool, The Treatment, Dir En Grey and Steel Panther.
- Dave Mustaine revealed that Megadeth will embark on a short tour with Iron Maiden in Spain, Italy, and France. He said that Megadeth is nearly finished recording their fourteenth album, but did not reveal what record label they have signed with. Mustaine also gave some hints as to what bands will be on Gigantour 2013. He said they are “notorious bad boys”. Perhaps they will tour with Mötley Crüe once again?
- Dee Snider (Twisted Sister) was the subject of an all-star roast featuring Lita Ford, Zakk Wylde and Jim Norton.
- Ray Burton, father of deceased Metallica bassist Cliff Burton, signed autographs at the ARIA Guitars booth at NAMM.
David Ellefson of Megadeth (2nd from left) and Ray Burton (2nd from right) at the ARIA Guitars booth at NAMM 2013. Photo credit: Metallica official Facebook.
- Drummer Tommy Aldridge rejoined Whitesnake.
- A preview of the new 3D Guns N’ Roses concert film is now available.
- L.A. Guns posted the first photo of their new lineup featuring guitarist Michael Grant (Endeverafter).
New lineup of L.A. Guns. Photo credit: L.A. Guns official Facebook page.
- A preview of the new Motörhead book “Roadkill” went online.
- Geoff Tate’s Queensryche revealed a new lineup.
- The Dillinger Escape Plan and Trapped Under Ice were added to New England Metal and Hardcore Fest.
- A Sepultura biography is due for release later this year.
- Roadrunner Records signed Kvelertak.
- Poison drummer Rikki Rockett will star in a new reality series called “American Drums”.
- Flotsam and Jetsam bassist Jason Ward will not be joining the band on their upcoming tour with Testament and Overkill due to family commitments.
- Drummer Lyle Cooper quits The Faceless.
- A rumored lineup of Mayhem Fest includes Rob Zombie, Amon Amarth, Deftones, and Children of Bodom. The official lineup will be released Mar.18.
Thus concludes TBOS’s “This Week In Metal”.
Doro Pesch Interview Transcript – Part 4
In the final part of this interview, Doro Pesch discusses her future plans and reveals her thoughts on the current metal scene. Her new movie “Anuk: The Path of the Warrior 2” will be released next year. She plans to do a new fashion line and create a champagne to commemorate her career’s 30th anniversary.
The previous parts of the interview are here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.
Doro Pesch, 2008. Photo courtesy valvemagazine on Flickr.
The Blog of Shredding: You design all your own stage clothes, right?
Doro Pesch: Yeah, but somebody else is sewing it and usually it’s not real leather. Because one day, I thought, “Man, I don’t want to hurt anybody and I don’t want to have, you know, any animals getting killed for my stage clothes.” So our stage clothes, they look like leather, but they are actually not real leather or other fabrics. I have a lady who’s sewing it, but we’re always working together and making how I want it and then her ideas, we get together. But she’s sewing it. Yeah, she’s a professional. I used to do that by myself in the 80s, but yeah, it’s better when you have a professional. (laughs)
The Blog of Shredding: Have you ever considered making a fashion line?
Doro Pesch: Yeah, actually I got my own fashion line. It’s called “Love Me in Black,” and it’s all, of course, black clothes and it has all kinds of jean material and like fake leather, which looks really good. And I would love to do a second one in time, maybe for the 30th anniversary. We were thinking about working out with some people together, they are like doing this gothic clothes, gothic metal clothes. Yeah, so it’s maybe something that’s in the making. But so far, I’m always on tour or just finished mixing the record or the promotion tour, so I don’t know if it will come out this year. But something nice.
I want to do something nice for the 30th anniversary, having a big celebration. And I think we will have our own champagne, the 30th anniversary champagne! There’s a perfume line in the making for ladies, so some little goodies. Something for the merchandise, not like big¸ big, big, just something nice to collect and stuff.
The Blog of Shredding: What are some of your other future plans?
Doro Pesch: Just a couple of days ago, I came back from Switzerland and I finished the movie “Anuk: The Path of the Warrior 2.” I did it one time in 2007, and now the second part we just filmed it before the European tour. And we didn’t finish it. And I just finished it last week. I wanna do maybe a couple of songs for the movie because that’s how we got together in the first place. The guy who’s doing it—the director and producer—his name is Luke Gasser, and he asked me if I wanted to write the title track for the movie that was back in 2006, 2007. And I said, “I would love to. I would love to.” So he gave me the script, and I thought, “Wow! This is great.” It’s like an adventure movie, and I said, “Oh, I would love that!” And he said, “Do you want to play a part in it too?” And I said,” Wow! I never did it. I just did (music) videos.” He said,” Oh, let’s do it.” So I did, and my part was actually a warrior named Meha. Now I play the part of Meha again. And we filmed it in the mountains in Switzerland and in Ireland. It was very exciting. So this will come out this year as well, maybe end of 2013, beginning of 2014.
Then nonstop touring the world, and I just wanna concentrate to do a great American tour and to give the fans the best we’ve ever played. And we will play all the songs from the old school metal songs of the 80s, some great Warlock songs which fans never heard (live), some surprises, the title tracks of all the records. Now there’s like 17 records. All the best stuff. All the best songs of the new album. Yeah, that’s actually what I’m most excited about now.
We will celebrate the 30th anniversary, we’ll have some big shows with great guests. The first one, we will do Open Air in Wacken this year in August. Then I want to do two in Dusseldorf, Germany, my hometown. Two shows, two nights in a row, maybe with orchestra and great guests. And the other one, maybe—something spectacular. Something really great. And I want to do one time in London, one time in Paris, and one time in New York, since I live there now since ’87. So we want to do like these extra-special shows… Yeah, I think that’s more than the whole year can be, then there’s time, so yeah.
The Blog of Shredding: What do you think of the state of metal nowadays?
Doro Pesch: Oh, I think it’s in great shape and I think the festivals worldwide—usually they’re like the biggest and best festivals. For example, Wacken, it’s already sold out. It was eight months sold out before the show would take place. And the last time, I think it was sold out six months before it took place. So I think it’s a great sign.
Worldwide, I think we can tour the world much more. In the 80s, it was impossible to tour Russia or China or Romania, Bulgaria, and now, we can tour all over the world and I think that’s awesome. Thailand we did too. It’s fantastic, so I think the world became much more open and I think there’s still a lot of work to do and some other countries where it’s impossible to listen to metal or to even go there to tour.
But other than that, metal is in great shape. I think it almost reminds me of the 80s, and I think that’s very good.
I miss all like the great magazines. I was a big fan of these great magazines, and I miss them. And I miss the big record stores where you could, you know, go in and like, you know, weed through for ten hours. So that’s what I miss a little bit. But on the other hand, now everything’s available on the Internet.
So I guess in one way it’s good, in another way—I still love vinyl. And the few ways to send the record, the record company, I told them I would like to have a vinyl edition. And they said, “Yes, we know your fans would like that.” So there’s actually vinyl editions, that’s awesome. Yeah, and I think metal is in really good shape, very strong.
The Blog of Shredding: What are some new metal bands you’re listening to?
Doro Pesch: I like Children of Bodom, I like In Flames, Arch Enemy, Sabaton, Saltatio Mortis. There’s a very unique metal band that do—I don’t know how you call them. Maybe “Middle Age”. It’s like, they have like these different instruments like the old, old instruments. I don’t know how you call that genre in English.
Me: Folk metal?
Doro: It’s not folk metal. It’s called “mittlelalter”. “Mittlelalter” means “middle age” or “dark age”. And it’s very interesting, so if people are interested, it’s a great band. Saltatio Mortis is their name. I sing on one of their records. We did a duet. The song’s called “Salome”. Yeah, and they’re young guys, really great.
And I’m a big Rammstein fan. Of course, they’re not so new anymore. It’s not like they just came out, but it’s already, you know, so many more years…
All the bands I loved in the 80s, I still love them, I must say (laughs).
I like Steel Panther. They’re so much fun! (laughs)
And so concludes our interview with the ever-humble Metal Queen.
Tomorrow on TBOS: This Week in Metal. NAMM, Ozzfest Japan, Tommy Aldridge rejoins Whitesnake and more.
Doro Pesch Interview Transcript- Part 2
Part two of TBOS’s interview with Doro Pesch. Here, she tells about her experiences at Wacken Open Air Festival, her first tour with Judas Priest, and receiving health advice from Blackie Lawless of W.A.S.P. Part 1 is here.
Doro Pesch Performing in 2008. Photo credit: liveratum on Flickr.
The Blog of Shredding: So you were the first woman to ever play at Donington (Monsters of Rock) and Wacken (festivals). Can you tell us about that?
Doro Pesch: I didn’t realize it at the time, and for me it was just like so amazing and so overwhelming. At the Donington Monsters of Rock Festival, it was actually—it was the biggest (metal festival). Back then, it was like unbelievable, and when we heard that we would play on this festival. And I tell you, I guess I was the happiest girl on earth, and that was actually when I quit my job.
Actually, I heard that we would go on Judas Priest’s tour right after the festival and then we would play this big festival in England. Then actually I quit my job as a graphic artist, and I thought, “I wanna try it”.
Then we played there, and it was 120,000 people. And the stage was very high. They had a lot of stairs to go up, a lot of steps. I tell you, my knees, they were like pudding. I walked up the steps and I went (surprised noise) and all the guys in the band felt the same. It was so amazing and the fans were in so (sic) good spirits and so into it, singing along, everybody headbanging. It looked like 120,000 people would headbang at the same time. Back then, there weren’t any iPhones, but in my memory, it was one of the greatest memories.
Then Wacken (Open Air Festival)—I’ve played there eight to nine times. I was there the first time in 1993, and it was a little tiny village. And it was actually when metal wasn’t doing well. It was in ’93, when grunge was so big. And there’s two fans doing a metal festival. I’m like, “Really? That’s so cool!” And I said, “I want to be part of it.” And we get there, and we couldn’t find it because it was such a tiny village, so we asked some farmers, and they actually brought us there on their tractors. It was so funny.
These two fans, it was like metal came out of their hearts. It was great. There was maybe 2,000 people there. But the huge stage, the huge P.A., so probably, I mean 50,000 people could have been easily there to listen. But yeah, the first time, we played with 2,000 maybe.
And then four years later, in ’98 we came back, and I thought, “Another little metal festival with the die-hard fans,” and now there were already 35,000. We thought, “wow!” And then every two, three, four years I played there again, and every time, it was the 20, 30, more thousand people, and now I think it’s like 80,000 people. Yeah, that’s what the police allows.
But I think even more than 50,000 people could be more on the field. But it’s always a big honor to play there and metalheads from all over the world, they’re always, you know, going to Wacken. Many people from the States, Australia, Brazil, like from all over the world. It’s so unbelievable and all the bands, all the musicians feel like “wow,” you know? It’s definitely a great honor to play there.
And you can always show the best show, because Wacken—the guys there—are so supportive. When you want to do something outrageous or something super-special, they always support you in that.
You can always expect the fans to see like a totally unique show, and with the best pyrotechnics and fireworks and light show and state-of-the-art ideas. So that’s what makes Wacken so extra-special.
The Blog of Shredding: You’ve opened for Megadeth and other legends such as the Scorpions. Could you tell us more about that?
Doro Pesch: Oh, yes, yes. I’d love to. My very first big tour was actually in ’86 with my favorite band, Judas Priest. And like I told you before, that’s actually when I quit my job.
It was unbelievable. I got the phone call from my manager at the place I worked. It was actually totally forbidden to take phone calls there, and then my boss, he said, “Hey, little girl. It better be important!” And I’m like (stutters) “Yeah, I hope so!”
So I got on the phone and my manager said, “Hey, are you ready to quit your job?” I said, “Why?” “You’re going on tour with your favorite band.” I said, “What you mean?” “Yes. Judas Priest.”
And back then, it was—I mean, for metal, it was Maiden, Priest, Metallica. It was like-it was like bigger than life. So it was my first tour. It was packed, sold out.Back in the ‘80s, it was definitely the biggest places. Metal was so strong. It was so great to be on tour with them.
My second tour was in ’87 with Ronnie James Dio. And Ronnie James Dio is my favorite singer, and it was so fantastic, and I learned so much.
Then we wanted to go on tour in America. We did a couple of club tours and stuff, which we really did great. And then I got a phone call from the record company and from the manager that said, “Hey, you’ll never guess who you could tour with.” And I said, “Who?” They said, “Dave Mustaine and Megadeth.” And I thought, ‘OH! WOW!”
So actually, you know, we immediately canceled all the European dates because we had another tour in Europe already booked. And then we canceled all the dates. I said, “No, I wanna do it.” And then we did our first big tour in Spain.
It was great. You know, I love Megadeth. “In My Darkest Hour,” that was my favorite song. It was so great. I watched their show every night, and it was so-it was so special. So great.
Then we did many other tours, all with my favorite artists like Motörhead and the Scorpions, W.A.S.P.
It was my first big England tour, and Blackie Lawless, he was so super-nice to me. He was so cool to me because I was on tour with Judas Priest, and at the end of the tour in Scandinavia, it was this big ice hockey venue. And then everybody said, “Hey, girl, don’t walk on the ice!” And I said, “Oh, I can take it.” You know, I’m metal (laughs) and Judas Priest and it’s ok cause I was watching every day (sic) the sound check of Judas Priest. So I was walking on the ice and said, “Nah, it’s kinda cold. But it’s ok.”
So a couple of days later, we were on tour with W.A.S.P. in England, and I had pneumonia. I was so sick! And that was when I first met Blackie Lawless.
I was sitting on a staircase because there was only one dressing room. And Blackie said, “Hey, is that Doro? The singer of our support Warlock?” And I said, “Yes.” He said, “Wow! You look like you’re really sick.” And I said, “Blackie, I’m so sick, man. I don’t even know if I can do the tour. I’m so sick.”
He said, “You know what? You wait.” And then he told the band members to please give me the dressing room and said, “You know what? Lay down here on the couch. I will wake you when it’s time for you to get dressed. I will get you some great medicine.” And he got me like all this medicine and magic potions for the voice. He got me some fresh fruit juice and fresh fruit, which back in the day, was very, very difficult to get. It was, you know, in England, actually very difficult.
He got me all this medicine, magic potions, and then, he woke me up and he said, “Doro, it’s time for you to get dressed and have a great show.” And I tell you, I felt like a million bucks. I was immediately feeling so much better.
And I thought, “Wow. I will never forget.” You know, he was so nice and so kind. Then I thought, “If I ever have a support (band), I’m gonna treat them as good.”
I learned from all the great bands and artists. And I can definitely say I had a great chance to learn from the best and we played with so many bands. It was unbelievable.
I was always in Heaven. And I never thought, being a little metalhead from Germany, you know, that you could ever tour the world and tour with your favorite bands, with your favorite artists. It was such a dream come true, and it still is. I still deeply appreciate it and feel grateful for it.
To be continued…
The Blog of Shredding 
Beliebers, Meet The Real (Concertgoing) World
Justin Bieber was two hours late to one of his concerts, and fan outrage made national news (including CNN)!
WHY is this on a metal blog?
Bands like Guns N’ Roses are notorious for being late to their shows, yet metalheads don’t make a big deal about it. It is wise to plan accordingly when you attend a concert.
This video shows some of the many differences between the pop and metal fanbases.
March 6, 2013 | Categories: Heavy Metal | Tags: beliebers, commentary, concerts, editorial, Guns N' Roses, justin bieber, music, music news, video blog, vlog, vlogs | Leave a comment