I must admit that I have been a Dokken fan for all the years they've been here. I never hid that fact at all. Well anyway, I remember hearing about George saying he was gonna take these songs and make them heavier. And behold Lynch Mob returning and tearing most of those old classic Dokken songs down and making them more like what those nu-metalers could handle today.
A nice amount of re-working's of Lynch Mob stuff is contained here. I wonder why he didn't make the songs from Sacred Ground heavier.That was a great solo record from George. They should slide on to the Ozzfest bill with this release???
"Tooth And Nail" and that album was killer back then, wasn't it? Starts it all off. They make that track thrashy for sure. "Tangled In the Web" still retains some laid back parts but is way more meaty. "Kiss Of Death" is actually slowed down and so much more phat! WOW! "Cold Is The Heart" is pretty damned harder and heavy. "Breaking The Chains" is also slower and is more on a heavy tip for sure. "River Of Love" gets a bit more blues like jamming and throws me off a bit. "Wicked Sensation" is more on the track of the original except this has more teeth. "Paris Is Burning" almost has that sound it had on the debut. Then again the thundering bass and the more thrash gear I find myself liking it. "The Secret" rocks it harder on the outro. I sorta on one hand say, hey! It is a bit late or why couldn't this been with the original Dokken band? Or the Lynch Mob sound then? It would have been nice.
I'll give George credit for making this a more enjoyable heavier listen than what I was used to. Then again some of the songs aren't as hard? On the production front; they did a great job of giving it that old feel while totally giving it more power. Now if he only finds a mid ground between this kind of metal and his solo effort Sacred Groove and then we will all be on the floor! Some may say a little late. There are many that will bow down to the harder versions and others may think that he should have left it all alone? It beats a glued together greatest hits package. I'm sure George would have had problems getting masters… HA! I didn't love it all but there were many shining moments here.
