Doro
Dorothee Pesch (b. 3 June 1964, Dusseldorf, Germany), the leading light and vocalist of the German heavy metal band Warlock, dissolved the unit after the release of 1987's TRIUMPH AND AGONY. Retaining only bassist Tommy Henriksen, she embarked on a solo career under the Doro moniker. To complete the new line-up she recruited guitarist John Devin and drummer Bobby Rondinelli. Using Joey Balin as a writing partner, FORCE MAJEURE offered a departure from her previous heavy teutonic style, moving towards a more mainstream AOR approach in a bid for commercial success. It featured an embarrassing cover of Procol Harum's A Whiter Shade Of Pale as the opening track and fared poorly. Ditching the entire band in favour of hired hands, she recorded DORO with Gene Simmons (of Kiss) as producer. Musically, this was even further away from her roots, an attempt to achieve chart success which verged on desperation. RARE DIAMONDS was a compilation of older material, giving Doro time for a radical re-think about her next career move. When she did re-merge in 1993 with ANGELS NEVER DIEthe interest was minimal.