Dokken's 'Heaven Comes Down' - Album Review

Each year brings a few surprise releases, usually from veteran bands who have not released anything new for a long time. These albums often end up being some of my favourites of each year as it is always great when a band whom has been inactive on the recording front finally puts out something new. I look forward to these surprises each year, and one of 2023's such examples is Heaven Comes Down - the twelfth album from the California-based band Dokken. Whilst the band can trace their history back to 1976, Dokken as we know them were truly launched in 1983 - when their debut album Breaking the Chains was released worldwide, following early versions of many of the same songs dropping in 1981. Thanks to the band's melodic songwriting approach, the smooth voice of namesake Don Dokken, and the guitar heroics of George Lynch, Dokken became one of the premier American hard rock/metal bands of the 1980s. With a sound that was equal parts US power metal, hair metal, and melodic hard rock/AOR, Dokken never neatly fit in with any of the 1980s rock scenes. That said, though, they were successful and are well-respected as a result. Their first four studio albums and 1988's excellent double live album Beast from the East are as good as any other similar run of albums from the era, but I think that it is fair, and uncontroversial, to say that nothing which Dokken released after this initial run has ever hit the same heights. Like many bands who found success in the 1980s, the 1990s were not kind to them - with a couple of sub-par releases seeing them struggling to fit in. The break up of the classic line-up was actually the catalyst for improvement, though, and brief periods with Winger/Whitesnake's Reb Beach and Europe's John Norum produced some decent results as the band entered the 2000s. Nowadays, only Don remains from the band's classic line-up. Drummer Mick Brown stuck around until 2019, when he was not touring with Ted Nugent instead that is, but both Lynch and long-time bassist Jeff Pilson have been out of the band for many years at this point. Since 2003, though, Don's main musical partner has been guitarist Jon Levin - and the results of this collaboration have generally been pretty solid, with 2008's Lightning Strikes Again in particular being a stand-out. The past decade has not seen anything new from the band, though, even though Don repeatedly said in interviews that a new album was being worked on. As such, then, the release of Heaven Comes Down is not as much of a surprise as it could have been - but given how long Don had been talking about the album the fact that it has been released is a surprise in itself. It is the fourth collaboration between him and Levin - and the first since 2012's solid Broken Bones. It is the band's first album with bassist Chris McCarvill (X Factor X; Obsession; House of Lords) and drummer B.J. Zampa (Thunderhead; Wayne; House of Lords; Obsession; Munroe's Thunder; Peacemaker) - and officially the first without Brown (although it seems to be fairly common knowledge that he did not play on Broken Bones despite being credited). Musically, the album is similar to the band's other recent releases - but with perhaps a few more nods to the classic era. Levin's guitar playing is a little more fiery this time and the album overall has more of an impact as a result.

To get the obvious talking point out of the way first, it has been clear for year's that Don's voice has deteriorated significantly. He was never the most powerful singer, but his pleasing and emotional tone was a big part of the band's trademark smoothness. He still possesses this tone, but his range has diminished a lot - leaving him with quite a flat-sounding, husky delivery. Despite this, though, I actually think he does a good job throughout this album. He is aware of his limitations and the songs have clearly been written with them in mind. He still sounds like himself, though, despite his reduced abilities - and the album is an honest representation of Don as he is now, even if his long-time friend and the band's former bassist Mark Boals did help out with some backing vocals and harmonies. Moving onto the songs, then, this album gets underway in fine fashion. The opening two songs here are the album's lead singles, and they are classic-sounding Dokken pieces which fans of the classic era should enjoy. Fugitive is one of the strongest Dokken songs for a number of years in my opinion. It opens with some melodic clean guitars from Levin, which build up in a chiming and somewhat atmospheric manner, before he launches into more of a 1980s-inspired riff - and the song morphs into a hooky, mid-paced rocker. Occasional pinch harmonics and shredded melodies add some guitar heft, but generally the piece is riffy yet atmospheric - which provides a great bed for Dokken's restrained verse vocals. Despite his limitations his vocal melodies here are still memorable - and the verses feel pretty involved thanks to the varying guitar tones and the straight ahead vocal hooks. The chorus is a bit more upbeat, though, with Don pushing himself somewhat (helped out by Boals). The song's opening riff returns here, which gives the chorus more weight, but it is the main vocal hook which is likely to draw the listener in. A lengthy shredded solo from Levin recalls the style of Lynch somewhat, but Levin is very much his own man - and four albums in to his Dokken tenure he has made the spot his own. Gypsy is another excellent song - and it is one that ups the heaviness somewhat. Zampa's ride-led drumming and McCarvill's pounding bass lead the song from the off, whilst Levin's metallic riffing has more chug when compared to the melodic rock sheen of the previous cut. The verses do return to that sound a little, though, with less of a hard-hitting sound, but the choruses are very in-your-face - with the chugging from the intro returning and one of the album's more urgent vocal hooks sinking in nicely. Like the opening song, Gypsy has plenty of classic Dokken hallmarks throughout. The band's sense of melody is intact and there is plenty of high-octane shredding, too, which is fitting giving the riffy nature of the piece. The quality continues throughout Is It Me or You?, which opens with a mid-paced bluesy riff with a slightly funk edge. It recalls Extreme a little early on, but the song soon takes a more typical route - and, for me, it harks back a little to the last few albums. Levin's playing is certainly bluesier in general than Lynch's ever was and that gives songs like Is It Me or You? more of an organic edge. Don's huskier delivery suits rawer songs such as this, though, and it is a great addition to the album even though it perhaps does not channel the band's classic sound as much as others here.

Just Like a Rose feels more old-school, though, and it leans into the more melodic rock sound the band forged on 1985's Under Lock and Key. The riffing here is not as heavy as it has been up to this point, with the melodic chords feeling anthemic - whilst the opening guitar lead feels more cutting and less busy than some of Levin's other examples. Like many of Dokken's best melodic anthems, the verses here are made up of some excellent guitar arpeggios - which chime away in a pleasing manner behind Don's voice, whilst the rhythm section provide a suitable amount of bulk. Also like the band's other songs of this nature, it is very much built around its chorus. There are quite a few memorable choruses here, but the smooth vocal melodies and additional Boals harmonies allow for it to become a real earworm. There is nothing high-octane about this song at all, but many of Dokken's best songs of the 1980s exercised restraint. Levin's guitar solo builds on his opening lead, too, and it is one of the best-phrased here, with lots of aching melodies and perfect note choices to compliment the hooks elsewhere. I'll Never Give Up slows the pace down, but the mournful ballad is another strong cut. Like many more mainstream-sounding metal bands of the 1980s, Dokken have produced their fair share of ballads over the years - and this channels some of those past. Despite the fact that the sparser arrangement here shines more of a light than ever on Don's voice, his intact tone allows him to carry the song's emotional weight nicely. The chorus feels a little rockier, with some thicker power chords and punchier drumming, but the verses are very much in classic ballad territory with their chiming clean guitar melodies and Don's cracked voice. Levin's solo soars, too, and the melodic segment is one that builds somewhat over time - generally staying in a slower lane before exploding at the end. Saving Grace feels a little similar, but with a tougher overall approach. As such, the song does not feel like a genuine ballad - although there are certainly some slower moments and a more atmospheric overall approach. It is a bit like a mix of the album's previous two songs, then, but with a darker tone, too - and some of the riffing here recalls Deep Purple's Perfect Strangers a little in rhythm and impact. This gives the song a heavier edge despite the emotional and atmospheric vibe throughout - and the chorus contains a decent hook despite it not being as strong as many of those which came before it. Over the Mountain returns to something a bit more up-tempo - and the mid-paced track is welcome after the previous two slower numbers. It is not as good as the songs which opened the album, but it contains another decent chorus and there is plenty of strong riffing throughout from Levin. The chorus has a nice edge to it as a result, even if the verses are a little lacking in firepower, but the folky vocal melodies during the chorus are hooky - and weave in nicely around the bluesy riffing and Zampa's hard-hitting drumming. A shredded solo injects some pace into the album again and, despite not being an overall standout, the song adds positively to the album's second half.

I Remember slows things down again and returns to the hooky, ballad-esque sound of I'll Never Give Up. The song feels a bit more upbeat than the aforementioned piece, though, and there is more of a harder rock edge throughout thanks to McCarvill's prominent bass playing during the verses and a chorus which feels a bit more anthemic. The chorus here is similar in style to that of Just Like a Rose's in the fact that it was clearly written to be an earworm. The song feels built around the chorus, with the melodic guitar arpeggios of the verse leading up to the riffier chorus nicely, whilst the solo is another more well-phrased piece which lacks the shredding of elsewhere. This is very much an album whereby the first half is better than the second half, but nothing here is poor quality in my opinion - and I Remember is hard to get of your head thanks to its hooky chorus and accessible overall approach. Lost in You then goes for a heavier overall sound and it is the last track on the album which sees the band really rocking out. Levin's opening riff is busier than some of his efforts here and the lead-based approach of the riff give the track something of a kinetic energy as it kicks off. The overall arrangement is quite dynamic, though, with verses which generally operate at a slower pace - with chiming guitar chords adding colour to McCarvill's driving bass. The verses build in stature as they move forward, though, and as the chorus is reached the track feels heavier - with it upping this heaviness further and going for something more weighty overall, despite some more strong vocal hooks. A busy guitar solo from Levin is later in-keeping with the song's riffier and more hard-driving nature, too, and the flashier moments throughout help to give the album one last kick of energy before it closes out. There is one last song to go, though, as the album comes to a close with the acoustic piece Santa Fe. With acoustic guitars throughout by producer Bill Palmer, the genuine ballad is likely the most stripped back song in Dokken's catalogue. It is not very in-keeping with the band's typical sound, then, but I really like the mellow vibe in which the album closes - and Don sounds really heartfelt throughout, his vocal melodies sounding strong against the strummed acoustic guitars and occasional more melodic lead. In some ways, Santa Fe feels like Don saying goodbye. I am not sure if the band plan to release any more albums, but given the 11 year gap between Broken Bones and this one anything further seems unlikely at this point. The mournful acoustic piece feels like Don closing out Dokken's recorded output with something heartfelt and reflective - and if it does turn out to be Dokken's final song then it would be a nice way to end things. In many ways, though, I hope that this is not the end. I have enjoyed the Levin-era of Dokken, and Heaven Comes Down is a strong late-period release from the veteran band. There are enough memorable hooks and shredded solos here to please the band's fans; and Don's voice is not a hinderance, for me at least.

The album was released on 27th October 2023 via Silver Lining Music. Below is the band's promotional video for Fugitive.