They are one of the rare bands from the 80’s who keep writing and recording new albums. Although the time spans between albums has become bigger over the last 15 years, it’s not because they are lazy, they are just on the road or in the air, touring and doing what they do.
And a pandemic put a halt to their touring plans in 2020. So when artists have time, they normally write and here we are in 2021, with new music.
They have been teasing this new music for about a fortnight, and a lot of internet sleuths started piecing together all the clues about “Belshazzar’s Feast” from a T-shirt that Bruce Dickinson was wearing in an interview he did on Sky News.
And like all things Maiden, I am sure we will get to know more about Belshazzar’s Feast, because that’s what Maiden does, they get people like me into researching and learning.
It’s written by Adrian Smith and Bruce Dickinson, with production by Kevin Shirley.
The country blues rock in the intro has me interested. It’s a new style into the Iron Maiden family.
The verse riff reminds me of “Stormbringer” from Deep Purple played with a bluesy swagger. Vocally Dickinson is still a powerhouse.
How good are those guitar harmonies after the first chorus?
The lead that comes at the 4.27 mark, I am pretty sure it’s Adrian Smith as it sounds like his style, is excellent.
I keep re-listening to this song just to keep hearing the lead break.
I’ve written about this album and certain songs previously on this blog.
This post was scheduled for today as part of my 1986 “Year In Review” series. And yesterday my Twitter feed was all about the passing of Jeff LaBar at 58. May he rest in peace and thank you for the music and all those licks and leads.
Signed to Polygram, the debut album, “Night Songs”, produced by Andy Johns, had everything from AC/DC style riffing and grooves, to Aerosmith style highs and Keifer’s unique raspy snarl.
But Keifer and co didn’t just sound like all of the other bands out there, because their influences weren’t just your standard Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and AC/DC acts. They also went back and found out who influenced their influences, and allowed those artists to also influence them, hence the reason why Cinderella was more bluesier than the rest.
The debut album came out on released August 2, 1986.
It’s stood the test of time and when it came out, it competed with some massive albums from Bon Jovi, Europe, Ratt and Poison. And let’s not forget that within a year, they were also competing with Whitesnake, Motley Crue, Def Leppard and Guns N Roses for market share and sales.
The clip for “Nobody’s Fool” was first.
It hooked me in because those clean tone Am arpeggios reminded me of “Bringing On The Heartbreak” from Def Leppard. At 30 million streams on Spotify, it’s one of their biggest songs, with “Don’t Know What You Got (Until Its Gone)” at 42.19 million streams above it.
The lead break starts off so bluesy to begin with. Then it goes into some fast melodic picking.
As “Nobody’s Fool” is repeated over and over again in the outro, there is another great lead shredding away.
Then I heard “Shake Me” and the party was getting started.
Tom Keifer’s raspy voice is the difference. He didn’t sound like any other singer out on the market. Maybe a bit like Brian Johnson and a bit like Blackie Lawless. The band Hinder built a career in the music business many years later because their singer had the same raspy voice like Keifer.
So I got the album and I thought I had a feeling how the other songs would sound. I dropped the needle and the opening riff to “Night Songs” started.
I was floored.
It was heavy. It sounded deep, like “When The Levee Breaks” heavy. And the slow groove hooked me like nicotine. (I could probably do better with that line, but hey).
Workin’ this job ain’t payin’ the bills / Sick and tired rat race takin’ my thrills / Kickin’ down the road not a dime in my pocket / Nightime falls and I’m ready to rock it
This message appeared in a lot of songs around this time. “Let It Rock”, “Rock The Night”, “Working For The Weekend” just to name a few. Working to get paid, so we could rock out.
Even if the rocking took place in the comfort of our own home. There was nothing more soothing then dropping the needle and letting the sound surround you and bounce off the walls.
I love the main riff in “Nothin’ For Nothin’” and Keifer delivers a stellar vocal melody in the verses.
“Once Around The Ride” is a classic heavy metal track, with an air guitar pedal tone riff, a wicked lead break from Jeff LeBar and a vocal melody from Keifer which sticks around long after the song has finished.
“Hell On Wheels” is a fast twelve bar blues type of tune, but it’s done that well, it could have come from any NWOBHM act, just with better melodies and vocals from Kiefer. Even ZZ Top on steroids comes to mind.
We’ve had enough of the raw deals / Hit the road and tell ya how it feels Like hell on wheels
“Somebody Save Me” is my favourite. The “Knock Em Dead Kid” riff merged with “Looks That Kill” works a treat and Keifer delivers vocally.
Well, everybody’s got opinions / But nobody’s got the answers / And the shit you ate for breakfast / Well, it’ll only give you cancer
Remember when white bread was marketed as a health food.
Now processed meats will give you cancer. And too much red meat as well. Plus all those cereals and muesli bars and low fat alternatives are full of sugar.
“In From The Outside” has an excellent outro and it’s the reason why I go through the whole song, just to hear the outro and how they fit in this metal like section to a 12 bar blues.
And “Back Home Again” is a great way to bookend the album. An open string riff kicks it off and the vocal melody from Keifer is brilliant.
I hit the road wide open at seventeen
It doesn’t happen like that anymore or does it. I read an article how most kids are still living with their parents past the age of 30.
And there is a cast on the album.
Jon Bon Jovi does backing vocals on a few tracks, drums are played by someone else and even the guitar leads are played by someone else on a few tracks.
For a debut album, it was an expensive exercise for Polygram. But it paid off in spades. Three times platinum in the U.S.
A school friend back then asked me to describe the album and I called it “AC/DC on steroids”. Hearing it back throughout the decades its more varied than that. There is a lot to unpack. ZZ Top is present, the first three Def Leppard albums, Aerosmith, Bad Company and Led Zeppelin.
James Durbin’s covers of Judas Priest on American Idol got me interested. The YouTube videos got some traction here in Australia. His debut album released in 2011, “Memories Of A Beautiful Disaster” rocked hard and I was a fan. “Celebrate” in 2014, lost me as it went way to poppy.
Then he hooked up (surprisingly) with Quiet Riot and he made me a fan again with the very underrated and forgotten “Road Rage” album released in 2018. “Space Cowboys” came out a year later but shit was going down in the Quiet Riot camp, as Durbin left the band before the album was released and drummer Frankie Banali was fighting for his life but we didn’t know it at that point in time.
And here we are with Durbin.
Joining James Durbin who does all vocals and guitars, is Mike Vanderhule on drums and Barry Sparks on bass. And from what I have read, different guitarists appear for the lead breaks.
The album came out in February, 2021 on Frontiers.
The Prince Of Metal
A perfect title to introduce his “Metal” album.
It’s like “Phantom Of The Opera” from Iron Maiden in the first few minutes and I’m all in.
James Durbin is killing it vocally and the guitar lead is also excellent. After the solo there is this slower “Heaven And Hell” groove and I’m banging my head to it.
The prophecy says / Raise Thy Horns / Bang Thy Heads / The Prince Of Metal
A QR reference. Perfect.
Kings Before You
Phil Demmel and Fozzy guest on this very Savatage sounding track, ala “Edge Of Thorns” in the verses.
I’ve always enjoyed Demmel’s playing in Machine Head and he delivers another guitar hero lead on this.
From the sky descends the wizard – As he spreads his hands apart / Manifesting right before me – Holding out the sacred heart
A Dio reference.
Into The Flames
It feels like it’s inspired by “Dance Macabre” from Ghost BC and I like it. Then again the riff is an overused riff from the 80s.
If anything the embryo of that riff can be traced back to “Don’t Fear The Reaper” from Blue Oyster Cult.
The Chorus is anthemic.
Now break the chains / Release the spell that you are under / This darkness will pass & give way to the light
The Sacred Mountain
It’s inspired by Dio and Sabbath’s “Heaven And Hell”. Durbin, Sparks and Vanderhule are firing on all cylinders here.
The vocal melody from Durbin is memorable and the guitar lead is fast and excellent.
The Beast Awakens
Great title track. More Metallica and Judas Priest like.
Killer vocals and killer leads.
Demons drawing nearer / Is your life forsaken / Time to face your fears / For The Beast Awakens
Evil Eye
Malmsteen has a song with this title.
Great riffs and the lead break is guitar hero worthy.
I’ll walk through hell alone & swear as long as I’m still breathing / I’ll live to overthrow the hellion & blind the Evil Eye
A Judas Priest and Malmsteen reference.
Necromancer
A power metal cut.
Riders On The Wind
One of my favorites, buried deep in the album.
It’s got Dio and “Heaven And Hell” influences all over it and I’m all in.
Check out the lead break as well.
Riders On The Wind / Searching for the sacred night
Calling Out For Midnight
It’s speed rock, Saxon like with a typical Durbin anthemic chorus.
Battle Cry
After the supercharged tracks, we get a slower tempo track, but don’t call it a power ballad. Because it’s not.
And the lead break is so Gilmour like with a bit of Michael Schenker added for spice.
By The Horns
It’s almost Megadeth like, a more rockier version of “Symphony Of Destruction”.
Rise To Valhalla
The closer and a cut for all those power metallers.
I’m ready to ride out and fight for Durbin.
Great lead playing and harmonies.
Also the bass playing from Barry Sparks is excellent on this song and throughout the album.
Durbin possesses a great vocal range and his prowess on the guitar is evident on this album. As a songwriter, all songs are written by Durbin.
If this is his first entry into the realms of Metal, then I will eagerly await his next.
I got “The Last In Line” album first (on cassette) and then went back to “Holy Diver”.
Ronnie James Dio success came from hard work and a commitment to stay the course. A true lifer in the music business.
Check out his release schedule.
Elf’s self-titled debut was released in 1972, “Carolina Country Ball” in 74 and “Trying To Burn The Sun” in 75.
Also in 1975, Ritchie Blackmore’s “Rainbow” was released, “Rising” in 76, “On Stage” in 77 and “Long Live Rock N Roll” in 78.
With Black Sabbath, “Heaven and Hell” came out in 1980, “Mob Rules” in 81 and “Live At Last” in 82.
By 1983, the “Holy Diver” release would be his 11th album in 11 years. An album I have on vinyl and CD.
And it’s funny how artists today are complaining that streaming services are forcing em to release more albums frequently but that’s how it was done, especially prior to MTV.
The band that Dio assembled involved some experienced players in Jimmy Bain on bass and Vinnie Appice on drums and an unknown youngster called Vivian Campbell on guitar, who was recommended to Dio by Bain after he saw Campbell tearing up the stage with Sweet Savage, his NWOBHM band that was struggling to get a record deal. Their song “Killing Time” would become another Metallica cover, used as a B side for one of the Black album singles.
Jake E Lee also auditioned but he missed out, only to get the Ozzy gig soon after.
Stand Up And Shout
You’ve got the power, stand up and shout
The opening song and it’s a call to arms right off the bat.
Written before Vivian Campbell joined the band, the opening riff has appeared in a lot of songs. I did a post called “The One Riff To Rule Them All”.
It’s fast and energetic.
Lyrically the song deals with breaking away from conformity. It was the same theme that Twisted Sister sold millions of albums on.
It’s the same old song You gotta be somewhere at sometime And they’ll never let you fly
The mysterious “they” could be your teachers, employers, leaders, mortgage brokers or some other entity/establishment holding you back.
You are the driver You own the road You are the fire — go on, explode
Damn right, we are our own driver but how many can truly say we made decisions without any influence from others.
Holy Diver
The lead single, sitting at 130.6 million streams on Spotify.
It’s “Heaven And Hell” re-cut in a new way.
How good is that groove from Appice and Bain under the iconic riff?
Vocally, Dio is fantastic and the guitar solo from Campbell is shredalicious.
Foo Fighters used it in the pre-chorus of their song “Something From Nothing”.
Gypsy
“LA Connection” comes to mind.
And the solo from Campbell is a standout.
Caught In The Middle
As soon as the opening chords ring out I was all in.
Looking inside of yourself You might see someone you don’t know Maybe it’s just what you need Letting the river in you flow
And the song goes verse and pre, then verse and pre, so when the Chorus comes in it’s well worth the wait.
You’re caught in the middle Just like the way you’ve always been Caught in the middle Helpless again
And how good is Dio’s ad-libing in the outro.
Don’t Talk To Strangers
The acoustic Intro. It’s enough for me to like it.
And the song percolates for a minute before the speed metal riff kicks in. If that fast riff sounds familiar, it should as they reused it again for “We Rock”.
This style of songwriting would also be used to perfection with “The Last In Line”.
The lead break is one of my favorites. It goes on for a while but I wanted it to go on longer.
And the song is then back to the acoustic intro before the speed metal “We Rock” riff kicks in to close it out.
Straight Through The Heart
I like the groove on this and the lead break from Campbell is another killer, especially towards the end of it when he harmonizes.
Invisible
A rewrite of “Straight Through The Heart”.
It wasn’t doing anything for me and then at 2.28, this Heaven and Hell like groove kicked in and Campbell is soloing over it and I’m playing air guitar to it and head banging.
Rainbow In The Dark
Sitting at 107.7 million streams on Spotify.
“Holy Diver” and “Stand Up And Shout” warmed up the fan base but it was “Rainbow In The Dark” that mobilised them and sealed the deal.
Dio is using the term rainbow as an analogy for a “light” in the dark.
Shame On The Night
The song is like “Sign of The Southern Cross”.
But it’s the ascending outro that rocks. I’m ready to take up arms and go to war.
This album unleased a new guitar hero in Vivian Campbell. But he would go on to leave the band bitterly. Only to join Whitesnake as a touring guitarist, then leave when David Coverdale told him he only wanted to write with Adrian Vandenberg, to Shadow King and then Riverdogs, before grabbing the Def Leppard gig in the 90’s.
Dio also knew how long an album should be.
“Heaven And Hell” is 39 minutes long and “Mob Rules” is 40 minutes. “Holy Diver” is at 42 minutes.
You don’t need 60 to 90 minutes’ worth of new music to be released at one time every two to three years. People don’t have spare hours. They have spare minutes. Release 30 to 40 minutes of new music on a frequent basis.
In the early 80s, Frank Hannon and Brian Wheat took a band name from a Y&T album and started playing UFO, Scorpions and Def Leppard covers. Jeff Keith, Troy Luccketta and Tommy Skeoch joined after and the band became known as City Kidd.
A three month residency at a U.S Army base would give them the opportunity to write songs and then play them live. Most of the songs written for the debut and some of the songs for “The Great Radio Controversy” were written during this period.
Jack Russell from “Great White” became a fan and he got Tom Zutaut to check em out, who then promised em a recording contract, but they had to wait until the end of 85, as he was moving from Elektra to Geffen.
They got a Q Prime deal but couldn’t get a producer to work with them. Rick Rubin, Max Norman and Bruce Fairbairn rejected them. Zutaut brought in Steve Thompson and Michael Barbiero but their background was dance music and they did some time mixing rock albums. Hardly an ideal choice and they also tried to get out of the gig.
Mid 86, City Kidd changed their name to Tesla and “Mechanical Resonance” was released on November 24, 1986, by Geffen Records.
It’s on Spotify, but they took off “The Great Radio Controversy”. Why they removed it, I guess we’ll never know.
“EZ Come EZ Go”
The funky groove to kick it off hides the rocker the song really is.
The verses are very Def Leppard like (first two albums Lep), in the sense of dynamics (soft and loud), the pulse like bass/bass drum and vocal melodies. But the Chorus rocks hard, like AC/DC and Aerosmith hard.
Then the lead breaks show a guitar hero aspect to the band.
In essence, if this was the first song you heard and it didn’t move ya, then you need to check yourself for a pulse.
There comes a time when you’ve got to let things go as fast as they come Wait and see what tomorrow may bring you, get it all while you can
I know it sounds clichéd today, but to a kid growing up, it was eye opening.
Like a new creed, a new truth.
“Cumin’ Atcha Live”
Written by Hannon, Keith and Wheat. If feels like a band jamming in the style of Van Halen. Even one of the riffs you hear in the first 30 seconds comes from a Van Halen song. The whole solo section feels like an improv jam.
My favourite part is between the 3.18 to 3.53 mark in the leads.
“Gettin’ Better”
Written by Hannon and Keith. One of my favourites.
As soon as I heard the arpeggio intro I was racking my brain as to what song it reminds me of. The D to A to Bm chord progression reminds me of “Goodbye To Romance”. Tesla would use this chord progression again in the “Love Song” intro. Mark Tremonti was a fan, so it was no surprise to hear it in “One Last Breath”.
And when the distorted chords kick in, again I am reminded about something familiar. Maybe “Highway To Hell”.
I’m a hard workin’ man, doin’ all that I can, tryin’ to make ends meet Just a-makin’ my way through the jungle today, it’s gettin’ the best of me
But it’s only gettin’ better, and a change is gonna come my way
My Dad worked two jobs to survive in Australia. My mum never worked as she was tasked with raising the family and keeping the house running. And I’m thinking did it get better for him. He believes so, but my Mum doesn’t. And for me, both my wife and I are working jobs so we can survive in this country and go on some holidays. We don’t know anything different.
“2 Late 4 Love”
Written by the band again, the embryo to “Hang Tough” is right here in the Intro.
I can’t believe this fucked up world in which we’re livin’ in Still I do the best that I can Always got me on the lookout for a getaway Runnin’ hard, I’m a rock ‘n’ roll man
Work to live and don’t live to work. The world will always disappoint you, so just do your best to get bye.
“Rock Me to the Top”
It’s a Keith and Skeoch composition. One of my favourites. It just rocks and rolls its way through my brain. A totally different style.
Rock me, rock me (rock), rock me to the top, to the top, baby
How can you not sing-along to it?
“We’re No Good Together”
Written by Hannon, Keith and Luccketta and I’m a fan of its slow bluesy feel. Very Bad Company’sih and Led Zeppelin’ish. Aerosmith wrote a similar track on “Pump” called “What It Takes”.
And it picks up for the lead break and outro, like “Free Bird”, only shorter.
“Modern Day Cowboy”
It kicks off side 2. A Hannon, Keith and Skeoch composition.
When the verse arpeggios kick in, it’s like the “Kashmir” riff, as each note moves up chromatically.
Also check out the lead breaks on this.
Foreign lands With their terrorist demands Only cause the good to hurt
Like so many others we have grown up with terror in our lives. Some experience it closely and it’s on the news when it happens and the innocent are always the ones to suffer.
The U.S.A., the U.S.S.R. with their six-guns to the side I see the message written on the wall. Too much anger deep inside
This was a thing once upon a time. Communism versus democracy. It looks like the scars never really went away because it’s still a thing. And people thought that once the Berlin Wall fell down, democracy would rule. But the older ones from Eastern Europe like my grandfather, they knew that a new dictatorship, probably worse than the one before, was just a few years away from resurfacing.
Bang bang, I shoot ’em up Bang bang, blow you away It’s a showdown in the no man’s land for the cowboy of the modern day
It’s a showdown!
“Changes”
Another band composition. One of my favorite Tesla songs ever, as it moves from an emotive piano intro into a vibrato style riff.
Changes, time’s makin’ changes in my life Rearrangin’, can’t seem to stop the hands of time I remember, I was so young, I was much too young to see Now I’m older, growing older, and I see things differently
A commitment to self-development and self-learning makes me question a lot of things that I once held as truth. But it all takes time. As time moves forwards, so do the changes. We don’t have three channels anymore. We don’t have dial up internet.
“Little Suzi”
A Ph.D. cover, written by Jim Diamond and Tony Hymas.
The “Albatross” intro was written by Hannon. The original version of the song had synths and was electronic, but Tesla made it an acoustic country rock style cut. In other words they made it awesome.
“Love Me”
It’s day and I’m feelin’ high, what’s the chances for you and I
What kind of high was Jeff Keith on?
Written by Hannon, Keith and Wheat, I can hear UFO and Bad Company in this. I reckon CC DeVille was also listening closely as I can hear “Nothing But A Good Time” in this.
Also check out the lead break, just for the soul and blues rock licks.
“Cover Queen”
A Hannon and Keith composition.
The “Blackout” from Scorpions inspired intro gets me interested. The verses swagger like Aerosmith. And in the last minute of the song it’s pure EVH style jamming.
“Before My Eyes”
It’s a darker cut, almost Dio like, written by Hannon, Keith, Luccketta and Skeoch composition.
If you like Van Halen and Aerosmith, there is enough here to keep you interested. If you like 70’s British acts like Bad Company, Led Zeppelin, Free, UFO, Thin Lizzy and Deep Purple, there is enough here to keep you interested.
If you like the Sunset Strip sounds of Motley Crue, RATT, WASP, Quiet Riot and Ratt, there is enough to keep you interested. If you like acts like Y&T, Triumph, Sammy Hagar and Montrose, those sounds are also here. And if you like the sounds of European acts like Def Leppard, Iron Maiden, Scorpions and Judas Priest, then they are also present.
I know, I know. I mentioned that “Lightning Strikes Again” is the last Dokken album I purchased and that would bring to an end my Record Vault posts on Dokken. But as I was filing away the CD’s I realised there is one more album that I have which I forgot about.
Released in 1990.
“Up from the Ashes” is an excellent record. No one talks about it, but I love it. It’s better than some of the records that outsold it. And it’s been missing from Spotify for a long time but it made an appearance sometime last year.
Released under the name of Don Dokken due to a legal challenge by Pilson, Lynch and Brown to stop him from using the Dokken name. That’s another story on its own. That shouldn’t detract from the album not going platinum. But Don believes it did.
Joining Don on the project are John Norum and Billy White on guitar, Peter Baltes on bass and Mikkey Dee on drums.
“Crash ‘N Burn”
It’s written by Don Dokken and Billy White, who played guitar in Watchtower, a progressive math metal band that released two albums in the late 80’s.
How good is the melodic flamenco and calm acoustic guitar intro?
It then gives way to some blistering and melodic hard rock.
And its personal. “Crash and burn to live again, up from the ashes, I rise” sings Don.
Check out the lead breaks, they are excellent.
“1000 Miles Away”
Written by Dokken and John Norum, it’s one of my favourite tracks on the album.
Those chants/ahhs in the Chorus when Don sings, “there’s nothing left to say as I send these words a thousand miles away” are excellent.
“When Some Nights”
Written by Dokken, Norum and White.
The intro brings back memories of “Still Of The Night” from Whitesnake or “Crying In The Rain”. Don sings, “take me back” and a staccato chord is played, then he sings “to a place I remember well” and another staccato chord is played.
“Forever”
Written by Dokken and engineer Wyn Davis. The feel is basically “Heaven Sent” reincarnated. I’m all in with the clean tone to distortion dynamic.
“Living a Lie”
Written by Dokken and Norum, who delivers a machine gun killer riff to kick off the song. And I’m swept up with the music thinking of the Chorus to “Don’t Lie To Me”.
And the lead break is shred-a-licious.
“When Love Finds a Fool”
Written by Dokken and Glenn Hughes.
For a power ballad it’s a favourite. It starts off with arpeggios and a bluesy like lead. The way the song percolates is haunting and then the Chorus with Glenn Hughes on backing vocals crashes in. You can hear the pain.
No one likes break ups. It’s painful. You think of the time wasted and opportunities missed to grow your life. And your starting fresh. It’s scary and the people you knew, you don’t know anymore.
Make sure you check out the lead break and how it builds itself up so the Chorus can crash in again.
“Give It Up”
Written by Dokken and White, a rolling bass line and simple 4/4 drum beat kicks off this AC/DC style rocker in feel. Otherwise it’s a melodic rocker.
Cause when it’s all said and done Who’s gonna put away the gun
Most of us die from our own doing. Either our own vices and addictions or by our own hand. The gun is the least of our worries.
“Mirror Mirror”
Written by Dokken, White and Mark Spiro. It feels like the Intro/Chorus riff is played by the fingers and not a pick.
Mirror, mirror on the wall I’m still here, I survived it all
Whatever drags you down, don’t let it. Relationships will always disappoint you and so would that dream job.
Be a survivor.
And the lead break is guitar hero worthy. If you like great guitar playing, check it out.
“Stay”
From my understanding it’s an unfinished Dokken cut which finally gets some love and attention here.
Written by Dokken and Mick Brown with a bass intro played by Tony Franklin. And it sounds like a Blue Murder cut, just before the distortion kicks in.
How catchy is the Chorus?
Although clichéd, you will be singing along with it and playing air guitar to the very Scorpions sounding lead break.
“Down in Flames”
“Trust me everything is fine” repeats a robotic sounding voice. It feels like its counting down with each repeat and then the music crashes in, to kick off one of the heavier songs on the album.
Written by Dokken and White, the intro riff gets me banging my head.
Lyrically it’s about a relationship, but it could have been about so much more.
After the main lead break there is a little harmony lead break which mimics the Chorus vocal melody. Check it out.
“The Hunger”
Written by Dokken and White. Ken Mary also plays drums on this song instead of Mickey Dee and I remember reading a Metal Edge article about this album which said that Ken Mary actually played on the first three tracks as well, before he was replaced.
And of course the first minute is very drum heavy and aggressive. It settles down in the verses, before picking up again for the pre-chorus and then the Chorus.
Norum gets a lot of accolades as a guitarist and he should, he is excellent, however Billy White deserves a special mention. He co-wrote the majority of the songs on this album and shared the leads with Norum. Other sources state that White did 90% of the leads. I’m not sure which leads White did, but all the leads on the album reminded me of Vito Bratta.
After this album and tour, Don lost his Geffen deal and went with John Kalodner to Columbia to reform Dokken. Norum continued with his solo career and bands, eventually re-uniting with Joey Tempest and Europe. Baltes went back to Accept. Mickey Dee would join Motorhead up until Lemmy’s death and then Scorpions from 2016. White on the other hand, just went missing after this album.
Don Dokken was at the peak of his powers between this period. “Back For The Attack”, “Up From The Ashes” and “Dysfunctional” are evidence of that power.
I watched the documentary/movie on Netflix last night.
How did a self-managed band from Australia come to headline the largest metal event ever, in Wacken?
To play to 90,000 screaming metal heads.
Watch it.
The realities of touring are laid bare.
Even all the months of planning in Berlin couldn’t prepare the band for the gastro bug that got em on “opening night”.
There is a part in the movie towards the end of the first leg of their tour.
The band is coming back out for their encore. The way its meant to go, is that vocalist Winston McCall would step out, light up a Molotov cocktail and throw it at the band logo behind the drums. And that is meant to trigger flames to rise up from the bottom and burn the logo. It looks cool if it works. But on this occasion someone in the road crew dropped the ball and it didn’t work out. No flames came from the bottom. It was almost Spinal Tap’ish.
Afterwards McCall is not happy. It’s towards the end of the first leg and they haven’t had a show go smooth. He’s questioning why the crew can’t get it right this far in. There’s always a problem. If it wasn’t with the pyro or the flames or lights, it was the sound board blowing up at a gig in L.A. Also an outdoor gig in Spain was almost canned due to lightning and strong winds.
When they returned back to Australia, bass player Jie O’Connor would destroy his knee playing football, so he played “Wacken” in a wheelchair.
And for a band that is self-managed, the buck stops with them. They fund the tour, they pay the road crew and they are putting every cent they make into the tour, so they can establish themselves as an “arena” act.
Most of the management is handled by Rhythm Guitarist Luke Kilpatrick and there are days when he’s tired or fried but he’s still going.
Regardless if you like the music or not there are a lot of lessons learned here.
That if you don’t risk, you don’t gain. But you could also lose as well. The band could have been comfortable playing smaller venues but they wanted to take the next step.
They had the perfect album for it, as “Reverence” was really accessible compared to earlier albums. Tracks like “Prey” are at 45.5 million streams on Spotify and “The Void” is at 35.8 million streams are selling it but “Chronos” is my favourite.
And as the band grew so did their road crew.
Of course the best thing is seeing the guys back in Byron Bay. Guitarist Jeff Ling is walking his dog on the beach and the dog is shitting everywhere so he needs to pick it up in a doggie bag. That’s big world problems right there. Drummer Ben Gordon is catching waves and is so underrated.
And they jammed but we didn’t hear any sound that the cameras could pick up. It was all in their headphones as they all plugged in to some device.
The biggest thing the documentary shows is that the band is huge both here and overseas.
It’s not on Spotify but YouTube has various videos of the album and it is the last Dokken album I purchased.
By the time “Broken Bones” came out, I was a streamer. But I’ve always had that album, along with “Return To The East” and “The Lost Tapes” in my “saved for later” shopping cart, waiting until the price is right.
This album is also the last to feature bassist Barry Sparks and drummer Mick Brown.
Like previous records, Don Dokken had to organize various labels for a worldwide release. Rhino for the North America market, Frontiers for Europe and King for Japan.
Production is handled by Don Dokken and Tim David-Kelly.
Standing On The Outside
A riff from “It’s Not Love” kicks off the album and I’m tapping my foot along with it.
The verses are better than the Chorus.
And the lead break from Levin is excellent.
Give Me A Reason
It starts off with clean tone arpeggios that remind me of “Walk Away”. But that was hiding the rocker to come.
Musically the song is excellent, while the melodies are stuck in the lower bass/baritone range and sound a bit monotonous.
Heart To Stone
A feel from “Into The Fire” kicks it off before it moves into a “Stop Fighting Love” vibe. It’s basically Dokken sounding like Dokken.
Jon Levin doesn’t get the respect he deserves He’s the longest serving guitarist in the band and he’s become a great co-writer with Don. Plus he respects the past.
How I Miss Your Smile
A simple repeating two chord arpeggio Intro kicks off the song and Don’s heartbreak lyrics take over.
It’s a run of the mill power ballad, but the lead break from Levin makes it worthy. He’s emotive and bluesy.
Oasis
A classic metal riff kicks off the song, straight from the grooves of the “Tooth And Nail” album.
The guitar solo reminds me of “Alone Again” and I like it.
But it suffers from a lack of dynamics vocally.
Point Of No Return
My favorite track.
The Intro reminds me of “Seven Nation Army” but once the song picks up it’s got a “Paris Is Burning” vibe.
Mick Brown and Barry Sparks lay down an energetic tempo.
Jon Levin has done a great job continuing the Dokken guitar brand in the 2000’s and he continues to shine on this track, showing his Lynch and Schenker/Jab influences.
Don Dokken is gravelly in his vocals and I like it as it works for this song.
The Chorus is anthemic and check out the lead break. It’s guitar hero worthy.
I Remember
Another ballad which could have come from Klaus Meine.
Judgement Day
Another favourite.
Levin is inspired by old Dokken.
It feels like “Cry Of The Gypsy” merged with “Lost Behind A Wall” and I like it.
And Don’s lower range singing works perfectly on this while Levin shines all over this track.
It Means
This is good and I like it when artists merge their old way with new influences from modern rock artists.
Release Me
Musically it’s modern rock, like a bit of Tool and a bit of Chevelle.
But it’s the lead break from Levin that captures my attention.
This Fire
An energetic rocker and the riffs are excellent.
Sunset Superstar
The bonus track on the Japanese edition. A speed metal cut like “Tooth And Nail”. It should have been on the album and Don’s gravelly vocals work.
If you like the 80s version of Dokken, you will like this. It’s the best album of the Jon Levin era.
I like Stryper. I never understood the crap they got because of their views on Christianity. Most interviews focused on that aspect and very rarely on the music.
“To Hell With The Devil” was released in 1986. It went platinum in the U.S, and it remained the best-selling Christian metal album until P.O.D.’s “Satellite” in 2001, which I also have.
To Hell With The Devil
The drum beat from Robert Sweet is simple but powerful. The chord structure is standard Am to F to G, but the guitar leads and harmonies make it unique.
How good are just the vocals and drums in the first verse?
And make sure you check out the leads from Oz Fox and Michael Sweet.
Calling On You
The lead break reminds me of “Sweet Child O Mine” but this was released before.
I’m always a sucker for melodic rock songs like this.
Free
It’s the same message as “We’re Not Gonna Take It”, “Stand Up And Shout” and the like.
The Intro lead break gets me playing air guitar and they end the song with it, just in a different key.
They even borrowed from “Reason For The Season” for the vocal melody.
Honestly
It just wasn’t my thing. The sound of the piano reminded me of the music in TV shows I didn’t like.
But it sold the album.
The Way
The Judas Priest and Iron Maiden influences of Oz Fox are shining through on the riffs here. A metal tour de force.
Sing-Along Song
It’s got that “Turbo Lover” feel in the Intro/verse.
Holding On
It’s “Hungry For Heaven” in the Intro and the Chorus harmonies are straight from the grooves on the Boston record.
Rockin’ The World
The Intro/Verse is familiar, but I can’t remember from where.
All Of Me
My least favorite track leads into my favorite track.
More Than A Man
If you like “Lights Out” from UFO, you will like this. The F#m groove is at the heart of both songs.
The lead break at the start also borrows from “Soldiers Under Command”.
“From Conception: Live 1981” was released in 2007. It’s not on Spotify but YouTube has it.
Like all things Dokken, there is a lack of transparency.
The album is advertised as 1981, but the band for the recording is Don Dokken on vocals and Rhythm Guitars, George Lynch on guitars, Mick Brown on drums and Jeff Pilson on bass. But Jeff Pilson didn’t join the group until 1982. Juan Croucier from Ratt is the bass player prior to that.
Regardless of the story behind it, it’s one of Dokken’s best live albums and it is virtually ignored. Maybe because it came out in 2007 or maybe because it’s early Dokken, pre “Tooth And Nail”. I
t’s early Dokken. Even Don Dokken is playing guitar on stage and apart from rhythms, Lynch and Dokken are doing harmonies together.
Paris
It kicks off the show. The energy drips from the speakers. I feel like I’m at the show. Acts today will not know this, but back then, acts would live or die based on their live show.
Listening to “Paris” and it’s easy to hear why they got signed to Elektra Records.
Goin Down
I like the AC/DC and UFO groove.
In The Middle
The groove from the bass and drums gives Lynch and Dokken a chance to decorate and decorate they do.
Finally after three sings Don addresses the crowd and tells em to “make some noise” as they have the mobile set up outside and they are recording the show.
Young Girls
The L.A Sunset Strip riff kicks off “Young Girls”. Listen to Motley Crue and Ratt and you’ll know what I mean.
Hit And Run
It’s got a similar groove to “In The Middle”, just a bit faster. And lyrically it feels like a Saxon song about a soldier fighting.
Nightrider
The best song on the album. A speed metal song. It’s played that fast, it feels like a NWOBHM cut.
All the critics that called em a “poor man Scorpions” needs to listen to this version.
Check out the harmony guitar playing between Dokken and Lynch. I keep repeating the song just to hear it. And you’ll be surprised by Dokken’s prowess on the guitar.
And there is a sing-a-long with the audience, think “Running Free“ from “Live After Death” but this was recorded before.
GTR Solo
Then we get a 3 minutes of George Lynch shredding away.
Live To Ride
It’s fast and it gets me playing air guitar. It also reminds me of “Ace Of Spades”.
Breaking The Chains
Don mentions that the song is doing the rounds on MTV so I don’t think it’s a 1981 recording because of that.
It sounds heavy compared to the recorded version.
There’s a “thank you, good night” and the crowd screams “more” for 2 minutes
Liar
Speed metal and the lead break is electrifying.
“Beast From The East” is the Dokken live album and then there is “From Conception”.
Crank it.
And in the CD there was some promo about the upcoming new album and release of a classic VHS tape on DVD.
destroyerofharmony 