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Dokken: Broken Bones
 After my first listen to Broken Bones I e-mailed Peter Pardo and declared it to be, "crap." Fortunately we don't review work on one listen here at SoT. We like to give artists a chance and now I'm of the opinion that somewhere inside Broken Bones there is a more than decent album struggling to get out. The problem is that the first two songs are fine especially "Empire" and the last three songs are very good and Don Dokken's voice suits the lower register he's using these days very well.
Sadly the middle of the record sags terribly into a mid tempo purgatory which threatens to sink the whole project. Somebody either from the label or connected to the band should have insisted upon locating some scorching rockers for the mid section as what comes before and after is good. A sadly wasted opportunity overall , although guitarist Jon Levin comes out smelling of roses at all times.
Track Listing:
- Empire
- Broken Bones
- Best of Me
- Blind;
- Waterfall
- Victim of the Crime
- Burning Tears
- Today
- For the Last Time
- Fade Away
- Tonight
Added: October 5th 2012
Reviewer: Simon Bray
Score:  
Related Link: Band Website
Hits: 2969
Language: english
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Dokken: Broken Bones
Posted by Steven Reid, SoT Staff Writer on 2012-10-05 15:56:49
My Score:
So with rumours abounding that Broken Bones will be the last album to display the Dokken name, the question has to be asked. Is this iconic, long standing melodic rock band who once stood at the gates of greatness heading towards a possible end with a bang, or as broken as the bones referred to in this albums title? Well truth be told, it is a bit of both. With time and patience certainly an important factor in how you'll approach this album in future.
Roaring out of the gates, all riffs blazing, beats smacking and vocals raging, "Empire" introduces Broken Bones in classic, George Lynch era rifftastic fashion, with current guitarist Jon Levin immediately making a lasting impact. Something he goes on to repeat from song to song. The album's title track tones things down a little after that, but the more considered pace is locked down skilfully by "Wild" Mick Brown - a nickname he and his alleged golf-cart shenanigans have the Dokken veteran living up to once more. Mr Dokken himself is in fine voice, with Don sounding assured, clear and singing in a lower register since his vocal problems and operations. In fact, he hasn't sounded so good in quite a long, long time.
From there, latter day Dokken syndrome kicks in, with good songs, but a reliance on similar tempos and ideas resulting in a record that begins to blur from track to track, with "Best Of Me", "Burning Tears" and "Waterfall", amongst others, sounding disappointingly similar. None of those songs, or indeed, "Blind" or "Victim Of The Crime" are poor and interspersed around some more hard hitting rockers in the tone of "Empire", would make for a solid, varied release. As they are on Broken Bones however, they simply lack impact in the same way that previous Dokken albums such as Shadowlife or Long Way Home did.
Things pick up considerably towards the back end of the album with "For The Last Time" upping the intensity, if not the tempo, "Fade Away" bouncing along on the bass line courtesy of Sean McNabb, while "Tonight" again hits every bit as hard as the album opener. Levin shooting from the fret-board, sending out squeals and staccato bursts as though his life depends on it. Although in fairness, even when the songs are a little dull, Levin's playing is never in question.
That leaves "Today", which even on an album that is guilty of being too sedate and one paced, stands tall and proud as a stunningly beautiful, clean guitar ballad that houses one of the best vocals Don Dokken has ever provided. What a stunning song.
So not a whimper, but also not quite a bang, Broken Bones will appeal to anyone who has stuck by Dokken through the years, as it hints at the greatness of days gone by and provides similar fare to the band's more recent output. Hopefully however there's a least one more outing from Don and the boys and hopefully one with a greater degree of fire in its belly. Still, you'll hear much, much worse, yet more lauded melodic rock this year.
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