It’s been a little while since the world of rock was blessed with the presence of a new Def Leppard album (7 years to be exact), and here we are in 2015 with that exact record now at our fingertips. 

 

The Sheffield rock titans have been through their fair share of highs and lows over the past 5 years or so now; from headlining Download festival for the second time in 2011, to the shocking news of guitarist Vivian Campbell being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2013, to a huge tour in the States with KISS. There again, seeing as they are the band that have managed to power through such a tragic accident as their drummer losing an arm; it’s no surprise to see that they’ve soldiered through to produce this - their self-titled, eleventh studio album.

 

Reminding everyone exactly why so many of us fell in love with their sound in the first place, opening track and lead single Let’s Go is Leppard to a tee. With the riffs of Campbell and Phil Collen sounding rather reminiscent of their classic track “Rocket” you know what you’re going to get here, but why would you want any different really? It’s a simple and catchy tune. Once again those unmistakable riffs are ever present on second single Dangerous, and for a fella fast approaching the big 60 - Joe Elliot’s voice is still holding up as surprisingly well as ever. 

 

You’ll have to be careful not to mistake “Man Enough" for a Michael Jackson track with it’s funky baseline laid down by Rick Savage throughout the song. The track is very bare with the guitars being used more as background noise until they’re called upon to play a bigger part during the chorus. 

 

You’ll be drawing some comparisons to Bon Jovi on both We Belong and Invincible with Elliot’s tone sounding almost identical to JBJ on a number of occasions. The former being the first time the band tread into ballad territory on the record (come on it’s Def Leppard, they practically fart ballads with ease!) and the latter hitting all the right notes for fans of singalong choruses and big guitar solos.

Sea of Love is a shining example of the undeniably brilliant production on the album, retaining the band’s raw 80’s sound. There aren’t many drummers out there that pull off such a pure sound with their kit, but Rick Allen’s drums are one of the highlights of the album on a whole as they sound so clear and polished throughout. Energised is another power ballad, you probably know what to expect here.

 

One of the standout tracks of the record is All Time High where it seems the band seem a lot more ‘energised’ than on the track before! Combining all the elements of the biggest AOR songs with a gigantic chorus, memorable riff, stunning solo and lively vocal performance. 

 

Battle of My Own is the most stripped back track you’ll find here with it’s acoustic tendencies and string sequences, but is a little lacklustre. Broke ’n’ Brokenhearted and Forever Young both help to get things back on track with some great fretwork again from Campbell and Collen. Once again I won’t go into Last Dance too much, yep you guessed it - another ballad!

 

Don’t be fooled by the name because Wings of an Angel is up there with some of the best songs that Leppard have ever written with it’s crisp, glam flair and unfathomably catchy chorus. Blind Faith is a little bit more than just a ballad to bring the album to it’s end, but there isn't an awful lot to rave about here - as soon as you hear it you’ll know you’ve heard it from Leppard about 20 years ago.

 

So after the lenghty wait, it seems that when Def Leppard are really on track, as showcased by some excellent songs on this record, they’re rightfully up there with the rock and roll elite. But there are far too many occasions here where they are far too absorbed in their little bubble that it leaves the listener a little frustrated. Essentially if you are a Leppard fan, or just a fan of the 80’s period of glam rock then you’re going to love this, but if you’re not then this definitely isn’t going to change your opinion. 

James' recommended tracks: All Time High and Wings of an Angel

 

For fans of: Def Leppard, Bon Jovi, Steel Panther

 

Can you see these guys in the UK?: Oh yes, though a lot of the dates are sold out:

 

December 2015
 
6 - Dublin 3 Arena, EIRE
7 - Belfast Odyssey, UK
9 - Newcastle Metro Radio Arena, UK
10 - Glasgow The SSE Hydro, UK
12 - Birmingham Genting Arena, UK
13 - Nottingham Capital FM Arena, UK
15 - Manchester Arena, UK
16 - Cardiff Motorpoint Arena, UK 
18 - London The SSE Arena Wembley, UK 
19 - Sheffield Motorpoint Arena, UK