Dokken Albums (14)
'Lightning Strikes Again'
Release Date 10/29/2007
Tracks 12
Label King
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What The Critics Say
Sometimes when main members exit rock bands, the group's sound changes significantly. This has not proven to the case with melodic metallists Dokken. Although six-string hero George Lynch was a major part of the group's initial success, his 1997 departure hasn't proven to alter the group's sound as much as originally believed, as evidenced by such subsequent post-Lynch releases as 2008's Lightning Strikes Again. In fact, from a production, sonic, and songwriting standpoint, the album could have been released in 1986, and Dokken's legion of hair-sprayed/fingerless leather glove-wearing fans would have undoubtedly snapped it up. Frontman Don Dokken still sings about love gone bad ("How I Miss Your Smile") while guitarist Jonathan Levin offers Lynch-esque riffs and solos by the bucket load (the album opening "Standing on the Outside"). Sure, you'll have heard it all before if you're a longtime Dokken fan. But with the resurgence of '80s metal sounds in the early 21st century, Dokken are no dummies, and they wisely stick to the sound that made them famous in the first place throughout Lightning Strikes Again. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Although they experienced their commercial peaks a decade apart, both UFO and Dokken enjoyed mainstream success (albeit fleetingly) with a similar brand of melodic rock. Hence, it makes a bit of sense for both acts to be paired together for Live, a budget-priced collection released in 2005. Comprised of latter-day recordings, Live features five tracks each from the aforementioned bands. And while it appears that UFO have aged better performance-wise than Dokken, the UFO selections here are puzzling. The only renowned track is their anthemic classic "Lights Out," while readings of such obscurities as "Pushed to the Limit" certainly do not reflect the group's best material. Dokken, on the other hand, are represented by five of their best tracks (originally penned during their mid-'80s peak) -- perhaps their hardest rocking song ever, "Tooth and Nail," and their breakthrough power ballad, "Alone Again." UFO are responsible for releasing one of hard rock's greatest (and most underrated) live sets, 1979's Strangers in the Night, but their portion on this brief sampling doesn't cut it, merely because of the poor choice of material. So in the end, Dokken wins this bout by default. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Singer Don Dokken and drummer Mick Brown may be all that's left of the original Dokken, but the group's signature blend of pop and heavy metal has changed little since their late-eighties heydays. The problem is, they were never that interesting to begin with. On Hell to Pay, the role of ex-guitar legend George Lynch is played by ex-Warlock axe-slinger John Levin, and the departure of original bass player Jeff Pilson brings ex-Ted Nugent and Yngwie Malmsteen collaborator Barry Sparks into the fold, resulting in a record that's impeccably played but mediocre at best. Levin brings an elegant, almost middle-eastern sense of melodicism to the promising opener "Last Goodbye" and an old-school bluesy swagger to "Haunted," and Don Dokken's voice has settled nicely into a smooth lupine growl that compliments the tight arrangements, but there's a blandness to the whole affair that envelops the record after "Prozac Nation." Perhaps it's the fact that the obligatory power-ballad "Care for You," which is apparently so powerful that it needs to be played again at the end of the record in an "unplugged" version--do keyboards not need to be plugged in? --or maybe it's the verse/chorus/verse/chorus/solo/chorus heavy metal song template that usually only works for one song a record, but it seems like most of the dinosaurs of the hair-metal genre have run out of ideas. Despite the inclusion of the irreverent--and highly enjoyable--Beatle-esque rave-up "Letter to Home," Hell to Pay does little to pull Dokken out from the tar pits. ~ James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide
'Japan Live '95'
Release Date 9/9/2003
Tracks 14
Label CMC International
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What The Critics Say
You simply have to hand it to Dokken. Through highly documented public spats and various lineup changes the group has remained as true to themselves as a band with such longevity can possibly be. This 2003 release of a 1995 concert however, finds Dokken to be a band void of any sort of creative evolution. Which can be good and bad; good because it's giving the fans exactly what they paid for in a concert (the hits) and bad because after a while "Mr. Scary" just doesn't do the trick like it used to. While trying to re-create the fire of their glory years, the group runs through some of their most well known hits (predominantly from their seminal Beast From the East release) and it seems almost effortless how the musicianship comes across first and foremost. However, this could be a sure sign that the band is just on autopilot and waiting for the real party to begin backstage after the concert. The band sounds as fine tuned as ever, especially the guitar theatrics of Mr. Lynch, but this is definitely only a release for the diehard fanatic. ~ Rob Theakston, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Many heavy metal acts from the '80s still have a little bit of fury and energy left to them, but when they run out of juice it can be an ugly sight. Take Dokken, for example, who have fallen quite far from the glory days of "Dream Warriors." Long Way Home, their 2002 comeback album, is one of the most bland, overproduced, and yawn-inducing heavy metal albums to ever come from a former "legend." Where guitarist George Lynch used to give the band a fury and energy that vocalist Don Dokken could thrive off of, John Norum is content with pedestrian leads, while Dokken explores his Beatles fantasies from song to song. Although change is not usually a bad thing, in the case of this band, they have taken the same route that has lost groups like Warrant and Slaughter so many fans. The simplistic lyrics and generic melodies are hard to swallow, and the stylistic change from their classic sound will probably make a lot of enemies out of curious old fans trying to rediscover the group. Only "Magic Road" approaches their glory days, and it sounds like a bad rip-off of classic Dokken more than anything else. A few random fans may get a kick out of this, but this is mostly bad pop/rock being performed by Don Dokken and his buddies, not the Dokken that once sang "Unchain the Night." ~ Bradley Torreano, All Music Guide
'Erase the Slate'
Release Date 6/15/1999
Tracks 12
Label CMC International
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What The Critics Say
George Lynch departed the Dokken reunion following 1997's Shadowlife, handing the reins over to ex-Winger guitarist Reb Beach. Beach has more than enough chops to fill Lynch's shoes, and although he brings his own musical personality to the riffs and solos, the songs' melodies are still recognizably Dokken. Unfortunately, those melodies are typical of post-reunion Dokken more often than not, with the band seemingly struggling to come up with the big chorus hook and just not quite getting there (a problem, come to think of it, that sometimes plagued the band in their heyday as well). Although Beach acquits himself well, the songwriting ultimately sinks the record; besides, at this stage of the game, it's difficult to believe Don Dokken when he sings "I must confess, I'm the maddest hatter of them all." Erase the Slate is workmanlike retro-'80s hard rock at its best, and thoroughly unmemorable at its worst. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
'Shadowlife'
Release Date 4/15/1997
Tracks 13
Label CMC International
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What The Critics Say
Dokken never really had much of an original sound; their hair metal anthems and power ballads were often indistinguishable from other bands of the genre. However, their live album, Beast From the East, proves that they possess something other metal groups fail to achieve when performing live -- power. While such rock groups as Iron Maiden and Judas Priest would fall short in attaining as much energy as their studio cuts on-stage, Dokken's energy reaches its peak, especially due to the wildness of George Lynch's guitar riffs, which somehow managed to escape their studio albums. The release covers all of the band's biggest and best hits, along with a new studio track entitled "Walk Away." For those interested in Dokken, Beast From the East is a must. ~ Barry Weber, All Music Guide
