Back for the Attack

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For the wrestling pay-per-view event, see NWA Back For The Attack.
Back for the Attack
Dokken - Back for the Attack.jpg
Studio album by
Dokken
ReleasedNovember 2, 1987 (1987-11-02)
Studio
GenreGlam metal
Length63:02
LabelElektra
ProducerNeil Kernon
Dokken chronology
Under Lock and Key
(1985) 		Back for the Attack
(1987) 		Beast from the East
(1988)
Singles from Back for the Attack
  1. "Dream Warriors"
    Released: February 1987 (US)[1]
  2. "Burning Like a Flame"
    Released: December 1987 (US)
  3. "Heaven Sent"
    Released: April 1988
  4. "So Many Tears"
    Released: June 1988

Back for the Attack is the fourth studio album by American heavy metal band Dokken, released on November 2, 1987, through Elektra Records.[2] A remastered edition featuring a bonus track was reissued in 2009 through Warner Music Japan. It is the band's best-selling album, reaching No. 13 on the U.S. Billboard 200[3] and remaining on that chart for 33 weeks.[4] Three singles also charted on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart: "Dream Warriors" reached No. 22, "Prisoner" at No. 37, and "Burning Like a Flame" at No. 20 as well as No. 72 on the Billboard Hot 100.[5] Back for the Attack was certified Gold and Platinum on January 14, 1988.[2]

The single "Dream Warriors" was originally released in February 1987 as the theme song for the horror film A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors. The album title for Back for the Attack was taken from an earlier Dokken song of the same name, recorded during the sessions for Under Lock and Key (1985) and released as the B-side to "Dream Warriors". It was later included in the 2009 remastered edition of the album as a bonus track.

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal8/10[7]
Rock Hard8.5/10[8]

Barry Weber at AllMusic wrote that Back for the Attack "certainly isn't Dokken's greatest album, yet it remains a worthwhile listen". He praised the band for sounding "tighter than they ever have before", with frontman Don Dokken and guitarist George Lynch being "at the top of their game."[6] Canadian journalist Martin Popoff praised the album, which "offers length, variation and a sense of ambition as never before", and called it "one of those lost records brimming with bravado" but not so unique to be "one's life soundtrack". He added that the "excruciating" circumstances of its recording took their toll as the band tried to assemble "a more competent, mature, substantial record".[7]

The album was ranked number 12 on Metal Rules list of the Top 50 Glam Metal Albums.[9]

Track listing[edit]

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Kiss of Death"George Lynch, Don Dokken, Jeff Pilson5:51
2."Prisoner"Lynch, Pilson, Mick Brown4:20
3."Night by Night"Pilson, Lynch, Brown, Dokken5:23
4."Standing in the Shadows"Dokken, Lynch, Pilson5:07
5."Heaven Sent"Dokken, Lynch, Pilson4:52
6."Mr. Scary" (instrumental)Lynch, Pilson4:31
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
7."So Many Tears"Dokken, Lynch, Pilson4:56
8."Burning Like a Flame"Lynch, Pilson, Dokken, Brown4:46
9."Lost Behind the Wall"Lynch, Brown, Dokken, Pilson4:19
10."Stop Fighting Love"Pilson, Lynch, Dokken, Brown4:52
11."Cry of the Gypsy"Dokken, Pilson, Lynch4:51
12."Sleepless Night"Lynch, Brown, Pilson4:32
13."Dream Warriors"Lynch, Pilson4:42
Remastered edition bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
14."Back for the Attack"Dokken3:51

Personnel[edit]

Dokken[edit]

Production[edit]

Charts[edit]

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[17] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Strong, Martin Charles (1995). The Great Rock Discography. p. 230. ISBN 9780862415419.
  2. ^ a b "RIAA Searchable Database: search for Dokken". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
  3. ^ "Back for the Attack Billboard Almums". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved October 8, 2015.
  4. ^ "Dokken - Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Back for the Attack Billboard Singles". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved October 8, 2015.
  6. ^ a b Weber, Barry. "Dokken - Back for the Attack review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
  7. ^ a b Popoff, Martin (November 1, 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. ISBN 978-1-894959-31-5.
  8. ^ "DOKKEN - Back For The Attack". ROCK HARD Heavy-Metal-Magazin. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
  9. ^ "METAL RULES". November 26, 2017. Archived from the original on November 26, 2017. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  10. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0940". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  11. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  12. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Dokken – Back for the Attack". Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  13. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Dokken – Back for the Attack". Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  14. ^ "Dokken | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  15. ^ "Dokken - Chart history - Billboard". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 21, 2014. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  16. ^ "Dokken Official Charts". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 8, 2015.
  17. ^ "American album certifications – Dokken – Back for the Attack". Recording Industry Association of America.
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