Released by: earMusic
Release date: 30 October 2015
Genre: Rock
Links: deflepparduk.com , Facebook
Lineup:
Joe Elliott – Vocals
Phil Collen – Guitar & Vocals
Vivian Campbell – Guitars & Vocals
Rick “Sav” Savage – Bass & Vocals
Rick Allen – Drums & Vocals
Track Listing:
01. Let’s Go
02. Dangerous
03. Man Enough
04. We Belong
05. Invincible
06. Sea Of Love
07. Energized
08. All Time High
09. Battle Of My Own
10. Broke ‘N’ Brokenhearted
11. Forever Young
12. Last Dance
13. Wings Of An Angel
14. Blind Faith
Being a teenager during the 80’s, Def Leppard was staple at school dances, car stereos and Sony Walkmans for most of that decade. My first album (of course) was Pyromania. Everything about this band was amazing. They had the anthem back then, it reminded us that burning out was better than the other option. Thanks to Pyromania I’ve spent my entire life thinking I knew how to count to four in German – true story.
I lost track of Def Leppard around Slang for whatever reason. I continued to see them live as they are one of the greatest live performance acts out there. Nothing beats a good sing along at a Def Leppard gig. Which is why I was so excited to listen to their latest album.
With such a strong musical ensemble including veteran rocker Vivian Campbell (one of my personal favourite guitarists ever) and his awesome string assailant Phil Collen. This album shows you how a band ages gracefully and gets better with time. Even with one hand tied behind their back.
All Time High takes me right back to High and Dry. Joe Elliot’s vocals have done something which is very rare. They’ve gotten better with time! Richer, full and smooth – Mr. Elliot still has it and then some. Energized then takes that formula and brings it to the 21st Century.
Acoustic guitar has a huge soft spot in my heart so Battle of My Own and Last Dance had me at hello. This is an exhibit of true talent from orchestration to execution.
Blind Faith is another gem that shines out of this diamond mine of music. Nice to see a little showcase of the unsung hero, Rick Savage, on Invincible and Man Enough.
If I go song for song we will be here all day… so keeping that in mind I’ll just pick a few more.
Let’s Go gives me goose bumps! The traditional chug of guitars and signature drum beat take me back to a time when my waistline was smaller and my eyeliner thicker. Those were good times.
We Belong is for sure my steering wheel rock star song of all the tracks on this album. Everything about it makes me want to sing along. The lyrics are sweet and those backup harmonies are what Def Leppard are all about.
Overall, this album was an amazing journey of everything I remembered and all the things that I missed during my absence from fandom of this band. One Note: I do recommend the Old School Way and listen to the album in its entirety, track one to fourteen. That’s how we used to do it back then 😉
Now I want to see them Live again!
Written by: Marianne Jacobsen
Ratings: Marianne 9/10
Upcoming Tour Dates:
January 27, 2016 — Greensboro, NC, Greensboro Coliseum
January 29, 2016 — Ft. Lauderdale, FL, BB&T Center
January 30, 2016 — Orlando, FL, Amway Center
February 02, 2016 — San Antonio, TX, AT&T Center
February 03, 2016 — Lafayette, LA, Lafayette Cajundome
February 05, 2016 — Corpus Christi, TX, American Bank Center Arena
February 06, 2016 — Hidalgo, TX, State Farm Arena
February 09, 2016 — Little Rock, AR, Verizon Arena
February 10, 2016 — Bossier City, LA, CenturyLink Center
February 13, 2016 — Uncasville, CT, Mohegan Sun Arena
February 14, 2016 — Atlantic City, NJ, Boardwalk Hall
February 16, 2016 — Brooklyn, NY, Barclays Center
February 17, 2016 — Allentown, PA, PPL Center
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