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Album Review of Dokken: Heaven Comes Down (Silver Lining Music)

Have you been missing your Dokken fix? Heaven Comes Down is the band’s first release in more than a decade and – spoiler alert – it rocks! Musically, the album is akin to Tooth and Nail-era Dokken, a little rawer but just as melodic as the band’s biggest hit-era discs and a frequent fave among old-school Dokken fans. In that respect, Heaven Comes Down serves as a terrific introduction to the band for potentially brand-new fans, if this were to be their first encounter with the band.

The album kicks things off with high-energy rocker “Fugitive.” Guitarist Jon Levin, serving as Dokken’s lead guitarist for the fourth consecutive album dating back to 2004, absolutely shreds, propelling this song a mile a minute with the help of rhythm section Chris McCarvill (bass) and BJ Zamp (drums). Meanwhile, Don delivers an impassioned vocal performance, with the added bit of gravel in his vocals – when compared to early Dokken, at least – providing a little more rock grit on this song, in particular, and a bit of gravitas to the album in general. In the melodic hit era, “Fugitive” would be a certain top-ten hit. It’s my favorite song on the album, though others come close.

“Gypsy,” song two, maintains the energy level and pace of “Fugitive,” delivering a similarly-styled catchy tune. “Is It Me Or Is It You?” adds a sidewinding rhythm to the formula; it’s just as heavy as the first two tracks, but Don’s vocals soar a bit more, and Jon’s solo is a little more finesse-based and less aggressive.

“Just Like a Rose” is just as heavy as the preceding tracks, but the music flows more smoothly, in classic Dokken fashion, and the arrangement features a some open space, just slightly less densely packed with instrumentation.

“I’ll Never Give Up” is the disc’s power ballad. Fiercely emotional melodic hard rock vocals drive the song, and a nifty guitar solo matches the tone, fitting nice into the song as it drives things forward. As much as “Fugitive” would be a top-ten hit in melodic hard rock’s heyday, “I’ll Never Give Up” is the sort of ballad that might have reached number one.

“Saving Grace” is a stereotypically old-school Dokken-styled power rocker, mid-tempo, with the weightiness a result of its heavy rhythm rather than speed.

“Over the Mountain” picks up the tempo a little, but it isn’t as much faster as it seems; mostly it’s the nifty guitar hook in the verses and the crisp skinswork in the chorus that give the song its pace. Buried on the back half of the disc and not particularly ostentatious, “Over the Mountain” is a sneaky-good tune that’ll grow into a favorite.

“I Remember” is one of those slower-paced songs that’s still not a ballad, in part because the chorus picks up a little speed. I mean, yeah, this would be a slow dance song at a rock club, but it’s kinda pushing the limit of what works.

Penultimate track “Lost in You” is a guitar-driven slow-tempo heavy rocker not unlike “Saving Grace.” Yeah, the guitar hook is different, but the two songs always remind me of each other.

And finally, “Santa Fe” closes the disc with a cool, mid-tempo, acoustic guitar-driven western musical flavor. The light music bed highlights Don’s softly emotional, somewhat wistful vocals and lyrics. It’s a twangy song with lyrics about horses and whiskey and heading to Santa Fe. It’s one of my favorite tracks on the disc, a terrific way to end an album.

In the end, this is a classic Dokken-styled record with well-written songs, attention-grabbing axework, an often-soaring hard rock vocal delivery that’s a Don Dokken specialty, an overall heaviness with a variety of tempos that are often actually less fast than they seem, the requisite hit-caliber power ballad, and excellent musicianship throughout.

Looking Ahead

Dokken’s web site lists several tour dates (scroll down a little to see them), including three spring dates currently scheduled: March 1st in St. Charles, IL; March 2nd in Medina, MN; and April 6th at the Ground Zero Music Festival in Bandera, TX. Concert dates are also listed for an August European tour and a couple of September west coast dates (Nevada and California). Be sure to check the website for more details and for additional dates as they’re added.