"This record has so much meaning for me", starts Doro with a thick, but easily understandable German accent. "There are a lot of great songs on this record as well. There are a couple of songs from the _Love Me in Black_ record [1998], which was only released over here in Europe, that I put on this disc as well. Originally I was going to re-record the tracks and needed permission to do so. I was uncertain if they would grant me such permission. Eventually I got the permission and I really felt that songs like "Pain", "Terrorvision" and "I Give My Blood (Dedication)" had to be included with this release. We just fixed up the songs in the studio and they sound so alive and so vibrant. Much more so than the original recordings."

So seeing that she had seen success over the past decade in Europe, what kind of album did Doro want to put out? Was there an idea to win over North American fans? What was the mindset for _CTW_?

"I wanted to have a modern record, but still have it full of the roots of where I came from. I just wanted a really live recording that had a lot of variety. You know. Everything from really hard rock songs to spiritual songs and even onto ballads. I just felt that this record had to have a lot of variety. I just needed to showcase a lot of emotions here on the disc."

While Doro's new disc does have a few tracks from European import records on it, there are also a few interesting collaborations. Those collaborations include works with Lemmy from Motorhead ("Love Me Forever" from Motorhead's _1916_ disc and "Alone Again") and working with guitarists Slash (Slash's Snakepit, ex-Guns 'n' Roses) and Al Pitrelli (Megadeth, ex-Savatage). As well, Doro has placed a rocking cover of Billy Idol's "White Wedding" on _CTW_. She explains the ideas and how they came to be.

"Those songs mean so much to me. I love the ones that Lemmy sang on and the ones Slash played on. They just added more to the record. I just wanted to make sure that the record was just full of songs that had good positive energy. I was just looking for this vibe, because I have always felt that if you give out good vibes, the fans will return the good vibes."

Since the mid-'80s, Doro had made a name for herself with the "wizards and warriors" influenced act Warlock. Though the band only saw moderate success, they had made a name for themselves and once Doro parted ways with the band for her first release, titled _Force Majeure_, her fans from Warlock had come along for the ride. Regardless of being non-present over here in North America, Doro has still maintained a career in Europe. What keeps it going after so long of slaving away in this business?

"My secret is the strong fan base. I never gave up and decided to pack it in after so many failed attempts at getting records released over there. I just never gave up and always gave my best effort. If you try your best and give everything you've got, then people will eventually hear what you are saying and respect that."

"I'll tell you", she adds, "after so many years of working on records and almost getting them released in North America and the deals falling through, that is so heartbreaking. I think a lot of things brought those problems on for me in the early '90s. First things changed in the music industry and a lot of bands playing music like I did just went away. I mean, if you weren't from Seattle, then you didn't have a chance at all -- when "grunge" hit all my friends in bands and even myself got dropped from our labels, and it was terrible. And it was tough to get anything going. You couldn't even get anything, regardless of the type of record, because people wanted one thing and didn't listen to what you were providing them with or giving them a chance. The change in music's climate at the time really made it a hard sell for what I was doing at the time. I really thought my music was something that the American market would want to hear, but in the end, it was never to be. And it was heartbreaking. It seems like I am getting a second chance here with _CTW_."

As the years have gone on for Doro, her appreciation for what she does has grown. She is in love with music and all that comes with it. Her passion runs deep. "This is a 24 hour a day thing for me", she notes. "I don't really have a family or a private life. It is all about the music for me and I don't think it'd work any other way really. Creating music and being so sure of what you are doing and believing in it takes a lot out of you and you are always on the go doing stuff. Stuff like fighting for ideas and your style and just trying to keep the name out there. I am just so proud to be able to do all of this and now that we have the deal in North America with KOCH, I have been given the opportunity to make an impression once again. I'm very excited."

Other than a successful appearance at this year's March Metal Meltdown, it has been a -long- time since Doro toured North America. She is itching to get back on this soil and tour. "It has been too long", Doro says with a long sigh. "I am totally excited about the possibilities of coming over and playing there live. Playing live is what I was born to do. Writing music and making records is fun, but get me on stage and I go wild." She finishes: "The climate seems to be a bit better now for my style of music. I just want fans to know that I care and that I'm going to come over to North America and just rock hard and have fun."