top of page
Search
intothewellsabyss
Nov 2, 20222 min read

Dokken - Back for the Attack (1987)

FROM THE CRYPTS - CELEBRATING PAST ALBUM RELEASES in the HISTORY of HARD ROCK & HEAVY METAL…


Were you “Rockin’ with Dokken” on this release, which is celebrating 35 years since it was released?



On November 2, 1987, Dokken released their fourth full-length album Back for the Attack via Elektra Records.


A remastered edition featuring a bonus track was reissued in 2009 through Warner Music Japan. It is the band's best-selling album, reaching No. 13 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and remaining on that chart for 33 weeks. Three singles also charted on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart: Dream Warriors reached No. 22, Prisoner at No. 37, and Burning Like a Flame at No. 20 as well as No. 72 on the Billboard Hot 100. Back for the Attack was certified Gold and Platinum on January 14, 1988.


Background:

The albums first single, Dream Warriors was originally released in February 1987 as the theme song for the horror film A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors. The album title for Back for the Attack was taken from an earlier Dokken song of the same name, recorded during the sessions for Under Lock and Key (1985) and released as the B-side to Dream Warriors. It was later included in the 2009 remastered edition of the album as a bonus track.


Critical Reception:

Barry Weber at AllMusic gave Back for the Attack three stars out of five, saying that it "certainly isn't Dokken's greatest album, yet it remains a worthwhile listen". He praised the band for sounding "tighter than they ever have before", with frontman Don Dokken and guitarist George Lynch being "at the top of their game." Canadian journalist Martin Popoff praised the album, which "offers length, variation and a sense of ambition as never before", and called it "one of those lost records brimming with bravado" but not so unique to be "one's life soundtrack". He added that the "excruciating" circumstances of its recording took their toll as the band tried to assemble "a more competent, mature, substantial record".


The album was ranked number 12 on Metal Rules list of the Top 50 Glam Metal Albums.


Key Tracks:

Kiss of Death

Heaven Sent -  features one of the simplest, but coolest introductions to a song you’ll ever hear!

Mr. Scary -  one of my favorite instrumentals, this track written by George Lynch shows the maestro at the top of his game!

Lost Behind the Wall

Burning Like a Flame - Power Ballad on high!

Dream Warriors - the theme from A Nightmare on Elm Street: Dream Warriors; one of the darkest songs Dokken ever recorded, the video was based around the movie, including a scene at the end where Freddy Kruger wakes up from a nightmare frightened by the band.



Note: The reviews shared here are for historical reference. The views and opinions expressed within are not always supported (in full or in part) by Into the Wells. — E.N. Wells



Follow Us:

To read more about this release and more, subscribe to Into the Wells at: https://intothewellsabyss.wixsite.com/intothewells





0 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Comments

Post: Blog2_Post
bottom of page