Originally written by Russ Wallin.
For years Dokken was a popular act and nearly every bar band had at least one Dokken song on their play list. I couldn’t even tell you how many times I’ve had to play “Breaking the Chains”, or some other “hit” song, in front of a bar crowd as a kid. More than I care to even think about really. So as time progressed, Dokken usually came up with at least one “hit” per album. Eventually Dokken split up, a couple times, and George Lynch went his way while Don Dokken took his name elsewhere. I can’t really say I followed George Lynch after that, but he’s released several albums under the Lynch Mob moniker. I remember the first time I ever listened to Dokken. “Tooth and Nail” was the album and I was ten years old. 1984 was the year and “Tooth and Nail” shared equal time with Van Halen’s aptly named “1984.” When you’re ten years old, Dokken sort of rocks…sort of. The actual song “Tooth and Nail” was relatively heavy for such a young mind. Shortly after, I had “Breaking the Chains” and a few albums that followed. As the years wore on, my musical tastes grew and became more complex, where as Dokken’s formula remained constant. Early in my teenage years I lost interest in Dokken for a few simple reasons. I felt as though the music and lyrics were immature and overly simplified. Sure, George Lynch can bust out a speedy and unique guitar solo, but the song writing was juvenile. I know it’s rock music, but even rock music doesn’t always have to be shallow. So, on the “REvolution”. This album is a remake of “some of George’s favorite hits”, according to his official website. What do I think? Well, I wasn’t really expecting any surprises. First off, I’m not a big fan of remakes. Leave well enough alone and write something worthwhile! The fact that some of the songs included are; “She’s Evil But She’s Mine”, “River Of Love” and “Wicked Sensation” should be an indicator of shallow nonsense I speak of. Lynch Mob went for a more thrahsy rock sound with this album and made changes to how they played, but it ends up being the equivalent of trying to turn a poodle into a bulldog. It’s just not gonna happen. The opening of “Kiss of Death” is the heaviest part of the album with the drums at half speed. And it’s probably the most intelligently written song on this album, but still…I mean come on, this is 2003 and I’m not ten years old anymore. All the Lynch Mob members are pretty good musicians and that’s partly why I’m so pissed. It’s just a big waste! I hope this album was the record company’s idea, for George’s sake. I mean the guy is like damn near fifty years old now and he’s still going on like he was sixteen. You’d think that a guy would expand and improve his writing capabilities instead of releasing something like this. Overall it’s still “cock-rock”. Possibly the equivalent of putting sand in a condom before use! If you like rock songs about girls and “Wicked Sensations”, then you’ll probably enjoy this. The sound is good overall, but still reeks of 80’s hard rock.
