German metal queen Doro Pesch is celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of WARLOCK's "Triumph And Agony" album by performing the LP in its entirety at select shows around the globe. "Triumph And Agony" was WARLOCK's fourth and final album. By the late 1980s, Pesch was the only original member remaining in the group, and under legal threats from former management, decided to carry on under the DORO banner rather than put her career on hold fighting over the WARLOCK name. (Pesch has since won back the right to use the WARLOCK moniker.) Asked why now was the right time to go out and play the "Triumph And Agony" songs again, Doro said prior to an appearance at last week's Sweden Rock Festival (see video below): "Well, because we have our thirtieth anniversary of this big record. It was called 'Triumph And Agony', and it was the biggest record. I think it was one of the best records. And I thought, 'Man, we have to play one time the whole album in its entirety,' and we never did before. And then I called my old guitar player, Tommy Bolan, and he played on the whole record, he played all the solos. And I asked him if he was into that idea, doing a couple of shows with just the 'Triumph And Agony' album and then some encores. And he said, 'Oh, let's do it. I'm ready.' And then we were rehearsing all, yeah, the last week, and I think it sounds really good. We are playing some songs we've never played before, but I think they will sound really amazing. And I'm very excited." Doro was asked during the same interview if she was comfortable with her status as a pioneer for women in heavy metal music. She responded: "I just always try to give it my all, and I'm so glad when people like it, when people can get some positive energy out of it. I never thought about being special or that it's different for a woman to do it. I just my thing, and it's always from the heart, from the gut. And I always wanted to become a metal singer, so it all feels natural to me. I don't put on an act or something, but when people love it… ahhh… that's, like… And the fans, to me, that's the most important thing in my life — it always was, it always will be — and so when they like it, that means the world to me." Doro will celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of "Triumph And Agony" on a short U.S. tour in September. Confirmed dates are as follows: Sep. 08 - Worcester, MA - Palladium Sep. 10 - New York, NY – B.B. King Blues Club & Grill Sep. 12 - Westland, MI – The Token Lounge Sep. 14 - Chicago, IL - Reggies Sep. 16 – West Hollywood, CA - Whisky A Go Go In a 2000 interview with Metal Rules, Doro stated about WARLOCK: "I loved that so much and my heart and soul was so much into it. I was totally devastated when it broke up and it broke up not because of the band but because of all the bullshit around it. It was the record companies, the management, everything. The band had no control anymore — everybody else had, and the band did not. It was really tough and there were a lot of problems and I was totally heartbroken about it. But those times were awesome, man, it was awesome! I will always treasure them. I love to think about the great times." Doro told Get Ready To Rock! that "everything fell into place" for WARLOCK after "Triumph And Agony" was released. "The record company was totally behind it, MTV put our song 'All We Are' on heavy rotation, which was a big plus, I must say, the fans were there and metal was at its peak between 1987 and 1988. Sometimes you do wish for everything to fall into place, but it's very rare that this happens as things need to work like a watch." Doro's last release was a package titled "Strong And Proud - 30 Years Of Rock And Metal", which came out in June 2016 via Nuclear Blast. It contained three decades of Doro — three unforgettable nights — forever captured on three DVDs and two Blu-rays, including a two-hour-plus music movie.
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