'Hell to Pay' is thankfully a step in the right direction for 'Dokken', 'Long Way Home' was pretty off the mark in my opinion and saved only by a couple of strong rockers and a solid cover. The biggest difference here is the replacement of 'John Norum' with 'Jon Levin', whose 'George Lynch' style guitar work is not only excellent, but suits 'Dokken's' music perfectly. Unlike 'Long Way Home' the guitars are more heavily in the mix and overall the music is more reminiscent of classic 'Dokken', however not to the degree 'Don' boasted before the release, who compared 'Hell to Pay' with 'Tooth & Nail'. In my opinion this is still shy of a couple of brisk rockers, which I feel is a shame, as 'Jon Levin' shreds on the quicker material.

'The Last Goodbye' is an unusual and slightly disappointing choice and for an opener, as it sets a sluggish tempo for the album, despite this it's still a decent if unremarkable, mid tempo number that features clever mystical undercurrents, the chorus could perhaps be better but nevertheless 'Jon Levin' does make an early impact with a choice solo. Much better (and should have opened) is the lively pulsating 'Don't Bring me Down', a real quality rocker, well within the classic 'Dokken' mould, which highlights some superb guitaring as 'Jon' really cuts loose, complete with vocals that prove 'Don' has still got what it takes. Continuing strongly is the well penned 'Escape' a slick almost 'Lynch Mob' style mid paced rocker, which features classic 'Dokken' backing vocals on the excellent chorus, this is all tied together with a divine flowing melody to make for another very respectable track. Next up is 'Haunted' and this quality groover is another high point, complete with steadfast rhythm work, plenty of cracking guitar licks and solos while 'Don' continues to sound crisp. Well into 'Beatles' territory is another choice groover, which goes by the name of 'Prozac Nation', lyrically I'm not that impressed but the instrumentation is strong and the short mid track solo is quality. The customary ballad that has plagues previous releases follows and although 'Care for You' isn't by any means a poor song, it's not one of my favourites present, it's the standard affair, heartfelt and well sung but ultimately unremarkable. Back on track is the energetic 'Better off Before' a well executed song featuring effective vocals, strong rhythm / solo guitar work and some potent drumming courtesy of 'Mick Brown'. The tempo drops for the balladsy 'Still I'm Sad' a fairly run-of-the-mill affair, the chorus is well executed, with a backdrop of tasty fret work, but unfortunately too languid in places to make a real impact. Improvements are made with 'I Surrender' which in places has a strong classic 'Dokken' sound especially that of the chorus which comes off very strongly, lyrically 'Don' also does a good job on this honest mid tempo number. Less impressive is the 'Beatles' sounding 'Letter to Home', I'm no fan of the 'Beatles', so don't expect to hear them on other artists albums and that's what this is like, (with the exception of 'Jon Levin's' sharp guitaring). Improvements are made with 'Can you See' a track which starts out with subtle beginnings but picks up and matures into a mid tempo rocker, again graced with some fine fret work and complimented by more solid vocals. Finally they have included an acoustic working of 'Care for You', not a million miles away from the album version, but with strings and piano, not my cup of tea but alright if you like 'Dokken's' more subtle material.

I would say this is their best release since 'Dysfunctional', but for my liking there's still too many mellow moments. Still a definite improvement from 'Long Way Home' and the addition of 'Jon Levin' is a very smart move and further proves 'Dokken' still have a lot to offer.