Vocalist Don Dokken and drummer Mick Brown are joined by two new members, guitarist John Norum formerly of the band Europe and bass guitarist Barry Sparks.The band's namesake is boiling with excitement about the mini-tour and new LP.

Norum, also played on Don Dokken's 1990 solo album Up From The Ashes. Sparks has played with several legendary guitarists such as Michael Schenker, Yngwie Malmsteen, Uli Jon Roth and Vinnie Moore.

"We've been waiting a long time to get a new studio album together," says Dokken, who is producing the platter. "We've got some killer material. It's a true heavy rock record. We're looking forward to road testing the new material."

Dokken's last release was 2000's Live From the Sun concert album and DVD; the DVD was a critically acclaimed award-winner thanks in large part to innovative camera and editing techniques combined with mind-bending animation effects created and produced by Don himself. 1999's Erase the Slate was the group's last studio album. Live From the Sun and Erase the Slate are both available on CMC International. The group has released four LPs to date on CMC.

"I'm also excited because 2002 marks the 20th anniversary of the band. Breaking the Chains was released in America in 1982," Dokken says.

Breaking the Chains marked the beginning of Dokken's rapid rise to success. The band remains one of the finest hard-rock bands to emerge out of the 1980s. Rewarded with worldwide success, particularly in the United States, Japan and Europe, especially Germany, albums like Tooth and Nail, Under Lock and Key and Back For the Attack have all sold in the millions. They included classic songs like "Just Got Lucky," "Alone Again," "In My Dreams," "Burning Like a Flame" and many more. Dokkens videos were in constant MTV rotation. "Dream Warriors" was the theme song of the hit horror film A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors and in the memorable video, Dokken confronted movie villain Freddy Krueger.

Dokken is justifiably proud of his band's history, but he fearlessly embraces -- and enjoys -- the creation of new music and pushing forward. He isn't content living in his musical past.

"I think the reason weve lasted 20 years is because we've always moved forward. We've never been happy repeating ourselves. Some people say 'Give us another Tooth and Nail,' but bands like Led Zeppelin and the Beatles kept evolving and the fans kept up with that growth," says Dokkens drummer "Wild" Mick Brown. "The problem with a lot of the '80s bands is that they became stagnant by doing the same thing over and over again."

"We've had to wait a long time to release a new album, but we ended up with a lot of great songs to choose from. We've cut 12 songs. Some of the material is Beatle-esque, Euro-metal and a classic sounding Dokken ballad. We want this LP to be balanced," says Dokken. "Our best records in my opinion, like Under Lock and Key, were well balanced musically"

The group is scheduled for a yearlong tour throughout the U.S., Europe and Asia. Dokken will return to U.S. concert stages in the spring and summer for a mammoth tour. Here are the winter warm up shows:

Hard-hitting melodic metallers Dokken have released a new live CD, DVD and VHS, Live From The Sun, on CMC International Records. The performance was recorded on November 4, 1999, before a sold-out hometown crowd at the Sun Theatre in Anaheim, CA.

Vocalist/guitarist Don Dokken, lead guitarist Reb Beach, bassist Jeff Pilson and drummer Mick Brown were on the road at the time promoting 1999's Erase The Slate, and they are currently touring again to support Live From The Sun.

"The night was sort of magical," admits Don Dokken, "because we were all having a lot of fun, being there with all our friends at the end of months on the road."

"It's particularly appropriate now," adds Jeff Pilson, "because we've been through so much in recent years and I think this recording shows that we've come out stronger -- not only personally, but musically."

The chemistry and excitement are evident on the resulting CD, DVD and VHS. The 11-song CD includes a blend of new and classic Dokken tracks:

• Erase The Slate
• Kiss Of Death
• The Hunter
• Into The Fire
• Maddest Hatter
• Too High To Fly
• Breaking The Chains
• Alone Again
• It's Not Love
• Tooth And Nail
• In My Dreams

The 96-minute DVD and VHS include a slightly different song order, including the addition of the longtime favorite "Paris Is Burning" and two exclusive bonus acoustic tracks, "Will The Sun Rise" and "Walk Away." Not only that, but both formats include behind-the-scenes interviews and paintings and illustrations by Don Dokken.

Live From The Sun continues the renewed vitality within the band, with regard to creating new music, as they enter the new millennium. After years of personnel problems, musical trends that distracted fans and some musical experimentation that, though warmly received by the fans, was misunderstood and not a true representation of the depth of musical talent that exists in this band. With the addition of former Alice Cooper and Winger guitarist Reb Beach, who replaces original guitarist George Lynch, the band seems to have settled into a comfort zone that is resulting in them producing the best and most energized and genuine music in their careers.

Since their inception in the early 1980s, Dokken has sold more than 6 million records with multi-platinum sales on 1984's Tooth And Nail and 1985's Under Lock And Key. The 1987 album Back For The Attack included the song "Dream Warriors," which became the theme song for A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors. Over the years, the band has been honored with Grammy nominations, American Music Award nominations, keys to the city, extensive airplay on MTV and radio, and hordes of fans all over the world.

The 1988 live album Beast From The East marked the band's dissolution, as the respective members decided to go solo -- not when things had started to decline, but when their popularity was peaking. Although each member achieved moderate success with their solo projects -- Don as a solo artist, George and Mick with Lynch Mob, and Jeff with War & Peace -- when Don and Jeff hooked up again and started to write together, they realized it was always best when they worked together, and decided to re-form the band.

1995's Dysfunctional (Columbia/Sony) and One Live Night (an acoustic live album -- their first with CMC) and 1997's Shadowlife (a new direction for this versatile rock band) all fared well enough, but the personnel problems that had contributed to the breakup in 1988 were still there and the decision was made to replace George Lynch once and for all.

"We'd re-established our friendship with Reb (Beach) when he was playing with Alice Cooper and we were opening for them," explains Don. They recruited him in 1997, and he has become an integral part of what has made Erase The Slate and Live From The Sun some of the band's best work in more than 10 years.