Back for the attack indeed! With this album 'Dokken' set their name in stone as one of the best Hair Metal outfits, this time around we are gifted 13 tracks and almost an hours worth of material. In all honesty there's a little more filler present here than 'Under Lock And Key' and 'Tooth and Nail' but 'Back for the Attack' still includes many jewels and quite a few overlooked classics as well. This album is usually regarded as 'Dokken's' heaviest, I personally don't feel that that's a totally fair statement and with the exception of the blistering 'Kiss of Death' there's little here as brisk as 'Till the Livin' End' and 'Lightening Strikes'. Nevertheless there are less true ballads presents and more mid tempo rockers so there is some truth to the general opinion.

The album opens up with probably the best track present, 'Kiss of Death' is a fantastic ripper driven by majestic riff work and glorious hooks by an on form 'George Lynch'. 'Don Dokken' sounds on top form and delivers the lyrics powerfully and melodically, while 'Mick Brown' and 'Jeff Pilson' conjure up a powerful yet inventive rhythm. 'Prisoner' follows strongly and while it's one of 'Dokken's' lesser know songs, it's still an enjoyable number with solid harmonies and a cracking sing-a-long chorus. 'Night by Night' is a little more predictable and repetitive, although it's far from a poor song it's not one of the best present. Much better is the pulsating 'Standing in the Shadows' a high quality grooving rocker which features a sublime headbanging rhythm and more of 'Don' and 'George's' outstanding brilliance. Next up is the mid tempo 'Heaven Sent' a well written plodder which is very well performed, a little laboured at times for my liking, but 'Lynch's' solo is still pure class. Speaking of 'George Lynch' the first half closes with the instrumental 'Mr. Scary' and this is another gem, which displays more of his brilliant shredding on this atmospheric stalker. Side two opens with the melodic 'So Many Tears' and while this isn't as heavy as most it's still a very decent track, complete with the usual 'Lynch' solo and excellent penmanship. 'Burning Like a Flame' follows and although it's pretty engaging, it's not one of my favourites from 'Dokken', mainly due to the light-weight chorus. Better is the overlooked 'Lost Behind the Wall', a powerful rocker, with head swaying rhythm, strong bass lines and the usual stunning 'Lynch' solo. The tempo drops for the balladsy 'Stop Fighting Love', a decent enough slower number, but I feel they have done better along the same lines. The pace is restored for the crunchy 'Cry of the Gypsy', one of best tracks from the second side, complete with excellent vocals, quality chorus and tasty guitar licks. Following is the melodic 'Dokken' classic 'Sleepless Night', a smooth flowing track which manages to maintain a certain crunch while at the same time, a laid back approach- clever. Last up is 'Dream Warriors', the lead song from 'Nightmare on Elm Street Part III', as with the previous track, it's very melodic and flows quite superbly, It does have that stereotypical soundtrack feel about it, but this is still very good and unmistakably 'Dokken'.

Regrettable this would be last of the classic 'Dokken' albums, as they became one of many talented groups to break up through inner disputes and cut a wonderful career short. This, the classic line-up would eventually reunite for 95's 'Dysfunctional' but by this time the magic had faded some what. Some believe 'Back for the Attack' contains too much filler, personally it's another 'Dokken' classic full of underrated gems.