This is the only Dokken album to feature Reb Beach on guitar. The band sort of split in ’89 as Don and George Lynch hated each other. They buried that hatchet (not in each other’s head) and got back together to record Dysfunctional and Shadowlife. Then, George had enough again and moved on, and Reb was brought in.
This is one of the best Dokken albums, as not only does Reb play some killer guitar, but he breathes new life into the band and the songs are really good. The opening and title track is a typical Dokken uptempo rocker with Reb just ripping it up. Change The World has a great groove and main riff, the hook and chorus are so cool. Mad Hatter is another four to floor rocker with a standard Dokken riff, but the chorus and hook are just fantastic, and the solo is insane. Drown slows the pace down with an evil riff, and a killer funky choppy groove. Side 1 closes out with Shattered and it’s a heavy power ballad; the middle eight solo is awesome.
One gets Side 2 under way with an amazing cover of the Harry Nilsson track. I like when bands do unusual choices for covers. Who Believes is ballad city, and is lifted greatly by some Reb Beach wizardry. Awesome intro to Voice Of The Soul that drops into the huge main riff. Crazy Mary Goes Round is such fun track and has drummer Mick Brown on vocals. Haunted Lullabye is a slow brooding rocker with a very cool riff, and I love the solo. The album closes out with In Your Honour and it’s ballad city with a very Beatles sounding middle section. Great album and often overlooked when talking about Dokken albums.
9.5/10 from The Grooveman.
