DOKKEN — Tooth And Nail (review)

Album · 1984 · Heavy Metal

4/5 · 2018-12-12
siLLy puPPy

After a rather tenuous debut under less than ideal circumstances, it was a miracle that DOKKEN was allowed to remain together and release their sophomore album TOOTH AND NAIL, however with a ferociously hungry attitude the band lived up to their end of the bargain and crafted a second album for Elektra Records that delivered all the pop glam metal charm that the debut had lacked. Following the re-release of the band’s debut “Breaking The Chains,” Juan Croucier jumped ship to join Ratt and was immediately replaced by Jeff Pilson on bass and this is where the classic lineup of Don Dokken (vocals,) George Lynch (guitars), Jeff Pilson (bass) and Mick Brown (drums) would launch DOKKEN into the limelight and become one of the better selling acts of the 80s.

While the NWOBHM had launched metal into the greater public’s attention, it also meant that a new strain of more commercial “mindless metal” was emerging and with the Quiet Riot single “Cum On Feel The Noize” hitting #1 on the Billboard pop chart in 1983, it was guaranteed that the pop glam metal scene would erupt into a legion of imitators. DOKKEN, while starting out more in the NWOBHM arena quickly adapted to the changing times and joined the pack in crafting pop infused metal that took the glam look and mixed it with a classic 80s metal sound that steered clear of the fantasy infused lyrics in favor of more shallow subject matter that was designed to spawn chart seeking hits.

Right from the very beginning of the band, things were not good in the DOKKEN arena mostly due to the larger than life egos of Don Dokken and George Lynch butting heads that would end up in a life long feud that would ultimately lead to the band’s break up on several occasions. Even on this first true band effort, the rest of the band refused to work in the studio with Don Dokken and the creative process basically found the three instrumentalists crafting the music and adding Don Dokken’s lyrical content after the fact. Despite the rather ridiculous setting, the quartet found a winning formula with ten strong tracks guaranteed to hook the listener from the get go. While initially resistant to any ballads, Lynch was convinced with Don Dokken’s reworking of a 70s tune he wrote called “Alone Again” which proved to be one of the band’s biggest hits.

While visually DOKKEN clearly fell into the glam metal camp with their glitzy attire and heavy hairspray, on the musical side of the equation they crafted catchy metal tracks with a punch. Three videos “Just Got Lucky,” “Into The Fire” and “Alone Again” found heavy MTV airplay and catapulted the band into the top ranks of the burgeoning glam metal scene which allowed the album to take off like wildfire across the world and launched the beginning of DOKKEN’s initial 80s run. The album flows quite nicely as it starts with the tension building instrumental “Without Warning” that jumps into the bombast of the title track followed by two equally catchy pop metal tracks. Despite a weak presence on “Breaking The Chains,” George Lynch delivers some stellar guitar solos as well as some primo metal riffing all throughout the album. Likewise Pilson and Brown are allowed to showcase their metal chops in a more satisfying way.

While the album is perfectly paced with just enough production gimmicks to fill the cracks, the strength on TOOTH AND NAIL are the ten powerhouse tracks that crank up the distortion and iced over with Don Dokken’s sing-along vocal style. The highlights are the super heavy “Don’t Close Your Eyes” and the excessively bombastic closer “Turn On The Action,” but even the ballad “Alone Again” fits well into the scheme of things. TOOTH AND NAIL while finding the band members at odds still turned out to be a rather consistently charming album that fit into the glam metal scene that was unfolding in the 1984 timeline. While DOKKEN has always been a band that i want to hate because of the ridiculous ego driven nonsense that was generated by the mindless metal antics of the band members, i can’t help but be drawn into the magic of the melodies that these four guys crafted. TOOTH AND NAIL is indeed one of the better glam metal albums of the era.