Here is a band that more often than not, is branded as just another glam metal act in the light of many other bands at the time. As a matter of fact, it was Dokken who brought forth the glam metal image in the mid-80's. It's too bad really because Dokken shows much more talent and dedication to good songwriting than most of the other bands at the time. But back in 1983 before they were noticed and genre-branded by MTV, Breaking The Chains was released.

Dokken is clearly at an early stage of development at this point, but BTC proved that these guys had energy and talent, especially with Don Dokken's melodic vocal style and George Lynch's dexteritous and amazing guitar solos. Here's the lowdown track-by-track:

1) Breaking The Chains- The anthemic title track became the album's only real hit, though it is probably one of the best tracks on here. Mid-paced and heavy hitting. 10/10

2) In The Middle- A slow, light rocker with the main emphasis on the vocals. Great, but not the best. 9/10

3) Felony- Another mid-paced, but lighter track. What brings this song from being just "filler" is its incredible guitar solo. 8/10

4) I Can't See You- Faster, but still very light. Like track 2, this song brings the most attention to the vocals. Pretty good. 8/10

5) Live To Rock (Rock To Live)- BTC's fastest rocker. Lots of wild guitar playing to be found here as well as a catchy chorus section. 9/10

6) Nightrider- OUTSTANDING. This track is one of the album's high points. Very fast and melodic at the same time. Nice guitar textures throughout. 10/10

7) Seven Thunders- Similar to the previous track, but played twice as slow. Not a bad song at all, though it doesn't do anything to really stand out. 8/10

8) Young Girls- A head banging guitar driven mid-paced song. The chorus is a little weak, but Lynch's guitar solo more than makes up for it. 9/10

9) Stick To Your Guns- Very much like the previous track. Again, even though the chorus is slightly off-par, the guitar work throughout makes this song worth a listen. 8/10

10) Paris Is Burning- THE BEST TRACK ON HERE! This album closer takes the listener all over the place starting with A MINUTE LONG, GOD-LIKE GUITAR SOLO by George Lynch, and then breaking into an all out melodic fast rocker. One of my all-time favorite Dokken tracks and it never disappoints. Don's vocals soar on this one, too. 10/10

Though it is obviously not as polished and well-written as the next two albums Tooth And Nail(1984) and Under Lock And Key(1985), BTC showed that Dokken was a fully energetic rock musical force to be reckoned with. So it gets 4 stars. Don't let the low rating discourage you though, because BTC is well worth the money and it is still much better than many of the more famous bands' debut albums. It's also my second favorite Dokken album (after ULAK that is). RECOMMENDED TO ALL WHO HAVE AN OPEN MIND FOR ROCK MUSIC.


Rockin' With Dokken!!   May 13, 1999
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

I grew up on "pop metal, glam rock," ect. and Dokken was one of the best bands on the radio. I am 32 and I still get hyped up when I hear any rock band from the 80's... especially Dokken!! All the records up to "under lock And Key" are recommended.


Dokken's Best Album   April 29, 2009
alaskan glam-metal-head (Fairbanks, Alaska)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

This is Dokken's awsome debut from 1982, and it is easily the best album they've ever released. I think it has a somewhat different atmosphere than on Dokken's following albums. There are more mid-paced songs on here, and fewer of the faster sort of metal songs that they would later make, such as Tooth and Nail's "Turn on the Action" and Under Lock and Key's "Lightnin' Strikes Again." Here Dokken spends more time feeling around in catchy melodies, harmonies and hooks, which are the qualities, as far as I'm concerned, that make glam metal most excellent.

In some ways, the songs on here are a little simpler than Dokken's later work. We all know what incredible technical ability this band is capable of - especially George Lynch, but in this case, less is more. You can hear some fantastic shredding from George on this album, but there's also some slower, very tasteful melodic playing. Just listen to his solo in "Breaking the Chains" - it's excellent. Don Dokken's vocal melodies and harmonies are outstanding as well, and drummer Mick Brown and bassist Juan Croucier make for a solid rhythm section.

I think that "Breaking the Chains," "In the Middle," "Felony," "I Can't See You," and "Seven Thunders" are all exceptionally excellent tracks, but really, the whole album is awsome. If you wanna start rockin' with Dokkin', start at the beginning!


Good debut album   February 27, 2005
Rockhead (Central Pennsylvania)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

This album is good, despite the bad review previously given by some goofball. It's from 1983 for God's sake. Don Dokken was young, it's obvious in his voice. The songs are good, most notably the title track, Paris is burning, Nightrider and Seven Thunders. Good harmony vocals throughout. The band played great, but I am surprised that noone mentioned how nice of a job Don Dokken did on rhythm guitar on this album. Too bad he could not have played on the later albums.

Overall this is a nice debut from a band that fit into the glam scene. It fits in with any other band's debut album from that area.


A Decent Album   November 6, 2004
Chad Ouimette (Ottawa, ON)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

This album shows you the earliest spark of a great band. George Lynch shows signs of the guitar virtuoso he would become, but for now the guitar playing is still somewhat pedestrian. Dokken's trademark harmonies are all present here, however he sounds very different here than on following albums.

The songs are all of familiar style and topic to Dokken fans, love, lose of it, falling in it, etc...Except for "Stick To Your Guns", has a more positive, stand up for yourself message to it, it's got to be my least favorite track musically, but still sends a decent message. Another track I could do without would be "Young Girls". "Seven Thunders" has Don's beautiful melodies ringing in your ear long after it's over. Anyone who knows Dokken knows the title track and "Paris is Burning", no explanation needed there. "In The Middle" is great, has the same type of Don melody as in "Seven Thunders", another great tune. "I Can't See You" picks up the pace, its fast and somewhat heavy.

I have to take a moment to talk about "Felony". An awesome song, but you should know that there are at least 2 versions of this song out there. One of them is on BACK IN THE STREETS, an EP of basically demos from 1979, which includes "Felony". However this one is MUCH different than what's heard on BTC. For one, I can't be sure it actually is George Lynch on guitar, and even more so, the vocals. It's Don, but it sounds barely like him, like maybe he sang it in his bedroom at 14 years old. And the chorus sounds like it's sung by some guy who's straining his voice, I guess it's Don but it's just REALLY different. I much prefer what I hear on BTC. It has the same tempo and feel as the bootleg version but with a much better sound and a great solo from Lynch. A true highlight of this album.

Fans of Dokken should already own this, but if you don't have it and are thinking of doing so, in one word, do so! It's a good example of a great band at their roots. 6/10