DOKKEN Drummer MICK BROWN Is 'Taking A Break' From Playing Live Shows

DOKKEN‘s longtime drummer “Wild” Mick Brown says that is “taking a break” from playing live shows.

Brown did not perform with his bandmates at their May 5 concert at the M3 Rock Festival in Columbia, Maryland. He was temporarily replaced by BJ Zampa (HOUSE OF LORDS), who has filled in for Brown in the past. No explanation regarding Mick‘s absence from the gig was provided by the band.

Earlier today, Brown took to his Facebook page to share a link to a BLABBERMOUTH.NET article regarding his M3 no-show, and included the following brief statement: “Mick is taking a break and stay tuned for future shows.”

In addition to Brown, DOKKEN‘s current lineup includes singer Don Dokken, guitarist Jon Levin and bassist Chris McCarvill.

Former DOKKEN guitarist George Lynch was originally supposed to perform with the band at M3 as a special guest, but he canceled his appearance due to his battle with pneumonia.

DOKKEN‘s classic lineup — including Dokken, Brown, Lynch and bassist/vocalist Jeff Pilson — 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.

Since completing the Japanese reunion dates, DOKKEN has continued to perform with the group’s current lineup, save for a handful of shows in late 2017 and last year that saw guitarist Ira Black (LIZZY BORDEN, VICIOUS RUMORS) fill in for Levin.

A DOKKEN concert DVD focusing on the band’s reunion tour, “Return To The East Live (2016)”, was made available last year.

DOKKEN is currently working on material on a new studio album, tentatively due in 2020 via Silver Lining Music, the label owned by Thomas Jensen, one of the founders of Germany’s Wacken Open Air festival. It will mark the group’s first disc since 2012’s “Broken Bones”.

Last fall, Don told “The Classic Metal Show” that his band’s next album would be “a classic-sounding DOKKEN record” with “straight-ahead, catchy choruses, cool guitar riffs, burning guitar solos” and “nice grooves.” He added: “The dilemma is to try to do that 30 years later without just ripping myself off and regurgitating old DOKKEN riffs.”