Under Lock & Key [Remastered] [Deluxe] Dokken Artist

After getting off to a patchy start with their thrown-together 1982 debut, {|Breaking the Chains|} (recorded mere weeks after they'd become a band), {|Dokken|} replaced departed bassist {|Juan Croucier|} (bound for {|Ratt|}) with {|Jeff Pilson|}, and... Read more

After getting off to a patchy start with their thrown-together 1982 debut, {|Breaking the Chains|} (recorded mere weeks after they'd become a band), {|Dokken|} replaced departed bassist {|Juan Croucier|} (bound for {|Ratt|}) with {|Jeff Pilson|}, and really seemed to gel as a proper musical unit on their impressive sophomore album, {|Tooth and Nail|}. But notwithstanding a minor European hit achieved with that record's single, {|Into the Fire,|} the quartet had yet to experience a commercial breakthrough back home in America, a breakthrough that would finally arrive after the release of {|Under Lock and Key|} in November 1985. However, {|Dokken|}'s third album was hardly a monster hit, peaking at number 32 and only gradually marching toward gold, then platinum certifications, thanks to a string of successful but hardly explosive singles, the band's grueling touring schedule (supporting {|AC/DC|}, {|Judas Priest|}, {|Dio|}, etc.), and, let's be frank, some crucial tarting up of the musicians for the extremely image-conscious {|MTV|} generation. Take {|Under Lock and Key|} away from these temporal sales drivers, though, and one still has quite possibly {|Dokken|}'s most complete album, with a little something for every type of fan -- including memorable singles like {|In My Dreams|} and {|It's Not Love|} (which rode effectively cornball videos into the Top 40 chart), fist-pumping headbangers like {|Lightnin' Strikes Again|} and {|Til the Livin' End,|} and saccharine ballads like {|Slippin' Away|} and {|Jaded Heart|} (never the band's strongest suit, it should be noted). Most importantly, {|Under Lock and Key|} also boasts two almost peerless examples of {|Dokken|}'s best songwriting template -- bittersweet mid-paced rockers -- in the opening tandem of {|Unchain the Night|} and {|The Hunter,|} both of which also pack fantastic solos from guitar wizard {|George Lynch|}. Along with the aforementioned diversity of styles, it's ultimately these two defining tracks that still make {|Under Lock and Key|} the best introduction to {|Dokken|}'s sound -- even though heavy metal purists tend to prefer {|Tooth and Nail|} for its combined aggression and consistency. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia Less