It should come as no surprise that DOKKEN were one of the most promising and inventive L.A. acts of the 80s. Only paralleled by the likes of RATT and MÖTLEY CRÜE, this band succeeded in mixing metallic power with radio friendly melody lines, created by the dynamic duo consisting of Don Dokken and George Lynch.
With now-classic albums like “Tooth ‘n’ Nail” & “Under Lock and Key” DOKKEN managed to blaze new trails in the world of Metal. Just think… who hasn’t banged his head to “Kiss Of Death” or “Dream Warriors”; just to pick two out of a thousand great anthems from this band…
Well, although DOKKEN hasn’t provided us with anything spectacular since the late 80s it comes as a treat to listen to this original and long sought-after live recording from 1981. Often spoken of as a “classic” live concert it’s fabulous finally being able to hear what the fuss was all about… And there’s been no exaggeration here when it comes to flattering words!
A lot of these tracks never made it to the official albums by DOKKEN and were nothing but show-teasers when DOKKEN were still trying to land a record deal in the states. But that really doesn’t matter cos’ one can really sense why this band achieved what they did - Tight-as-can-be musicianship, blistering energy and a REALLY good live sound. The tracks that made it to “Breaking the Chains” (their debut) are even better live than on album, which really took me by surprise.
There’s no two ways about it; add this one to your shopping basket immediately if you wanna hear a REAL live recording. And if you’re a fan of 80s shredding you really ought to check out Lynch’s guitar solos on this live album. He’s already blazing away in 1981 like it was 1990!!
Amazing! Truly amazing….
