A late 90's comeback for 'Dokken', but this time there's no 'George Lynch', and by all accounts he will not be making a return. Fortunately 'Don' has dug deep and recruited 'Reb Beach' for this outing and despite his vastly differing style to that of 'George Lynch' he produces fine fret work throughout this release. Not really comparable to 'Tooth and Nail' and 'Under Lock and Key' but a respectable release for the late 90's.

Classic 'Dokken' is thoroughly felt on the blistering opener 'Erase the Slate' and is easily good enough to be on any of their prodigious 80's releases. 'Reb Beach' shreds away throughout and sounds nothing short of brilliant, 'Don Dokken' and the usual regulars give it plenty as well on this superb opener. The intro to 'Change the World' promises another thumping classic, but the sudden pace drop leaves me off balance but nevertheless this is still a quality mid tempo rocker, full of fine lyrics and choice hooks. Next up is the quirky but ultimately brilliant 'Maddest Hatter', lyrically inane but this can be easily overlooked by the glorious grooving rhythm, quality trademark harmonies and most of all the dazzling fret work from the former 'Winger' man. The band take a deviation from the usual with the dark and mysterious 'Drown', a sullen brooder which displays some fine vocals from 'Don' and quality drum and bass work from 'Wild Mick Brown' and 'Jeff Pilson'. Talking of excellent bassists, 'Jeff's' contribution should not be overlooked on the driving plodder 'Shattered' where his strong bass lines and overlooked vocals come into their own. Following on is a cover of 'Harry Nilsson's' 'One' and while I never really cared for the original 'Dokken' do a good job with it, especially notable are 'Don's' crystal clear delivery of the lyrics and 'Reb's' grooving guitar licks. The pace drops for the balladsy 'Who Believes' and while it's a respectable slower number, it's pretty drab and unfortunately for me they would explore similar ballads on their next release. Better though is the tough groover 'Voice of the Soul' which lays down an perpetual rhythm from the outset, this is very catchy and along with the excellent vocal harmonies, features some classic elements of the 'Dokken' sound. Continuing in fine form is the carefree rocker 'Crazy Mary goes Round', slightly 'Beatlesque' in approach but don't let that put you off, as the thumping guitars turn this into a gutsy rocker, also notable is the lead vocals which are taken care of by drummer 'Mick Brown' and a fair job he does to. Despite the forgettable intro to 'Haunted Lullabye' it continues strongly with fine lyrics, strong vocals and some driving guitar work. The pace is dropped right down for the closing number 'In your Honor' a heartfelt ballad, that although well performed fails to excite. Lastly is a short untitled instrumental that feature a strong 80's 'Dokken' feel, too brief to be really assessed though.

While 'Erase the Slate' isn't up to the 80's classics, it does contain a couple of very good tracks that still highlight the classic 'Dokken' sound and keeps the flame alive for fans. Checkout the following live album and DVD 'Live from the Sun' featuring 'Reb Beach', they play a couple of numbers from this album and a lot of 'Dokken' classics, the guitar work while very different from 'George Lynch's' is still brilliant and 'Reb' and the band sound surprisingly energetic.