ONE FROM THE CHARTS

“UNDER LOCK AND KEY.” Dokken. Elektra. Over the years, rockin’ with Dokken has become a more palatable experience as the L.A. band has continued to Journey into melodic metal territory. Everything about this record suggests a concerted effort to connect with additional buyers, from vocal-oriented metal-pop tunes like “In My Dream” and “Don’t Lie To Me” (which recalls Scorpions’ “Rock You Like a Hurricane”) to the album cover, which introduces a more “stylish” Arcadia-Station look. Assisted by producers Neil Kernon and Michael Wagener, Dokken has beefed up its melodies and backed off its metallic crunch, leaving a big, harmless rock-radio sound. This approach restrains guitarist George Lynch, one of metal’s more accomplished fret-grinders. But the star player’s sacrifice for the sake of the team was apparently worth it: With this LP Dokken is screaming better than ever--up the charts, that is.