Stephen
The release of "Back For The Attack" was preceded by the single "Dream Warriors" which was written for the movie "A Nightmare on Elm Street 3". Dokken remixed the single and put it together with the rest twelve tracks and launched the album in the late November, 1987. This is the last studio album they made before breaking up and Don went on to release his solo album, George formed Lynch Mob, and Jeff eventually played with MSG.
Most of the materials here is softer than their previous albums with the exception of "Kiss of Death" and "Mr.Scary", two songs that's insanely heavy and carried an ultimate Lynch shred. "Heaven Sent", with a gloomy intro and good bridge but lack of powerful chorus, is one of their single that's actually is inferior compared to the other midtempo goodies such as "Night By Night", "So Many Tears", or "Stop Fighting Love". The other soundtrack single, "Dream Warriors", however is utterly beautiful, comprised of haunting intro, exploding rhythm, emotional vocal and superb chorus. Out of 60-minutes of songs they exhibited here, several numbers failed to match the strength of the standouts such as "Lost Behind The Wall", "Burning Like A Flame", or "Sleepless Night".
As it holds the record for being a Dokken's highest charting release, "Back For The Attack" is accessible and could be a good entrance point for new listeners as well as an admirable record for long-time fans with Don's prime vocal condition and George's unmerciful solos as the album's highlight. Though I don't consider this their masterpiece and my all time favorite, this is an essential album among Dokken's catalog.