Band:	Dokken
Album:	Back For The Attack
Style:	Heavy metal
Release date:	December 1987

01. Kiss Of Death
02. Prisoner
03. Night By Night
04. Standing In The Shadows
05. Heaven Sent
06. Mr. Scary
07. So Many Tears
08. Burning Like A Flame
09. Lost Behind A Wall
10. Stop Fighting Love
11. Cry Of The Gypsy
12. Sleepless Night
13. Dream Warriors

By 1987 Dokken was crumbling due to the clashing personalities of vocalist Dokken and guitarist Lynch. But instead of breaking up just yet, the latter took the bull by the horns and lay down his strongest set of riffs, runs, leads and solos yet. And to top it all, the band obviously had more control of the album (record executives must have been happy the band was recording at all) resulting in a great instrumental, a heavier production (though not as heavy as Tooth And Nail) and a very long record.

First off, the furious instrumental "Mr. Crazy" is not only a new high point in the catalogue of guitar wizard George Lynch but also allows an often overlooked rhythmic section consisting of bassist Jeff Pilson (who co-wrote every song) and drummer Mick Brown to show all they've got. The remaining album is made up by the familiar mid-paced heavy metal Dokken for once went through on an entire record, sometimes haunting and dark ("Dream Warriors") sometimes driving and upbeat ("Night By Night"), always great. Other highlights are the hard-hitting opener "Kiss Of Death", the laid back "Standing In The Shadows" (Mötley Crüe wished "Looks That Kill" turned out like this), the nostalgic "Stop Fighting Love" and the list goes on. Interestingly, there are no conventional power ballads, even if there are some mellow, bordering on melancholic moments such as on "So Many Tears".

Really, every single song over the course of an impressive 63 minutes could have easily been a staple on classic rock radio. Critics, hair-bangers (pardon the term) and even the band members and their fans do not generally regard Back For The Attack as a classic but that likely stems from the fact that the band's approach was wearing a bit thin after the fourth round. True, the differences in sound between the band's 80s records are fairly minor, but it is on Back For The Attack where the execution is most successful, making it a good place to start exploring the band.