T&N: Slave To The Empire

Dokken but without the Don.

You can trust Louder Our experienced team has worked for some of the biggest brands in music. From testing headphones to reviewing albums, our experts aim to create reviews you can trust. Find out more about how we review.

Like Burton and Taylor, it appears that the estranged parties of the scandalous Dokken divorce can’t quite let go. For those that missed it, the multi-platinum band (no, really) split with the kind of acrimony reserved for celebrity couples.

Don Dokken appears to have disappeared into the ether, suffering from problems with his vocal chords, while George Lynch (who makes grown men weep with his guitar playing), Jeff Pilson and Mick Brown have reformed with a record that’s part new material and part Dokken favourites.

Pilson says not to think of this as Dokken without Don, but that’s ludicrous as five of the 12 songs are Dokken mainstays and the other seven sound just like they were written in the late 80s. Especially good is Sebastian Bach on Alone Again and Doug Pinnick on Tooth And Nail, though the band hold their own on the punchy title track and the effervescent Rhythm Of The Soul.

Philip Wilding

Philip Wilding is a novelist, journalist, scriptwriter, biographer and radio producer. As a young journalist he criss-crossed most of the United States with bands like Motley Crue, Kiss and Poison (think the Almost Famous movie but with more hairspray). More latterly, he’s sat down to chat with bands like the slightly more erudite Manic Street Preachers, Afghan Whigs, Rush and Marillion.