When Metallica released LOAD and RELOAD in 1996 & 1997, there was great controversy, particularly from long-time die-hard fans of their early work. There were myriad accusations that the band sold out, that they were chasing trends, and that they had betrayed their fans. Their look was dramatically different, their album art, even their music videos signaled a departure from what had come before, and more importantly, a departure from what Metallica fans expected. Court and Matt attempt to take a fresh and more objective look at these albums on this episode of RAMP.

This week Matt is flying solo and telling the story of Dokken in the late-90s and 2000s. This was a challenging time for the band, but despite changing tastes in music culture, the fickle record industry, grunge, and multiple lineups, Don Dokken and company managed to produce some of the band's best music! Sadly, this era of the band is often overlooked. We take a break-neck tour of the band's history and catalog over the last 3 decades plus. Let's get rockin' with some more Dokken!

The RAMP are Rockin' with Dokken! In this is episode of RAMP, Court and Matt get cerebral and discuss confirmation bias in rock and metal -- The subjectivity in loving what we love and wanting others to share our taste in music. What underpins this behavior? The Profs try to unpack it. Then, a long-overdue handling of one of the great bands of the 1980s -- DOKKEN. Were Dokken just another hair band? Did they need the look and flash to achieve commercial success? Could they have been as successful without the Aqua Net and outfits? Episode one will cover the classic era of the band through 1997, while episode two will cover the Reb Beach and Jon Levin years. As always, we thank you for downloading, listening, and supporting the show!