Def Leppard New Album Review

Def Leppard have never been a band who release records every couple of years or so. So the fact that this self-titled album comes seven years after ‘Songs From the Sparkle Lounge’ won’t exactly come as a surprise to anyone that follows them.

When Joe Elliot and the band originally sat down to write some new material they had a 3 track EP in mind. What they ended up with however, was this 14 track monster of an album! So the question is, has it been worth the wait?

The signs are good from first tracks ‘Lets Go’ and ‘Dangerous’. There are songs on the album which totally recapture the magic of the band’s ‘Hysteria’ era and these are probably the best of them. Everything about them, the massive riffs, the guitar and vocal arrangements, are classic Def Leppard. ‘All Time High’ is another song which sees the band in full anthemic rock flow and is one which, like ‘Dangerous’, would be awesome seen live.

I love bands that occasionally throw in the unexpected. Def Leppard for example, aren’t exactly known for having southern rock influences in their music, but that’s exactly what you get with ‘Sea Of Love’. And do you know what? It’s brilliant!

Besides the out and out rockers, there are some nice changes of pace and mood on the album. ‘Battle Of My Own’ is a brilliant acoustic song which starts quietly and steadily builds to a bombastic climax. And ‘Man Enough’ sees the band getting properly funky. As you’d expect, there are a couple of ballads on the record. ‘Blind Faith’ is the last song of the album and is a stunning song in it’s own right, but the highlight for me has got to be ‘We Belong’ which is as good a ballad as the band have ever written.

There’s something subtly different about ‘Def Leppard’ compared to other recent Def Leppard albums. Could it be something as simple as Def Leppard being allowed to be Def Leppard again? After all this is the first album they’ve ever recorded with no record deal in place. Whatever the reason, ‘Def Leppard’ has been more than worth the wait. Sure, I’ve been a fan of the band for much of my life so I may be slightly biased in my opinion. However, over the years I’ve been waiting for a Def Leppard album which could hold a candle to Hysteria.

It’s here.

 

Track Listing

1. Let’s Go
2. Dangerous
3. Man Enough
4. We Belong
5. Invincible
6. Sea Of Love
7. Energized
8. All Time High
9. Battle Of My Own
10. Broke ‘N’ Brokenhearted
11. Forever Young
12. Last Dance
13. Wings Of An Angel
14. Blind Faith

The band’s lineup remains, as it has been for the last 23 years, Joe Elliott (vocals), Vivian Campbell (guitar), Phil Collen (guitar), Rick “Sav” Savage (bass) and Rick Allen (drums).

Tour Dates

Sunday 6 Dublin 3Arena EIRE
Monday 7 Belfast Odyssey UK
Wednesday 9 Newcastle Metro Radio Arena UK
Thursday 10 Glasgow The SSE Hydro UK SOLD OUT
Saturday 12 Birmingham Genting Arena UK SOLD OUT
Sunday 13 Nottingham Capital FM Arena UK
Tuesday 15 Manchester Arena UK
Wednesday 16 Cardiff Motorpoint Arena UK SOLD OUT
Friday 18 London The SSE Arena Wembley UK SOLD OUT
Saturday 19 Sheffield Motorpoint Arena UK SOLD OUT