{"id":50594,"date":"2015-11-05T08:49:44","date_gmt":"2015-11-05T13:49:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=50594"},"modified":"2015-11-05T08:50:10","modified_gmt":"2015-11-05T13:50:10","slug":"def-leppard-cd-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2015\/def-leppard-cd-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Def Leppard | Def Leppard<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Alexandra Mrozowska<\/span>
\n– Sr. Columnist —<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"DefLepUpTop\"What does an established act releasing a self-titled album suggest? The usual policy in the music industry is that the self-titled album is a debut one, therefore an introduction of an artist or a band to the audience. Among the older acts, it\u2019s usually seen as an act of redefining themselves, both artistically and personally. Is Def Leppard, the eleventh album in the Sheffield-based quintet, opening a new chapter in the band\u2019s musical history? Rather not. Is the self-titled release, out on Oct. 30 via earMUSIC, a combination of all elements that made Def Leppard noticed, then skyrocketed them to stardom and contributed to their longevity? The answer, to the fans\u2019 delight, is yes.<\/p>\n

The opening piece \u201cLet\u2019s Go\u201d was one of the two songs revealed prior to the album\u2019s release. And also \u2013 an answer for those who wondered if Joe Elliott and the pack are still able to transform their late \u201880s spirit and sound into the 21st century. It\u2019s a simply a conglomerate of all things Def Leppard as remembered from their glory days. Bombastic and melodic, with polished Mutt-esque production and trademark multi-layered vocal harmonies, it\u2019s a blatant but nifty throwback to the days of Hysteria with only a tad modern vibe to it. \u201cDangerous\u201d, another promo track one\u2019s been already introduced to, continues in much the same manner. A Leppard-esque sound and style taken to the utmost, complete with a melodic lead guitar riff and an infectious chorus that is, for the lack of a better phrase, so totally \u201880s.
\nHowever, it doesn\u2019t really mean the Sheffield-based ensemble\u2019s simply re-recorded Hysteria and now rides a wave of nostalgia with just a handful of reprised \u201cRockets\u201d and \u201cPour Some Sugar On Me\u2019s.\u201d With a quite different vibe to it than its predecessors had, \u201cMan Enough\u201d has them wandering off the safe track. Its pulsating bass line, thud drum sound and funky groove make it a contemporary counterpart to Queen\u2019s 1980 classic \u201cAnother One Bites The Dust\u201d rather than anything else. Still, it remains catchy to the utmost and one of the album\u2019s highlights. <\/p>\n

Next is a mid-tempo track \u201cWe Belong\u201d, a reminder Def Leppard actually grew up to be more than larger-than-life choruses and Hair Metal craze \u2013 especially lyrically. In terms of music it might have taken a bit after the title track of the Hysteria album, but it would have been hard to consider it an actual fault. With \u201cInvincible,\u201d the band delivers a portion of solid yet relatively unremarkable Melodic Rock. Its follow-up \u201cSea Of Love\u201d seems to spell change for the better with feisty verses and slightly funk-ish riffs, but the overly sugary choruses fail to be particularly memorable. \u201cEnergized\u201d comes next, with its slightly modern flavor drawing more from post-Adrenalize<\/em> Leppard than their classic era. <\/p>\n

Tracks such as \u201cAll Time High\u201d or \u201cBroke \u2018n\u2019 Brokenhearted\u201d return to the energetic mode of the first few tracks on the album. In spite of its modern sound, \u201cForever Young\u201d has a youthful Leppard-esque vibe to itself indeed. The same kind of vibe resonates even louder in the-next-to-last piece \u201cWings Of An Angel,\u201d an instant classic embroidered with trademark Hysteria choruses. Elliott and the gang also show multiple dimensions to their craft of rock balladry, from the acoustic-driven, slightly bluesy \u201cBattle Of My Own\u201d to the melancholic undertones of \u201cLast Dance\u201d and atmospheric, epic final piece \u201cBlind Faith.\u201d <\/p>\n

Yet before the self-titled album saw the light of day, Def Leppard emphasized the diversity of the recorded material. In this respect, it wasn\u2019t an idle talk for sure. Def Leppard ranges from tracks sounding as if they were forgotten outtakes from recording sessions to Hysteria<\/em> to pieces with a modern twist to them. Obviously, the record\u2019s neither as groundbreaking as Pyromania nor as hit-studded as Hysteria. And, perhaps, a bit too lengthy \u2013 omission of a song or two wouldn\u2019t have probably done much harm to the album\u2019s structure\u2026 However, especially after having given it a spin a few times in a row, the self-titled Leppard release turns out to be a classy release altogether, and also, a worthy successor to a line of albums in their catalog. Fans of particular era(s) in the band\u2019s history will find something for themselves here, each of them something different. Assuming that was the actual idea behind recording Def Leppard, the goals were made reality. Recommended. <\/p>\n

Genre: Hard Rock, Melodic Hard Rock<\/p>\n

Band:
\nJoe Elliott \u2013 vocals
\nVivian Campbell \u2013 guitar
\nPhil Collen \u2013 guitar
\nRick \u201cSav\u201d Savage \u2013 bass guitar
\nRick Allen \u2013 drums<\/p>\n

Track List:
\n1.\tLet\u2019s Go
\n2.\tDangerous
\n3.\tMan Enough
\n4.\tWe Belong\u2028
\n5.\tInvincible\u2028
\n6.\tSea Of Love\u2028
\n7.\tEnergized\u2028
\n8.\tAll Time High\u2028
\n9.\tBattle Of My Own\u2028
\n10.\tBroke ‘N’ Brokenhearted\u2028
\n11.\tForever Young\u2028
\n12.\tLast Dance\u2028
\n13.\tWings Of An Angel\u2028
\n14.\tBlind Faith<\/p>\n

Label: earMUSIC<\/p>\n

Website: www.defleppard.com<\/a> – www.facebook.com\/defleppard<\/a><\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven rating: 8.5\/10<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Alexandra Mrozowska – Sr. Columnist — What does an established act releasing a self-titled album suggest? The usual policy in the music industry is that the self-titled album is a debut one, therefore an […]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":50595,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12394],"tags":[2317,11833,348,4903,1103,10859,11834,2847,11836,11837,10862,11835],"class_list":{"0":"post-50594","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arcrvws2015","8":"tag-cd-review","9":"tag-def","10":"tag-def-leppard","11":"tag-earmusic","12":"tag-hard-rock","13":"tag-joe-elliott","14":"tag-leppard","15":"tag-melodic-hard-rock","16":"tag-phil-collen","17":"tag-rick-sav-savage","18":"tag-rick-allen","19":"tag-vivian-campbell"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50594","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50594"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50594\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50595"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50594"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50594"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50594"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}