Customer Reviews

Dysfunctional

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Dokken returns with a tight, exceptional piece of work, musically they show that they have not lost any ground in their six-year absence. Most impressive is the continued evolving of George Lynch's guitar playng. He adopts a little bit of the "less is more" rule and focuses a little more on the riffs over the solos. But his great solos are still aplenty on this album.

The standout track by far is the seven-minute centerpiece "Too High To Fly". Don't by turned off by its time length, this is a captive, rocking track with a really good groove and it just kicks a** from beginning to end. Of of the best places to listen to this song is behind the wheel of your car flying down the highway. This should have been one of the top album-rock tracks of 1995.

"Long Way Home" has a killer riff that echoes earlier Dokken. "Hole In My Head" is another fine Dokken anthem. "Lesser Of Two Evils" is another great cut, with a slightly funky groove.

A little unkown chart fact about this album, this album was the highest debuting album on the Billboard 200 album chart the week it was released (around #45). No small feat for a band like Dokken in 1995. It is true, look it up.

Too bad 1995 was a year of musical unenlightenment, where real rock and roll had little chance of being heard as much as it should have been . We were force-fed such vapid acts like Oasis, The Presidents of The U.S.A. and Hootie and The Blowfish. If you are a fan of these bands and are ready to slam my review, my question is this: Why are you here reading Dokken reviews ? My guess is that you are dying to be educated about real Rock music.

I remember some negative feedback about this CD,so I dug it up out of my music collection and gave it another listen.Okay,so there are no George Lynch guitar solos,but there's still SOMETHING here to offer the average Dokken fan.It has Don Dokken's trademark wailing as well as some very decent guitar work from Lynch - heck,I think I MAY like 'Dysfunctional' better than I did the first two Lynch Mob discs.Check it out yourself.Rockers include "Inside Looking Out","Long Way To Home" and "Lesser Of Two Evils".If that isn't enough to tickle your fancy,be sure to hear their cover of Emerson Lake&Palmer's "From The Beginning".It's a dynamo!!

After an absence from the music scene, Dokken returned in 1995 and recorded "Dysfunctional". All 4 original members were present during this time. The album is indeed updated from their signature 80's sound. Anyone who expects to hear songs like "In my Dreams" or "Dream Warriors" will not get what they are expecting. Although updated the album is still good. The songs are written very well, George Lynch is back in action, and Mick Brown is still beating the hell out of his drums. One of the more noticable down sides of the album is that Don Dokken's voice dosen't seem to be as strong as it was before. On another posotive side of the album, it is good to see Dokken writting about other subjects. Everyone loves songs about chicks but it is good to see them digging deeper into topics such as those expressed on "Too high to fly" and "What Price". Overall, "Dysfunctional" is quite good. Not the absolute best CD they've ever done, but still very functional.

I am a long-time Dokken fan...whether the name sake, Don Dokken, Lynchmob, or Pilson effort...
Initially, I was not impressed with this effort, but with time it has grown on me. Dokken presents their first cover song, of an ELP classic. The groove and sound of the overall album is quite an accomplishment for the re-united band. They appear to have resolved their personal differences, and turn out an album with thick, rich sound. "Too High to Fly" presents a hard edged jam, while "The Maze", "Nothing Left to Say", and "Sweet Chains" presents the ever harmonious talent of Dokken, Pilson, and the band throughout the album. Not every track on the album sounds the same, that is the best quality of this album, over all.
Even the harder edged tracks ("Inside Looking Outside", "Long Way Home", and "Shadows of Life") resonate with a strong sound Dokken has not presented to this date in their recording.
Keep Rokken'

I was so happy when Dokken got back together, and I rushed to buy this CD when it came out. Boy was I disappointed. If you're a Dokken junkie, you already have this album, but for those who are just looking to buy some music from the 80's band they remember, I recommend "the best of" or "Under Lock and Key".

DOKKEN'S MUSIC WAS NEVER TAKEN SERIOUSLY AS SOME OTHER BANDS BACK IN THE 80'S AND EARLY 90'S. I PICKED UP THIS CD AT AN EXCHANGE SHOP AND I HAVE TO SAY THAT THIS IS THE BEST THAT THEY HAVE DONE SINCE UNDER LOCK AND KEY. SINCE THIER FIRST RELEASE, DOKKEN HAS ALWAYS HAD GOOD SONGS ON EACH RECORDING. BUT DON DOKKEN AND GEORGE LYNCH COULD NOT GET ALONG, THIS IS PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE. THIS REALLY HURT THE BAND AND ITS MUSIC OVER THE YEARS. DON DOKKEN HAS ALWAYS BEEN ON THE LIGHTER SIDE OF POP METAL MUSIC , GEORGE LYNCH JUST THE OPPOSITE. CHECK OUT DYSFUNCTIONAL, IT IS A VERY GOOD ALBUM

Dokken has been all but forgotten in the last 8 years, since their last studio album "Back for the Attack." Unfortunately, they never really got the respect they deserved musically in the 80's anyway. But Dokken has proven with Dysfunctional that the can compete with the grinders and slow churners of the 90's, too. The songs all generally have the low, throbbing bluster much like most other mid-90's metal, but the songs are better and melodies are stronger than most. Jeff Pilson is the key character in making this somewhat of a Sabbatherian experience, as he plays (more like plods) bass lines much the same way as he did on Dio's 1994 release "Strange Highways." The tunes blend so well together here, making for a tight, seamless album. Musical highlights are "Hole in My Head," "Too High To Fly" and "Lesser of Two Evils." I thought maybe this is the album that should have been named "Back for the Attack!"

Alright Dokken fans, let's get something straight: the music on this CD is NOTHING like what you'll hear on albums like "Back for the Attack", or "Tooth and Nail". Yes, it's still Don's voice, and it's still George Lynch behind that awesome guitar work, but the new music has a distinct '90s feel to it. It's a bit slower, and Don's voice doesn't hit those high shrieks that he used to belt out. The songs are very differently written as well. However, it's still the same band, and that's apparent by riffing of Lynch's guitar, the background voices of Mick and Pilson, and Don's voice leading you through the album. Fans of classic Dokken: Take your chances and try this one, it's different, but in my opinion still better than "Erase the Slate"... that album wasn't bad, but the absence of Lynch really shows... Reb Beach just can't fill the shoes of that guitar hero.

I have owned "Dysfunctional" since it was first released.
Like many fans, I was initially taken aback by the sound
of the album. Unlike many fans, this reaction was due to
positive surprise, NOT negative. Dokken's music had never
been mixed and mastered so expertly, their material written
so masterfully, their sense of sonic adventure so broad, their harmonies so creative, and their overall sound so MEAN. In short, this album is superb. Absolutely first rate in every way. The material on Dysfunctional is a cross between the realization of modern tones and musical possibilities with their now-fully-cultivated signature sound that they were only forming and experimenting with on earlier albums in the 80's. If they were a melodic hard rock band in the 80's ever on their way to heavier territory, than this album is their sonic arrival to melodic heavy metal. Back for the Attack, this album's studio predecessor, is almost as heavy and equally as well written, yet without the diversity and the welcome respite from the same tones on every track. On Dysfunctional, every song bears new sounds, interesting lyrics, fierce tones and the import bonus track "If The Good Die Young" is absolutely necessary and every bit as incredible... DO NOT own a copy without this track. I will not do a rundown of each particular track, because words always fail to convey the sheer power inherent in music. Just know that Dysfunctional is that rare album in the hard-rock, heavy-metal genre where there is NO filler and each track best exemplifies true aural artistry.
They were incredible before this release, and have done some great things since. Yet, in short,
Dysfunctional is their best, most cohesive effort and an indispensable addition to the metal canon.
Don't believe it? Then SPIN IT....

OK, I was a huge Dokken fan in the 80s.

I can see where some fans might be disappointed in this record if they were looking for the "classic" 80s Dokken sound when the band reunited after a 6 year break up to make this album and release it in 1995. As much as I love the 80s stuff, "Dysfunctional" shows a different, more mature Dokken. And, this album is far better than any record they've released since.

Everyone will have their own taste/opinion, and here's mine: This is the greatest record Dokken ever wrote and recorded.

This is one of those records that took a few listens- as well as reading/studying the lyrics in the CD booklet. There were some songs, like Sweet Chains and Shadows of Life, that took a few listens but grew on me.

As Jeff Pilson said on the live video/DVD that followed in 96, Don wanted to make sure every single word of every song on this record was from the heart.

The album is from the heart. It is dark and definitely I connect with it.

This record is a masterpiece which still holds up after almost 15 years. I love every song and this album has changed my life. Standout tracks include The Maze, Long Way Home, Too High to Fly, and From the Beginning. If you really want to hear an awesome song, get the Japanese version of this album which includes a bonus track, "If the Good Die Young" - which is one of my favorite Dokken songs.

I place this album in the top 10 best records ever made by any rock and roll band.