Heaven Comes Down

Heaven Comes Down is a studio work after truly eleven years, on which Dokken again powerfully foregrounds the deep shading of its own melody and the guitar’s lyricism that beautifully sets off the singing. Rather than merely pushing through with speed, it carefully and richly builds the air of each song. A record on which sorrowful, beautiful phrases and hard, powerful riffs appear in turn vividly, splendidly giving form to the band’s distinctive, beautiful twilight color. From the powerful opener “Fugitive” and the drama of “Gypsy” to a cut like “Just Like a Rose,” every song is engaging, while cuts like “Is It Me or You?” and “Saving Grace” convey the work’s fullness. Don Dokken’s mature, flavorful singing is powerfully in sharp form throughout. A record whose unshakable appeal lies precisely in the relationship where the guitar sometimes gently nestles against and sometimes powerfully pushes up the sure drama Don Dokken’s voice places. By no means merely tracing past masterpieces, it powerfully shows Dokken’s sure present standing with a mature sense of tempo and that obsession with melody. An engaging record showing its vigor even as veterans — a record where the band’s maturity shines.