Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
Singer Don Dokken and drummer Mick Brown may be all that's left of the original Dokken, but the group's signature blend of pop and heavy metal has changed little since their late-'80s heyday. The problem is, they were never that interesting to begin with. On Hell to Pay, the role of ex-guitar legend George Lynch is played by ex-Warlock axe slinger John Levin, and the departure of original bass player Jeff Pilson brings ex-Ted Nugent and Yngwie Malmsteen collaborator Barry Sparks into the fold, resulting in a record that's impeccably played but mediocre at best. Levin brings an elegant, almost Middle Eastern sense of melodicism to the promising opener, "Last Goodbye," and an old-school bluesy swagger to "Haunted," and Don Dokken's voice has settled nicely into a smooth lupine growl that complements the tight arrangements, but there's a blandness to the whole affair that envelops the record after "Prozac Nation." Perhaps it's the fact that the obligatory power ballad, "Care for You," which is apparently so powerful that it needs to be played again at the end of the record in an "unplugged" version -- do keyboards not need to be plugged in? -- or maybe it's the verse/chorus/verse/chorus/solo/chorus heavy metal song template that usually only works for one song a record, but it seems like most of the dinosaurs of the hair metal genre have run out of ideas. Despite the inclusion of the irreverent -- and highly enjoyable -- Beatlesque rave-up "Letter to Home," Hell to Pay does little to pull Dokken out from the tar pits.
© James Christopher Monger /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From £10.83/month
Dokken, Performance, MainArtist
© 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Dokken, Performance, MainArtist
© 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Dokken, Performance, MainArtist - Don Dokken, Writer - Mick Brown, Writer - Jon Levin, Writer
© 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Dokken, Performance, MainArtist
© 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Dokken, Performance, MainArtist
© 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Dokken, Performance, MainArtist
© 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Dokken, Performance, MainArtist
© 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Dokken, Performance, MainArtist
© 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Dokken, Performance, MainArtist
© 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Dokken, Performance, MainArtist
© 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Dokken, Performance, MainArtist
© 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Dokken, Performance, MainArtist
© 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Album review
Singer Don Dokken and drummer Mick Brown may be all that's left of the original Dokken, but the group's signature blend of pop and heavy metal has changed little since their late-'80s heyday. The problem is, they were never that interesting to begin with. On Hell to Pay, the role of ex-guitar legend George Lynch is played by ex-Warlock axe slinger John Levin, and the departure of original bass player Jeff Pilson brings ex-Ted Nugent and Yngwie Malmsteen collaborator Barry Sparks into the fold, resulting in a record that's impeccably played but mediocre at best. Levin brings an elegant, almost Middle Eastern sense of melodicism to the promising opener, "Last Goodbye," and an old-school bluesy swagger to "Haunted," and Don Dokken's voice has settled nicely into a smooth lupine growl that complements the tight arrangements, but there's a blandness to the whole affair that envelops the record after "Prozac Nation." Perhaps it's the fact that the obligatory power ballad, "Care for You," which is apparently so powerful that it needs to be played again at the end of the record in an "unplugged" version -- do keyboards not need to be plugged in? -- or maybe it's the verse/chorus/verse/chorus/solo/chorus heavy metal song template that usually only works for one song a record, but it seems like most of the dinosaurs of the hair metal genre have run out of ideas. Despite the inclusion of the irreverent -- and highly enjoyable -- Beatlesque rave-up "Letter to Home," Hell to Pay does little to pull Dokken out from the tar pits.
© James Christopher Monger /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 12 track(s)
- Total length: 00:48:20
- Main artists: Dokken
- Label: Sanctuary Records
- Genre: Pop/Rock Rock
© 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 2004 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Improve album informationWhy buy on Qobuz...
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.