This is the first book ever which is dedicated exclusively to the mighty Dokken. Author James Curl had written yet another excellent biography on the late and great Ronnie James Dio, so it was really a no-brainer of getting hold of this biography, too.

In this 235-page book we are taken into a unique trip to the magical world of Dokken; from the early start in the 70s to the glory days of the 80s, the initial break-up, the reunion, the second break-up of the original line-up, the ups and downs…everything! Credit should go to Curl for focusing on the musical aspect of the Dokken path and not losing our interest in exhausting details of the personal lives of the members (past and present)…just the essential info. In addition, he shares some necessary details of the legendary Sunset Strip in order to get the big picture of the birth, the evolution and the reign of the hair metal movement of the 80s. Apart from an appraisal and critical look on the recording history of the band –personally, I agree with Curl in the overall review of the albums- I was really surprised to read that the infamous Don Dokken/George Lynch feud was something evident from Day 1 and not something that escalated through the years. It was there even before the first recording of “Breaking The Chains”! Nevertheless, those two were responsible of some of the best hard rock albums that were released in USA.

All in all, I urge every Dokken and hard rock fan to search and buy “Into The Fire”. The exclusive interviews with Don Dokken, Jeff Pilson, Reb Beach and many others guarantee a brilliant final result.

Sakis Nikas