Spotlight Review
Euphoria - Def Leppard
Mercury Records
by Mark E. Waterbury
http://www.serge.org/DefLepp.html

 (As appearing in the July, 1999 issue of Music Morsels.) -- Remember Def
Leppard's breakthrough album "Pyromania" with the target on the album
cover? A prophesy maybe because the British rockers have been "targeted"
by members of the music media. That's the curse sometimes of phenomenal
fame such as the type this band tasted with their mega-hit machine
follow-up "Hysteria". Then there was the accident, the tragedy and still
another huge album with "Adrenalize" - unpretentious melodic rock with
some hard punch harmony vocals - the type music critics love to rip on.
Here, with the very well-engineered "Euphoria", do we have still another
target? Will this produce the "same old sound" cliches from the critics?
Face it, this is Def Leppard, straight forward music; they're not going to
sound like The Offspring or Korn to stay with the times. They dabbled in
probing the different facets of their songwriting capabilities with the
excellent but sadly overlooked "Slang" about three years ago. That CD
proved their talents. Hell, they've been proving their talent since the
beginning. So "Euphoria" is sort of a "greatest hits" perspective without
the actual hits - yet. The lead track "Demolition Man" weaves the youthful
energy of "On Through The Night" with the soaring harmonies of later
releases. The funky "All Night" harks back to the "Slang" title track.
"Paper Sun" brings the hard driving feel of "High And Dry" to mind. There
are some ballads here, well done as usual. This is the Def Leppard
signature and probably another reason for them to be targets. But this
band's signature sound - a sound that appears to be meticulously honed -
goes beyond that, and has been often emulated, but rarely equaled. And if
"Promises" seems like a song designed to get airplay so the band can enjoy
a resurgence, then so be it! It's already #1 on the Billboard Mainstream
Rock Chart and what better test of time is there than that? The fans
demanded a return to that anthemic sound and the Leps gave the fans what
they wanted. Now watch them as they begin to reclaim their fame.
"Euphoria" proves Def Leppard won't be going anywhere but up!   

Photo by: Danny Clinch   

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