Dokken was initially composed of founder Don Dokken on vocals, George Lynch on lead guitar, Juan Croucier on bass, and Mick Brown on drums. The southern California group pursued a heavy yet melodic sound reminiscent of prior bands such as Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, finding success in the 80s hard rock and metal boom. The band recorded and released 'Breaking the Chains', their first studio album, in 1983. Though their fortunes struggled somewhat in the United States, they picked up a big popular response in Europe.
In 1984, Croucier left Dokken in order to join Ratt. He was replaced by multi-instrumentalist Jeff Pilson, who soon became a rock idol alongside Don Dokken and George Lynch. Their next several albums and singles showed them to be a powerful commercial force, particularly winning fans with their music videos (their one for "Dream Warriors" even featured the band facing off against Freddy Krueger himself). Their 1988 live album 'Beast from the East' earned them a Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance as well. However, Don Dokken's and George Lynch's creative differences, as well as their growing personal conflicts, brought about tension and even caused the group to break-up in 1988, though they had released multi-platinum work appealing to numerous hard rockers and metalheads.
The band has faced many changes over the years since. It wasn't until 1995 that the group resurfaced and released new material, facing a rather tepid response. As time went on, only Dokken and Brown remained from the original line-up. After several personnel alterations on guitar, Dokken's former attorney Jon Levin even stepped in to fill the role in 2004. In 2009, Sean McNabb (formerly of Great White and Quiet Riot fame) took the bass guitar slot. Mark Boals (formely of Yngwie J. Malmsteen's Rising Force) then took McNabb's position in 2014.
A series of successful web commercials for Norton Internet Security 2010 put the group back in the spotlight, the comedic spots depicting the band as a malicious computer virus. Dokken's tenth studio album, titled 'Lightning Strikes Again', was released on May 13, 2008 via Rhino Records. Several critics recommended the work as a comeback to their 'classic' sound. Their 11th album was released in 2012, 'Broken Bones'.
In 2023, Dokken, now consisting of frontman and founder Don Dokken, guitarist Jon Levin, bassist Chris McGarvill and drummer BJ Zampa, unveiled 12th album, 'Heaven Comes Down', which will be released via Silver Lining Music on October 27, 2023.
Empire
Dokken Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As They Burned Their Cities Down
The Fire And The Rage I See
A Prophet Never Found
A Thousand Years- Still Nothing Learned
The Prophets Speak Their Words
Now Nothin Left
But Ashes On The Ground
A Burnin Empire
Do You Believe When Blood Is Lost
That It Justifies The Means?
A Child Only Sees The Gun
As The Trigger Of Disease
A Thousand Years Still Nothin Learned
The Prophets Speak Their Words
Now Nothing Left
But Ashes On The Ground
What Will You Rule In The End
A Burnin Empire
The lyrics to Dokken's song, Empire, speak of the destruction of cities and the failure of prophets to prevent it. The singer of the song stands alone, watching as everything burns, realizing that despite the passing of a thousand years, humanity has failed to learn from its mistakes. The prophets, who had spoken their words of warning, are now silent and all that remains is ashes on the ground. The song questions what will happen to those who seek to rule through bloodshed and violence; will they end up ruling over a burning empire?
The song seems to be a commentary on the endless cycle of violence and destruction that plagues human history. Despite the warnings of prophets and the lessons of the past, humanity repeats its mistakes again and again. The lyrics also suggest that the use of violence to achieve one's goals is ultimately futile and will only lead to more destruction.
The line "a child only sees the gun as the trigger of disease" is particularly poignant. It speaks to the idea that the cycle of violence perpetuates itself through generations, with children being taught to see violence as a solution to problems.
Overall, Dokken's Empire is a powerful commentary on the destructive nature of humanity and the importance of learning from the past to create a better future.
Line by Line Meaning
I Stood Alone And Watched Below
I was standing alone and watched from a distance
As They Burned Their Cities Down
I saw them burning down their own cities
The Fire And The Rage I See
I saw the people's anger and fury
A Prophet Never Found
No one foresaw this devastation coming
A Thousand Years- Still Nothing Learned
Even after a thousand years, they haven't learned anything from history
The Prophets Speak Their Words
The prophets spoke of this destruction, but no one listened
Now Nothin Left
Now there is nothing left
But Ashes On The Ground
Only ash and destruction remain
What Will You Rule In The End
What will be your legacy in the end
A Burnin Empire
A once glorious empire now destroyed by their own hands
Do You Believe When Blood Is Lost
Do you think it's worth shedding blood for your cause
That It Justifies The Means?
Do you think the ends always justify the means
A Child Only Sees The Gun
A child only sees a gun as a symbol of violence and destruction
As The Trigger Of Disease
It only leads to more disease and chaos
Writer(s): Jonathan Daniel Levin Copyright: Songs Of Universal Inc., Notting Hill Music Inc., Notting Hill Music (Uk) Ltd.
Contributed by Alyssa H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
melissa g becker
I miss George Lynch, but this new guy rocks! \w/
Paul Matthew G.
No,.Not really
John Katsoudas
Jon Levin is the guitar player on this song and he is really not that new to the Dokken band. His first album with Dokken is Hell To Pay which came out 2004.
Charlie Stabile
Fun fact: Jon Levin is Don’s lawyer.
Blake Johnson
melissa g becker Hes amazing and im sorry Im a huge Lynch fan but jon levin plays georges stuff wayyy better than George has in over 12 or more years! Only cuz george got sooo buff and lost his dexterity in his fingers but hes still crazy great!
Digital Design House
I really like this, very Dokken. I know many people complain and maybe Don can't hit all the high notes but the song is still solid. If this were a band coming out today, people in the metal world would praise this song. Good job Don
Christopher Jones
@spartan squid Very valid points. More need to be cognizant of those facts.
spartan squid
@Blake Johnson Well he did the broken bones record right after getting vocal surgery, and he also had stomach cancer at the time, can't really blame him for his singing on the album. If anything his singing was phenomenal for his age and deposition.
Blake Johnson
azimuth361 Hes getting better believe it or not!
azimuth361
He sounds great on the albums, but not so great live.