Customer Reviews

Tooth & Nail

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Tooth and Nail(1984). Dokken's second studio album.

Once upon a time in 1983, a little known rock band emerged from nowhere called Dokken. This band would have been in danger of falling under obscurity, had the band not contained an outstanding guitarist named George Lynch and vocalist Don Dokken who showed excellent songwriting ability. With their first album, Breaking The Chains(1983), Don and crew delivered ten tracks of straight-up raw 80s hardrock, which brought them a bit of attention by the public.

It wasn't until their sophomore effort, Tooth And Nail in which Dokken began to climb the success ladder. The band decided to try a slightly different approach to the music on this album. Don Dokken always leaned more towards music that appeals to teenage girls, while Lynch tended to go for the heavy metal sound. Whatever the case may be, Lynch seemed to have more of an impact on T&N's sound than any other album because this one is easily Dokken's heaviest release. The guitars let out more of a crunch here than ever before and since. It may not have the excellent production of future releases, but it succeeded in delivering balls-to-the-wall heavy hair-metal. Here's a look at each of T&N's tracks:

1) Without Warning- A short instrumental intro which makes use of an accoustic-guitar rhythm, Lynch's soloing, and dark background synthesizers which when combined, create a very haunting piece. It breaks off into the next track... ****

2) Tooth And Nail- ...which EXPLODES with a sheer speed metal assault! Probably the fastest and heaviest Dokken song ever written before and since, it contains an outstanding guitar-tapping solo later on. Sounds very similar to the Judas Priest song 'Ram It Down'. *****

3) You Just Got Lucky- Right as the previous track ends, this power rocker kicks into full gear and turns out to be one of Dokken's greatest anthems. Though it sounds slightly generic, it did become a minor hit for them. *****

4) Heartless Heart- This rocker plods along with chugging riffs and backing keyboards. Good track, though it doesn't really stand out much. ****

5) Don't Close Your Eyes- A drum-beat driven rocker which sounds faintly similar to Ozzy Osbournne's song 'Miracle Man'. Though not a complete standout, it's a very good metal song which never became a hit. ****

6) When Heaven Comes Down- EXCELLENT ROCKER! It's probably the slowest track on here besides 'Alone Again', but it manages to be heavy, haunting, and powerful. Of all the tracks that didn't become hits on here, this one stands far and above as the best of the bunch. I'm shocked though that it didn't appear on The Very Best Of Dokken compilation because this track was always a concert favorite. *****

7) Into The Fire- BEST ANTHEM ON HERE! It combines melodic accoustic verses with an all-out rocking chorus and solo section, and it works seamlessly! Another concert favorite, and also one of mine as well. *****

8) Bullets To Spare- Another mid-paced track in the same vein as 'Heartless Heart' and like that track, it doesn't really do anything to warrant lots of attention to it. Still, it rocks enough to listen to at least once. ****

9) Alone Again- Dokken's very first #1 hit, and it's none other than a ballad. In fact, this song is unintentionally responsible for starting a subgenre of "power ballad" type songs which nearly every 80s hair-metal act after them took on. I'm generally not into ballads, but I must admit this one is still very good. *****

10) Turn On The Action- Like Breaking The Chains and Under Lock And Key(1985), they end this album with an excellent fast rocker. It shares a similar swing-like quality to the Van Halen song 'Hot For Teacher' and the band pulls it off to a nice effect. Great way to end the album. *****

Even though I find UL&K and BTC to be Dokken's greatest releases, T&N doesn't slack in the slightest and it delivers a great collection of rockers in which no Dokken fan should be without. I give it 4 stars because it's a great album, but just not their best one. They end up shedding their metallic qualities on the next release UL&K, but decide bring them back somewhat for 1987's Back For The Attack. For the most part, anyone who likes hair metal will not be disappointed with T&N at all. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. ANY OF THE FIRST FOUR DOKKEN ALBUMS ARE OUTSTANDING ADDITIONS TO ANY ROCK COLLECTION.

Other rock albums which sound similar to Tooth & Nail include:

-'Out Of The Cellar' by Ratt
-'Whitesnake' by Whitesnake
-'Aldo Nova' by Aldo Nova
-'High 'N Dry' by Def Leppard
-'Ram It Down' by Judas Priest
-'1984' by Van Halen
-'No Rest For The Wicked' by Ozzy Osbournne

This was the CD that first introduced me to Dokken, and what an introduction it was! I first heard Dokken when they first played "Into The Fire" on Metal Shop (which I would listen to on Friday nights on WNEW New York) back in '84. I was instantly impressed with the way George Lynch goes from the soft acoustic guitar at the beginning of the song to the rip-roaring crunchy electric guitar during the rest of it. I was also impressed by the combination of said crunchy guitar and the smooth and melodic vocals of Don Dokken, as well as the heavy bass-and-drums of Jeff Pilsson and Mick Brown. It didn't take me long before I was hearing "Into The Fire" in my sleep.

Then, in just a few short weeks, I started hearing "Just Got Lucky" which is a more conventional straight-ahead rocker. But I absolutely knew that I had to buy the album when Metal Shop started playing THE power ballad "Alone Again." I fell in love with that song right away!! It was something that I had never heard before: Usually, when a hard rock/heavy metal band did a ballad, it would be really soft all the way through (like "Beth" by Kiss, "Only Women Bleed" by Alice Cooper, and "Straight From The Heart" by Bryan Adams, for example). Not THIS song! It starts out acoustic and slow, gets heavy, then soft again, and then gets really heavy (with a guitar solo and all) before coming to a soft finish, all while maintaining the same slow pace of the ballad. Again, this was something that I had NEVER heard before, and it was something that has been incessantly copied since by other HM bands. In fact, I had never even heard the term "power ballad" before, so I KNOW that this song marked the inception of it. All of a sudden, every metal band out there had to have their equivalent of an "Alone Again." Not that I mind or anything, especially since this trend has given us great tracks like "Still Loving You" by Scorpions, "Deep Cuts The Knife" by Helix, "Home Sweet Home" by Motley Crue, "Carrie" by Europe, and both "Heaven" AND "I Saw Red" by Warrant. The only thing that annoyed me about this trend was the media's over-use of the term "power ballad"- to mean a slow song by Duran Duran (!!!)- or a heavy metal band doing a slow song that was soft and acoustic throughout. GET IT STRAIGHT, PEOPLE!! "When The Children Cry" by White Lion is NOT a power ballad, rather, it is just a regular ballad. Get the difference? Good, I HOPE so! :)

Anyway (now getting down from my soap-box), this CD is really wonderful. It has something for virtually all heavy metal fans, from the Black Sabbath-esque "When Heaven Comes Down" to the fastest and heaviest track on the entire record, which is song #2, the title song "Tooth And Nail" which is borderline thrash metal as far as I'm concerned. (I mean, come on, normal HM guitarists DON'T play this fast or this fluidly- and George does it for a full minute and seven seconds!!)

For the Dokken novice: what makes Dokken so unique is that they were an L.A.-based band in a sea of other L.A.-based bands (Ratt, Motley Crue, Quiet Riot, etc.), but they didn't sound like the others. That is because Dokken had spent a couple of years in Germany in the early 80's (Don Dokken is credited with some background vocals on the Scorpion's "Blackout" after all), and they were very influenced by the complex musicianship and melodic singing of the European HM bands. So, Dokken ended up being an L.A. band with the heart of a European band. THAT is what makes their sound so unique.

Overall, this is an extremely impressive sophomore CD by Dokken which totally broke them out into the open and offcially made them an A-list heavy metal band. If you don't believe me, consider the facts: their first album "Breaking The Chains" barely went gold, "Tooth And Nail" went double-platinum, and "Under Lock And Key" would eventually go TRIPLE-platinum and was one of the best-selling heavy metal albums of 1985-86. Case closed. :)

This is Dokken's best album ever. Tooth And Nail, When Heaven Comes Down, Turn On The Action, Into The Fire, Just Got Lucky and Don't Close Your Eyes are all classics. The album had 3 huge hits and some of the best lead guitar work ever. Don's vocals and lyrics are excellent and the rythym section is tight and both Mick brown and Jeff Pilson contribute excellent backing vocals. this album is much more mature and heavier than Breaking The Chains and was Dokken's first really popular album. If you like melodic music, heavy music, hair metal, great vocals or virtuoso guitar playing than get this album.

***** - FIVE STARS
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This is still without question, Dokken's heaviest offering to date. It's also their best in my humble opinion. Every song here is great, and the guitar licks G. Lynch kicks out on "Tooth And Nail" are simply incredible...

This is heavier than "Under Lock And Key", and there's more here for the listener as well. Both are excellent releases, but if I had to choose just one Dokken CD I could listen to, it would be "Tooth And Nail" without hesitation. It's dare I say, a masterpiece....

Dokken were one of the few bands in hair-metal era that actually managed to stand out and be distinguishable from a lot of their contemporaries. "Tooth and Nail" is probably their best effort and it's great deal of fun! It made plenty of trips to my turntable in the 80's and I'm glad it's available in CD now! And for all you ex-80's metalheads out there, like yours truly? It's a nice big hunk of metal nostalgia. Don Dokken's unique voice and George Lynch's blinding guitar compliment each other quite nicely. And the drums and bass hold everything together like crazy glue. Lynch manages to shift with little or no effort between different styles and moods -- thick, churning blues riffs, speedy stacatto solos and acoustic tracks and so on. The high points, IMHO, are "Alone Again", "When Heaven Comes Down" and "Don't Close Your Eyes." So, break out your denim, leather, bandannas and your hairspray. This one's a real treat!

This is one of the most satisfying rock albums ever written, and Dokken's best, which is really saying something in light of the quality of their early albums. Lynch is at the top of his form - he had such a rare combination of flawless technical execution combined with raw emotion. The solo on "Alone Again" brings tears to my eyes; "When Heaven Comes Down" and "Tooth and Nail" are also highlights. Side two of this album may be the strongest five-song lineup ever. The only real drawback is "Heartless Heart," which is pure bubble-gum radio garbage. On balance though, if you do not get this album, you are MISSING IT.

What can I say, wow! I first heard "Paris is burning" and "Breaking the chains", from their debut and I was floored. I was just starting to get into metal circa 1982 or so. Thank you WQSU at Susquehanna University, Pa. It was this radio beacon that played Dokken's Tooth and Nail before anybody even MTV(when they played metal), "When heaven comes down" was the first song I heard from TAN and I was seduced!! Hey I was 13 years old,this was amazing stuff to me. George Lynch just totally ruled and Dokken's voice was so smooth, like silk and not wimpy like that poser Bon Jovi!! Not a bad cut on this masterpiece, I guess Alone Again is my pick for the weakest track(it still rocks though). Fave picks are When heaven comes down, Into the Fire(first Dokken video I saw), Bullets to spare and Heartless heart. This was and still is a powerful metal record, production values are excellent and the playing is superb, heavy, loud and melodic, No one could do it better than Dokken!!This is a must have record. I get so many good memories when I play this gem. This band should've been bigger than or as big as Crue or Bon Jovi(Suck). Under lock and Key was a decent followup to this, not great though. Back for the attack is the closest they came to capturing the feeling of Nail!! But for me, Nail is the essential Dokken record by which all others are judged. A true masterpiece. Buy it now. Amazing!!!

Aside from "Tooth and Nail" being Dokken's most outstanding release in their history, it is also one of the best rock and roll albums to come out during the infamous Heavy Metal era. Driven by the guitar genius of George Lynch, Dokken's sound on "Tooth and Nail" somehow bridged the gap between glam metal and pop sensibility that few metal bands of their era could make it across. Dokken managed to retain their dignity, both in their look (no makeup or women's clothes) and their sound, by remembering their rock and roll roots. The lyrics are merely updated adolescent ballads (with the exception of "When Heaven Comes Down"), but the riffs and rhythms are driven by an intensity and sincerity that makes "Tooth and Nail" one of my favorite rock albums from the 80's. My favorite track is the final track on the album, "Turn on the Action," a Heavy Metal Swing piece that hinted at an innovational spirit that the band unfortunately never capitalized on. Be that as it may, "Tooth and Nail" still stands as a damn good album worthy of any well rounded collection.

With better production values and and overall better collection of songs, 'Tooth and Nail' made LA band Dokken a legitimate contender in the hair metal sweepstakes. Although the term I find derogatory, Dokken was in fact an innovator in the sub-genre because of their combination of melodies and very heavy metal sounds. A slight line-up change occured in the ensuing three years since the debut was first recorded (Jeff Pilson replaces Juan Croucier - who joined Ratt) and it gave the band their classic lineup of Dokken, Lynch, Brown and Pilson. Although the band's internal chemistry would never be strong, they produced a string of fairly successful albums from 1984 - 1987. 'TnN' as their sophmore effort was titled was not an immediate hit and took almost a year to catch on with the public and with MTV. "Into the Fire" and "Just Got Lucky" were minor hits and remain two of the record's best songs but it wasn't until "Alone Again" was released as a single that the album broke. This was a power ballad that no band should have been ashamed of and was a much more "powerful" song than many of the songs of its ilk released through the rest of the decade. George Lynch was once again the hero of guitar heroes and his work on the title track, "When Heaven Comes Down" and "Turn on the Action" highlight the rest of the quality songs on this record. Headliners would shudder when they followed Dokken in the 80's but again.....that chemistry!

This album is as essential today as it was when it was released over 22 years ago. Why Dokken never reached the heights that band like Ratt, Quiet Riot or Motley Crue did astounds me, because this band sounds better and had way more talent than any of those other bands ever did.

TOOTH AND NAIL begins with "Without Warning" is one of guitarist George Lynch's greatest moments - a mid-tempo instrumental beginning with some fancy acoustic guitar work soon accompanied with the electric guitar solo, then all madness breaks loose with the ultra-heavy (as in Metallica or Judas Priest heavy) "Tooth And Nail" - a fast-paced rocker that includes one of the most break-neck, blistering guitar solos (perhaps on par with Edward Van Halen or Yngwie Malmsteen) the rock world has ever seen. It is unquestionably one of guitarist George Lynch's finest moments.

"Just Got Lucky" is a pop-metal tune that, lyrically, explores the familiar Dokken theme of having been wronged by the femme-fatale. "Alone Again" is one of those definitive power-ballads (one of my personal favorites, I might add) that also has the same femme-fatale theme. In my estimation, it was largely responsible for initiating the movement of the numerous power-ballads that were recorded by many other metal bands from the 80's well into the 90's.

"Into The Fire" is yet another pop-metal tune - one of the first singles released from this recording. That has a catchy-hook with both acoustic and electric guitars. And "Turn On The Action" and "Don't Close Your Eyes" are both heavy, fast paced rockers, a little slower than "Tooth and Nail" and both showcase Lynch's six-string skills to full effect.

This CD has NO fillers - it is a winner from start to finish, although "Tooth And Nail" and "Turn On The Action" are probably the strongest tracks here, musically speaking. It is one of those "must haves" for fan's of 80's hair metal.