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Title: Back For The Attack
By: Dokken
Released by: Elektra
Released on: 1987
Rating (out of 10): 8
Date: 01/30/2002

The Original Lineup's Last Great Album


Dokken's Back For The Attack was the beginning of the end for the bands first incarnation. Unknown at the time, it would prove to be the band's studio swan song (at least for the time being), and while some might disagree, this was the album that finally broke Dokken.

In 1987, Dokken was huge and hair metal was finally gathering a lot of steam. Back For The Attack was Dokken's biggest selling album by far and it's dizzying to think of the heights they could have reached had a new Dokken album been released in 1989 at the height of the spandex craze. As musicians, the guys were head and shoulders above the rest and mixed that vast talent with enormous pop sensibilities and the ability to write intriguing and memorable songs.

Back For The Attack isn't Dokken's best album, but it does have many memorable songs. It's not their strongest work but I guess this end of the band's phase could have ended on a much more sour note.

Openning with the amazingly powerful "Kiss Of Death," this song perfectly displays all four members at the top of their game. Befitting the title, the song starts off with a menacing riff, perfectly accentuated with George Lynch's harmonic squeals. Don Dokken's voice never sounded so powerful. Dokken may have been metal-lite, but their music really speaks for itself--"Kiss of Death" sounds wonderful: a rock gem polished to fine perfection.
With a kiss of death, With a kiss of death /
She promised paradise, as she lied upon her bed /
like a fallen angel with the Devil's charms /
she promised paradise with a kiss of death
Trying to follow up "Kiss of Death" is a losing battle, but "Prisoner" manages to come out relatively unscathed. The main theme sounds a little too happy to fit the "tortured prisoner of love" motif the song has going (noticing a thematic trend?) but the chorus and solos set things right. The backing vocals on this track really add a lot of weight to the vocals, and while it's obvious they aren't doing Def Leppard style five-part harmonies--the band sounds really tight.

"Mr. Scary" is the song that broke up Dokken. It was the first instrumental piece the band had ever released, and it allows George Lynch to show off his amazing talent. Right off the bat you can tell "Mr. Scary" is different from anything you've heard before. George starts off with one of the most sinister opening riffs ever concocted and then takes that theme, gradually adding to it and changing it. The end result is breathtakingly beautiful and a jaw dropping feast of guitar wizardry. Oh yeah, it took George from the realm of mere mortals to guitar hero instantly. He couldn't have asked for a better vehicle to do it with.

Following on the heels of "Mr. Scary," "So Many Tears" just doesn't keep up. The slower pace isn't necessarily bad--it just lacks energy. "Stop Fighting Love" is a much better example of how the band should sound. It always amazes me how much it reminds me of Tooth & Nail-era Dokken, more so than any other song on the album. Maybe it's this throw-back quality that really appeals to me. As far as radio friendly pop-metal goes, this song is near perfect with an exquisite production where the whole band is in lockstep throughout.

The album closes with the track "Dream Warriors" from the 3rd Nightmare on Elm Street installment. The track may have been written for a movie (and the lyrics attest to it) but it's pretty darn good for a soundtrack single. The music video featured the band and everyone's favorite supernatural psychopath and quickly became Dokken's most popular work to date. While the lyrics are hokey it's one of the band's better works and serves as a good coda to the album, even if it does feel a little tacked on.

Unfortunately the album isn't all great songs packed back-to-back. Dokken had been a remarkably consistent band after the shaky Breakin' The Chains so that's why it's a disappointment that there's so much filler here. "Night By Night" just doesn't work at all. It feels hurried, definitely unlike the band's normal output. "Heaven Sent" is also another big loser. Cheesy and ultimately forgettable, it just feels off right from the start and even the normally perfect Don Dokken feels like he's straining to get the song over with.

I've often wondered if some of the inconsistencies of this album are due to dissension within the group. Would a subpar song such as "Burning Like A Flame" or "Sleepless Nights" have been recorded if things were going well? It sounds like Dokken, but the feeling sure doesn't.

The Aftermath of Back For The Attack:
"Mr. Scary" is where all internal strife in the band really came to a head. Don Dokken is a world class vocalist and songwriter. George Lynch had become a guitar legend. Jeff Pilson and "Wild" Mick Brown are hardly slouches either but both were relatively content. What happens when you put two of the best musicians of their style together? Ego clash. And that's exactly what happened. George realized he didn't need Don and Don wasn't going to kowtow to George either. It probably didn't help that all the band members were supporting expensive drug habits and had gotten rather burned out with the relentless touring and recording schedule. George finally couldn't take it anymore and left the band and Dokken was no more.

George had a reasonably successful career in Lynch Mob (along with drummer Mick Brown) and as a solo artist while Don released his own overlooked solo album. Both had something to prove, namely they could exist without the other. In 1995 the now sober artists set aside their differences to reunite and release a new Dokken album. The end result was Dysfunctional, an album that just wasn't released fully formed. The results were not the same.

Back For The Attack stands as the last truly original Dokken album. They've put out some good material since, but it's pretty hard to top the classics. It's not Dokken's best album, but it's a far cry from a bad one. Those who just want the hits can get the competent The Very Best Of Dokken but it's going to gloss over some of the good stuff here. For those who can spare the extra cash I suggest shelling out for BFTA. There's enough quality music that you won't be getting ripped off. Besides, it's pretty easy to find this one in a bargain bin somewhere.


© Copyright CultureDose.com 01/30/2002

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