Dokken - Under Lock and Key

Under Lock and Key caught Dokken at the height of their powers, a 1985 album that balanced sleek radio hooks with George Lynch's ferocious guitar work.

Produced by Neil Kernon and Michael Wagener for Elektra, the band's third album made them one of the defining names in mid-80s melodic metal. Don Dokken's soaring vocals, Jeff Pilson's bass and harmonies and Mick Brown's drumming built a polished frame, and Lynch tore right through it with solos that still send guitarists scrambling. The album spent more than a year on the Billboard 200 and went on to sell a million copies in the US.

The singles tell the story. "The Hunter" stalks along on a menacing mid-tempo riff, "In My Dreams" wraps its stacked harmonies around one of the decade's great hard rock choruses, and "It's Not Love" swaggers with a groove built for arenas. Opener "Unchain the Night" builds the drama before the riffs kick in.

It is slick, but there is real muscle and tension under all that polish, the sound of four players pushing each other hard at exactly the right moment.

For fans of 80s hard rock and metal, it is a cornerstone of any collection and a reminder of why Dokken ruled the airwaves and arenas of the era.