So its another year

So its another year, another Dokken album. When George Lynch was brought back to Dokken several years ago, it was supposed to be a second coming of metallic hard rock beauty for the worshipers of big hair and the big metal sound that was put together and refined in the 1980s. Instead we were treated with two really horrid albums that even the most die hard Dokken fans shied away from, the ironically titled "Dysfunctional" and the even worse "Shadowlife". These discs owed alot more to the "cash into the alterna sound and become modern revolution" than the band's heavy metal roots. But, like all the other bands that now seek to be taken back in by their fans and the hard rock lovers that seem to be 'coming back out of the closet' after a long hiding spell, Dokken has decided to try and "Erase the Slate" with a new album, but with the old sound. A new trend, that has produced some surprisingly good releases and a few clunkers.

The band ended up ditching George Lynch (or did he just leave, will anyone ever know?). Lynch, who is a well known "guitar hero" to many, has decided to do rapcore cds, which are better left as coasters. After a revolving selection of guitarists, they finally decided on ex-Winger, ex-Alice Cooper guitarist, Reb Beach, a very capable axeslinger that has enough chops and riffs and hard rock know how to give Dokken a new bite in the guitar area, especially with them seeking to gain back the metal fan base. Expectations are high for the new album, but are they warranted?

The old Dokken sound (think "Tooth and Nail" and "Under Lock and Key", two must-have albums from the mid 80s), has been fused with some modern sounds.

1. Erase the Slate -- The opener title song is a straight forward Dokken rocker, a bit ho-hum, I expected better, but its alright. Don shows us that he's going back to singing like he's supposed to sing and not like some whiney alternative wuss. Nothing groundbreaking, but at least it sounds like a metal song.
2. Change the World -- The second song, "Change the World" is chockfull of melodic metal goodness. Its a hard rocker, with a toe tapping chorus, lush vocals, and Don Dokken sounds as good as he ever has. I was kind of afraid he had lost his voice sometime after "Dysfunctional" judging by the frequency the distorted vocals were used.
3. Maddest Hatter -- "Maddest Hatter" is another pretty nifty song, that owes more to their 90 albums, its crunchy and bass heavy but rocks out. It also serves as their first single.
4. Down -- "Drown" is a kind of funky tune, not really what I associate Dokken with doing, the guitar is bottom heavy and crunches along, but it has a good overall rhythm. Its not a stand out song, but it flows nicely.
5. Shattered -- "Shattered" is a moody tune in its own right, starting out with some haunting acoustic guitar that almost reminds me of a haunted ghost town (maybe I'm just wierd). The guitar that opens it up is high flying and beautiful, before crunching out on us. I like the slower places, and the chorus which is nice and smooth, a strange contrast between the crunchy rhythm of the song. "Shattered"s guitar solo is the best one I have heard so far, kudos go to Reb Beach for the nice solo, and the guitar build up back into the song. The song ends as it begins, with the spooky almost spoken voice of Don Dokken...."rainbow dream crosses through my eyes"....
6. One -- "One" is just a pretty catchy song, kind of repetitive in places, especially the lyrics, but the song feels real good and fits perfectly behind "Shattered". Amazingly, this is an electric cover of a Three Dog Night hit from 1969! Not exactly Dokken of old, but it sounds like a real good Dokken of new. The center of the song is great, and almost reminds me of a tune from Saigon Kick's "Water" album, it has the same feel in places, just with more of a metal punch, and much better vocals, I might add. They manage to keep throwing in little things that keep the song interesting, like Reb getting all that pent up need to shred out of his system near the end. Its ended with a strong dose of feedback. So what if we've done that before, doesn't it always seem to work?
7. Who Believes -- "Who Believes" is another song that starts off acoustic and mellow, almost like those old 70s tunes that never seem to pick up, however, this tune does pick up thankfully, only to go back to the mellower sounding parts. Its a pretty decent little tune overall, that reminds me a little of Don Dokken's spectacular solo album from 1990. Still not spectacular, but its not bad either.
8. Voice of the Soul -- This song sounds rather unique with the contrast between Don's melodic vocals, and Reb's heavy riffs laying fairy good groundwork for a another crunchy dark song with a twist. The guitar is really great, mostly because it sounds like some of the stuff Reb did with Winger, and in fact, would have been a good song for Winger's darker "Pull" release. Reb gets to really play like he was promised when he joined Dokken, and that of course is always a good thing.
9. Crazy Mary Goes Round -- Sung by Wild Mick Brown, Dokken's drummer, this song shows its colors as a straight forward crunchy hard rock tune. Think 80s Thin Lizzy mixed with some early Motley Crue and toss in some AC/DC and you got this tune. This isn't Dokken at all, but hey, it rocks. Mick has a pretty good voice too, better than Motorhead's Lemmy at any rate. I didn't think I was going to like it but I do.
10. Haunted Lullaby -- This thing starts off sounding like an alterna flavored song with the distorted vocals and such, and never really manages to pull out of that feeling. Maybe those wanting more "Dysfunctional" material will find something redeeming from it, but to me it sounds like a pure clunker, plain and simple.
11. In Your Honor -- A mostly acoustic song, that's a pretty ballad, very nice, with a touch of sorrowful emotion. Don never breaks out the tone to match it, but its still a reflective kind of song, even if it does remind of me of an older Saigon Kick ballad, "I Love You" in parts... not spectacular, but its very pretty, if repetitive.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Ok, so its not the "Under Lock and Key" or "Tooth and Nail" that most of us expected it to be. Its not as good as the hype that has built up around it, but still it is overall a decent album. There are still too many "modern alterna" influences for me to fawn all over it, since I prefer my metal with a bit more rock n roll and electric punch to it. The first half of the album is much better than the second, with "Change the World", "Shattered", "Down" and even the title song. There are moments of Dokken brilliance like these, that make the album very much worthy, and a huge improvement of what the band has been doing in the 1990s. Its hard not to mention the pipes of Mr. Don Dokken when discussing the band, since his voice is the overall defining quality for this outfit, and thankfully I can say that for the majority of the disc, he sounds fabulous and dead on, much like he did on his solo disc, "Up From the Ashes". Reb Beach, also gets plenty of mention, since this is the first disc he has done with Dokken, and he does a great job filling in for George Lynch and even surpassing him in some places. But the parts that the other two members play, Mick Brown and bassist Jeff Pilson, must also be mentioned, for they are talent powerhouses in themselves, both in the vocal area and songwriting. The bass sounds huge, and the drums have a nice sound, so it all comes together talent-wise. The only thing that is lacking is the backing strength of more good melodic metal material, like "Change the World". Even though the cd is overall a disappoint, it still shines in many areas, enough so for me to recommend it. It won't blow you away, but it does a great job of just being average, but average enough to keep you replaying it and letting it grow on you.

Rating - 6.9
by Alanna Evans

more album reviews