George Lynch departed the
Dokken reunion following 1997's
Shadowlife, handing the reins over to ex-
Winger guitarist
Reb Beach.
Beach has more than enough chops to fill
Lynch's shoes, and although he brings his own musical personality to the riffs and solos, the songs' melodies are still recognizably
Dokken. Unfortunately, those melodies are typical of post-reunion
Dokken more often than not, with the band seemingly struggling to come up with the big chorus hook and just not quite getting there (a problem, come to think of it, that sometimes plagued the band in their heyday as well). Although
Beach acquits himself well, the songwriting ultimately sinks the record; besides, at this stage of the game, it's difficult to believe
Don Dokken when he sings "I must confess, I'm the maddest hatter of them all."
Erase the Slate is workmanlike retro-'80s hard rock at its best, and thoroughly unmemorable at its worst. ~ Steve Huey