DOKKEN's Next Album Will Include Song About 'Unhinged' DONALD TRUMP

Don Dokken spoke to Myglobalmind about the lyrical themes covered on DOKKEN's upcoming follow-up to 2012's "Broken Bones" album. He said: "We are about halfway done with the record, and a lot of my lyrics are about what is going on now. Whether you are a fan of Trump or not, I see him as a little unhinged and trying to take over the planet, so I wrote a song called 'Hail To The King' about him. He has a king mentality.

"I'm not a political person at all — I don't get involved in politics — but when you see the craziness of the government and the guy firing his people daily, like the attorney general and the prosecutor, it's bizarre," he laughed. "I wrote a tongue-in-cheek song about a guy who is running the country and feels he has no limitations or rules. That he can do whatever he wants like a king. I wrote another song about the insanity of these demonstrations.

"People have the right to march and protest the George Floyd situation, but you get these people who use it as an opportunity to rob and loot. They don't care about George Floyd; they just want to go down there with a hammer and bust out windows to grab TVs, so I wrote a song called 'Rampage'. They are thugs, gang bangers and crooks who want to take advantage of the situation while the police are doing their best to keep the crowds under control."

Don also talked about DOKKEN's upcoming "socially distanced" concerts this summer and what it means for the fans.

"I don't think it means anything," Don said. "How are you going to get 2,500 people to stay six feet apart from each other at these outdoor venues? It's impossible. The governor of Arkansas said he would let the outdoor venues open up. We are not doing any meet-and-greets or shaking hands with fans. We have to be safe as well as on the plane. They allowed both of the shows to be a half-filled capacity. They are both 5,000-seat venues, so they will only let in half. I keep thinking any day I'll get a call that the shows have been canceled. Look at what is happening now — COVID is spiking because of all these protests and demonstrations, with 10,000 people marching arm in arm. If this continues, they will cancel these fucking shows."

DOKKEN's new studio album will be released via Silver Lining Music, the label owned by Thomas Jensen, one of the founders of Germany's Wacken Open Air festival.

DOKKEN's classic lineup — Don, guitarist George Lynch, basist Jeff Pilson and drummer "Wild" Mick Brown — reunited for a short Japanese tour in the fall of 2016. The trek marked the first time in 21 years the four musicians had hit the road together.

A DOKKEN concert DVD focusing on the band's reunion tour, "Return To The East Live (2016)", was made available in 2018.

Since completing the Japanese reunion dates, DOKKEN has continued to perform with the group's current lineup — including guitarist Jon Levin, bassist Chris McCarvill and drummer BJ Zampa (HOUSE OF LORDS).