When the pandemic struck and no touring was possible there were only two things musicians could do – either sit idle on your ass and do nothing, something only already rich and wealthy rock-stars could afford to do, or work. Write songs, record and get creative. Some bands, like Thunder, did that and released two records during the pandemic where the latest was a 16 track double album. Def Leppard, one of the biggest rock-bands out there, did the same which resulted in another double album. Being spread out all over the world, the guys wrote separately and sent files back and forth and also worked via Zoom. The only member not credited this time was guitarist Vivian Campbell, for some weird reason.
Now, Def Leppard is one of my favorite bands with an almost ridiculous high lowest level when it comes to the quality of their albums. The only album that ever had me underwhelmed and disappointed is the lukewarm boy-band soup X (2002) and the unnecessary cover album Yeah! (2006). I know some people have issues with the slightly alternative sounding Slang (1996), their worst selling record to date but I love that album. This means of course that whenever Def Leppard releases new material expectations shoot through the roof and this record is no exception to that rule.
Def Leppard’s first album in seven years kick-starts with the single “Take What You Want”, a song that bursts open with a crunchy, big riff that looks back to a song like “Stagefright” on a chunky, driving rhythm and a hooky main-melody. The whole tune breathes the days of Pyromania with a chunk of High n’ Dry inserted albeit with a lite more grit and dirt under the finger-nails. A lively live-feel runs through the song from beginning to end with a distinct chorus that leaves no one wondering what band it is playing as it screams Def Leppard right off the bat. This is a stellar tune.
Leading single, the Glam Rock laden “Kick” shows off the band’s love for 70’s British Glam like Mott The Hoople taking T. Rex for shenanigans around town on a Saturday night – and why not? After all, the album’s title is borrowed from a T.Rex number (“Get It On”) and it suits the band very well. It’s groovy, it’s stage friendly and it holds a distinct and catchy chorus that takes the tune into Arena Rock with a Sweet influence. This is brilliant. Also a single “Fire It Up” is a hugely grooved, classic Lep sounding pop-rock monster with melodies and hooks so strong they could move mountains. The chorus is full of hit-potential with catchiness enough to sell with a hot spark. Fire it up? They sure do.
Next up is the country-flavoured power ballad “This Guitar” where Joe Elliott shares the mike with Country star Alison Krauss, also known for her work with Robert Plant. It’s soft, down-beat and low-key with a melancholic twist and not very Def Lep sounding at all. It holds a lush orchestration and style-wise the poppiness gives the song a shot at American mainstream radio. Krauss is an awesome singer and she works well with Elliott but the song is too cheesy and easily forgotten. A skipper in my book. “SOS Emergency” on the other tickles every Def Lep box of mine. Classic Lep sounding, the song comes across as “Promises” long lost cousin. Big harmonies over crunchy guitars, massive hooks and a refrain to die for makes it a clear winner. Brilliant.
The far-east tinged mid-paced semi-ballad rocker “Liquid Dust” is left field with its floating rhythms and spacey soundscape over heavy guitars and a solid stomp. It’s slightly Bowie-esque in a Slang kinda way with the easily recognizable Def Lep vocal melodies on top. The chorus might not be flirting with any charts but it still manage to be catchy as damn. Great stuff. Slade’s misspelt titles from the Glam Rock 70’s seems to the inspiration for “U Rok Mi”, an acoustic guitar based groover that have electric guitars in as well. The tune holds an almost danceable beat, a nod to funky swings and a bit of a spaced-out hippie vibes in the verses. The chorus brings on a fat, crunchy riff and a sing-along pleasing hook. It’s a decent tune but not one the band’s strongest efforts.
It’s ballad time again when “Goodbye For This Time” makes its presence known. It starts off stripped and quiet with only piano – played by Bowie’s old pianist Mike Garson – and vocals. The orchestration that comes in makes the tune bigger and bombastic and the acoustic guitar solo is magnificent. It’s quite intense yet beautiful and a times a bit Elton John-ish. It’s a different take on a Lep-ballad, it sounds like Lep but at the same time it doesn’t. Also, the chorus is massive. Good tune. “All We Need” is classic Leppard all the way. The guitars hits right where they should, it grooves lively, the melodies are smooth but not cheesy and the chorus is unescapable, catchy as can be. This is the bastard son of “Animal” and “Love And Affection” so how can that be bad? It can’t. The song is awesome!
On a way heavier note, “Open Your Eyes” takes the slower and darker route. It sports some arrangements that brings the Slang album to mind but without the alternative twists. It’s a pretty straight ahead rocker that also holds some Adrenalize ish touches sound-wise where the vocal melodies and big backing vocals are very much classic Leppard. The chorus is decent, pretty memorable but it never quite lifts the song. Ok track. Back to 70’s Glam Rock, “Gimme A Kiss” is upbeat, raunchy and holds a direct live-feel, quite punchy yet very melodic with a hole-in-one chorus reminiscent of the good old 80’s days. This tune feels like a big, fat hit all the way through and therefore should be a single.
Another ballad comes along in “Angels (Can’t Help You Now)”, a slow, low-key and brittle number with some delicate orchestration and soothing melodies, very much classic Def Lep balladry. When the rest of the band joins in the tune goes in to a bonafide power ballad where late 80’s gloss is joined by 70’s Glam in a marriage made in heaven, very big, bombastic and the chorus is phenomenal. The balladry continues when they bring Krauss back into the fold for the very pop-driven “Lifeless”. It’s quite upbeat though which makes it more of a semi-ballad albeit with a Country twist. It’s really a glossy standard pop-tune, nothing out of the ordinary although the classic Leppard smelling vocals melodies are pretty good. The chorus is catchy but too pop-radio mainstream.
“Unbreakable” starts out stripped down with a vocal-melody reminiscent of “I Wanna Be Your Hero”, a b-side that for some reason didn’t make it to the Hysteria record. The tune soon gets going for real on a big, raunchy groove where the live-feel is prominent. It’s a quite gutsy song with a dirty grit yet with a gigantic vocal where especially the chorus stands out. It flirts with the edge of Slang but with big hooks of Hysteria and Adrenalize. Great tune. The album closes with the slow-burner “From Here To Eternity”. It’s dark with a spacey atmosphere, Beatles-esque melodies and grandiose classic Leppard backup vocals. It’s big, dramatic, cinematic and dynamic with seductive melodies and a captivating refrain. Brilliant.
Just like the double album from Thunder, this record is a bit overmuch where 15 tracks is a bit of an overkill. On the positive side, when this album is good, it’s effing brilliant and it most often is, thank you very much. That said, there are a few fillers too many where at least two of the ballads should have been shelved. No shadow over Alison Krauss, she’s awesome, but the two songs featuring her are both underwhelming and neither really fits this record. Still, no song here is so weak it’s unlistenable so I have no problem enjoying the album back to back – even though it takes a while to do so. This is a really good record that could have been amazingly brilliant if shortened with 3-4 songs.
7/10
More Def Leppard reviews:
Tracklist:
1. Take What You Want
2. Kick
3. Fire It Up
4. This Guitar [feat. Alison Krauss]
5. SOS Emergency
6. Liquid Dust
7. U Rok Mi
8. Goodbye For Good This Time
9. All We Need
10. Open Your Eyes
11. Gimme A Kiss
12. Angels (Can’t Help You Now)
13. Lifeless
14. Unbreakable
15. From Here To Eternity
CD & Festival reviews 