Another superlative effort from these often overlooked kings of 'Hair Metal'. Following on seamlessly from the superb 'Tooth and Nail', but with a more polished production, 'Dokken', have arguably notched up their finest studio release. The 'George Lynch' / 'Don Dokken' team has never sounded better with 'Don's' voice crisp and melodic as ever and 'Lynch's' guitaring is in my opinion second only to 'Van Halen' and 'Randy Rhoads' from the early part of the 80's.

Without fail 'Dokken' always start their album with a cracking rocker and this is no exception. 'Unchain the Night' is a full blooded blazer, complete with an infectious grooving rhythm, catchy sing-a-long chorus and plenty of those crunching hooks that make their music so memorable. Next up, is the plodding speciality 'The Hunter', it could be classed as a little basic, but 'Lynch's' shredding soon makes you forget the simplistic lyrics, his solos are just magnificent and only add to enhance, vocally 'Don Dokken' is superb too, as he deliveries the verses forcefully yet melodically. 'In my Dreams' is another gem, more commercial and not as thundering as the opening tracks, but is a great melodic number with 'Don' sounding oh so sweet on the choruses, 'Jeff Pilson' and 'Mick Brown' add some fine harmonious backing vocals while 'George Lynch' contributes with another glorious solo. Slightly less exciting is the balladsy 'Slippin' Away', a bit lightweight for my liking and while melodiously executed, feels a little laboured after the first three belters despite another choice instrumental break. The tempo goes through the roof with the forgotten classic 'Lightnin' Strikes Again', anyone who thinks 'Dokken' aren't heavy, turn up the volume and listen to this blistering masterpiece. This is a pulsating number with rapid fire fret work of the highest calibre, great gutsy lyrics and best of all, some closing high pitch vocals to challenge 'Rob Halford', to hear 'Don' screaming "Lightening Strikes Again", is just magnificent. The second half kicks off with my favourite track 'It's not Love', a brilliant mid paced rocker, that features a sublime galloping groove, magnificent harmonised vocals and a great crunching solo- definitely one of 'Dokken's' best. Next up is the balladsy 'Jaded Heart', I don't find this as potent as most of the tracks, the laid back approach is nice, but comes across as a little dreary, albeit some great trademark harmonies. Back on track is 'Don't Lie to Me', the intro to which sounds very 'Scorpions' like, but this builds into a hearty mid tempo rocker with solid chorus, tasty hooks and a typical 'Lynch' solo. The power balladsy 'Will the Sun Rise' is another well performed track again utilising the surprisingly good vocals of bassist 'Jeff Pilson' and drummer 'Mick Brown', lyrically it's exceptionally strong and 'Don's' heartfelt performance is a joy to hear. 'Under Lock and Key' goes out with a bang, byway of the overlooked blistering gem, 'Til the Livin' End', this is one of 'Dokken's' fastest numbers ever, with furious drumming, splendid axe work with dynamic solos, all held together with killer vocals kicking out the imposingly powerful choruses.

In my opinion no fan of 'Hair Metal' should be without a copy of this or the previous and subsequent releases, the genre doesn't get much better than this.