An unapologetic celebration of everything Dokken do best, yet now through a wiser and richer lens, Heaven Comes Down, the 13th studio album from the legendary American rockers, will be released on October 27th (Silver Lining Music).
“The long anticipated new Dokken album, Heaven Comes Down, is finally done and the first single is titled Fugitive.” declares Don Dokken. “The inspiration for the lyrics came from what seems to me to be an uncertain world these days. It’s an up-tempo Rokker as are many on the album. I don’t know what the future holds for our world, so I decided to take a step back and watch it all unfold… Yes, I guess I’ve become like many these days a fugitive from life. Hence the title!”
“The song rocks and the lyrics are self-explanatory,” continues Don, “like many songs I’ve written, it came to me late at night. Inspiration and pure stream of consciousness have always been the best formula for me when composing. It has that classic Dokken sound… A great song to blast when driving down the highway.”
Exchange the urban heat of the Sunset Strip for the warm wilderness of New Mexico, as Dokken bring their timeless convertible Ferrari rock n’roll power to the table with some key modifications along the creative path. Working with engineer Bill Palmer over the course of a year at his studio in Santa Fe, the Dokken flavors remain as potent as ever, yet they’re also sprinkled with some desert seasoning which gives Heaven Comes Down a richness hitherto unseen on a Dokken album.
You want to rock? Sink your teeth into Fugitive, which rides some shimmering guitar work courtesy of 20+ year member Jon Levin, and if you want ballads, head on over to I’ll Never Give Up hanging on that Coliseum chorus, Levin laying down a landmark solo. The pattern of Heaven Comes Down never falters in delivering the goods on both sides of the fence. Just Like A Rose brings the Pacific Coast Highway to desert plains with its smooth, effortlessly-driven gears, and Saving Grace carries a mystical malevolence. But Santa Fe is perhaps the most revealing with Don Dokken opening up with what amounts to a “life-moment biography”: a spartan acoustic arrangement allowing the rich yet road-driven vocals to frame what might well prove to be the defining moment of Dokken’s career.
Don Dokken makes one thing abundantly clear, he is excited about his new record and the future, and wholly uninterested in revisiting a Dokken past which has centered too much on the off-stage and out-of-studio swirl. “I’m so tired of hearing about the fighting and the ‘this’ and ‘that’… this is about a new record,” he declares, “a new record with my new band. It’s been a long process, but at the end of the day, I think we have lightning in a bottle.”
Mixed by Kevin Shirley (Aerosmith, Iron Maiden, Joe Bonamassa) and produced by Bill Palmer and Don Dokken, fans will love it, neutrals will be wonderfully surprised by some of the ingredients within Heaven Comes Down.
Heaven Comes Down will be released on CD Digipak, 12” Vinyl Album in Black and colour variants, digital formats and special D2C products and bundles. Available to pre-order from August 8th 2023 at this location.
Heaven Comes Down Track Listing:
1 – Fugitive
2 – Gypsy
3 – Is It Me Or You?
4 – Just Like A Rose
5 – I’ll Never Give Up
6 – Saving Grace
7 – Over The Mountain
8 – I Remember
9 – Lost In You
10 – Santa Fe
Dokken Upcoming Dates:
August 19 – Shoshone Bannock Casino Hotel – Chubbuck, ID
September 20 – The Big E – West Springfield, MA
October 14 – RCU Theatre – Eau Claire, WI
October 21 – The Piazza – Aurora, IL
November 11 – Piere’s – Fort Wayne IN,
November 17 – Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino – Las Vegas, NV
November 18 -Whisky A Go Go – West Hollywood, CA
Dokken is:
Don Dokken – Vocals
Jon Levin – Guitar
Chris McCarvill – Bass
BJ Zampa – Drums
Follow Dokken on: Official Site, X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Youtube.
7 Responses
Fugitive had a Queensryche vibe at the beginning then had a Dream Warriors song vibe to it once it kicked it. Killer tune and excellent production. Fugitive has that big 80’s Dokken sound again!!! Looking forward to the album!!!
I have been looking foward for this for years now! Since Broken Bones. People should still check out these releases without George Lynch. Hell to Pay is my favorite. I have played that probably more than any Dokken album and I do have them all. I will be buying this on cd only and cant wait to get it! I am also seeing them play in September! Hope it doesnt rain. I already missed Stephen Pearcy and Queen of the stone age this year due to all this rain we have got on the east coast.
The song is ok but Beavis & Butthead would have a field day with that video lmao!
I’m going to be in the minority …the song is dated as hell plus it’s one of the worst videos I’ve ever seen…and dons vocals are well…… not good very ragged at least they are in key and in tune
Two things sorely and conspicuously lacking in this song: (1) the fire and tone of George Lynch’s guitar; (2) a decent vocalist.
Jon Levin’s a capable guitarist, but this song just seems pretty much by the numbers. As for Dokken’s vocals (and I used to defend his vocals when people used to trash it in the ’80s), the guy just sounds…fragile. I realize very few singers sound as good as they did when they were younger, but he just sounds old and weak. I’m pretty sure the vocal track was done with multiple takes and punch-ins. In a live setting, I have a feeling his vocal delivery will sound like a dude reading the phone book getting drowned out by the band!
I give Don Dokken a lot of credit for getting out there putting a new album out and touring! His band sounds great!I was reading that recently he had spinal surgery and it left one side of him partially paralized. So if he looks fragile, that may be why. He is one of my all time favorite artists!!!