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   Issue 6, Volume 31 - Thursday, September 26, 199
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  DEF BUT NOT DONE
  BY CHAD LOGAN
  STAFF WRITER

    Many people dismissed Def Leppard as a rock-n-roll powerhouse due to
   the inability of "Adrenalize" to live up to their previous two albums:
   "Hysteria" and "Pyromania."

    However, with the release of their newest album, "Slang," Leppard has
   re-emerged from the gutter of Top-40 music, and is back at the front of
   the rock-n-roll scene.

    Flashes of old Leppard jump out at you in songs like "Work it out" and
   "Truth?" which drudge up memories of "Pyromania," along with
   ex-guitarist Steve Clark (who died in 1991), bassist Rick Savage, the
   powerful rhythm section via drummer Rick Allen and Vivian Campbell, the
   driving guitar work of Phil Collen, and surpris-ingly rough vocals from
   singer Joe Elliot.

    Among the memories of old hides a sound not so familiar to Leppard.
   "Breathe a Sigh" offers an amazingly bluesy feel to it, while
   incorporating traditional Leppard lyrics. "Deliver Me" presents what
   may be the greatest testament to the return of Def Leppard. And,
   while beginning with a bluesy lyric, the rhythm work of Collen soon
   gives way to the powerful and eerie sound of Campbell playing a lead
   that mirrors Steve Clark.

   The sound of Allen playing on an acoustic drum set for the first time
   since losing his arm in a 1984 car crash puts an exclamation point on
   the comeback of one of the greatest rock bands ever.

    The last song on the album, "Pearl of Euphoria," envelops the entire
   album. It begins with some adventurous guitar work, and proceeds with
   more amazing vocal work from Elliot. A driving rhythm section gives the
   listener an increasingly heavier feel until a climax is reached around
   the two minute mark. The song also includes a drum/bass breakdown
   leading back into the song as it continues to build and, finally,
   fades out with a classic harmonious background of Leppard vocals.

   For the first time since "Pyromania," Leppard delivers an album that
   concentrates on music, not production.

   "Slang" proves that while you can't teach old dogs new tricks, you can
   make them remember the old tricks.
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Copyright 1996 GVSU Lanthorn
http://www.gvsu.edu/lanthorn/092696/def.html