'Diamond Star Halos' Out Today!

Release day is here! The new Def Leppard album Diamond Star Halos is officially available for download and purchase. The official video for "Fire It Up" came out a few hours ago, too. Singer Joe Elliott thinks Diamond Star Halos is a career-defining album. For a band with as much longevity and success as Def Leppard, that is quite a statement!

DIAMOND STAR HALOS IS OUT NOW!🤘
We’re so excited to share our new album with you, this is a special one! We had a blast making it and we can’t wait for you to hear it. Grab a copy or stream NOW! The #DiamondStarHalos celebrations have only just begun… 💎⭐💫
📸: @RyanSebastyan pic.twitter.com/bf9H7YTENz

— Def Leppard (@DefLeppard) May 27, 2022

Comments

[Jeff]

Listened to the entire album today while working. Career defining...no way. That would be reserved for either Pyromania or Hysteria. There are a few highlights on this for sure, but a few duds as well. That being said, it's worth a spin. I'm surprised Phil decided to leave his shirt on for the video. They sounded pretty good Wednesday night on the Jimmy Kimmel show. They played Take What You Want and Rock of Ages. Joe's voice seems to be in better form lately.

[Texjay]

I like this album, with the exception of Fire It Up for some reason. I read somewhere else that Vivian didn't write anything on this album which is a surprise. I really like the guitar tones on this album -can't wait to get it in rotation this holiday weekend.

[Him]

As Jeff suggests, Elliott is a nutter if he thinks this is 'career-defining'. Then again, perhaps it does define their career . . . at this point.

Texjay, I was lucky(?) enough to listen to the whole album because Sirius/XM decided to turn Hair Nation into DLRadio. "Fire It Up" surely ranks up there for choruses that just repeat themselves (I think AC/DC's "Safe in New York City" is number one). And "U Rok Mi" once again points out how creative Slade were at misspellings . . . and good tunes to back them up! "This Guitar" had me weeping. I mean, who wouldn't get a bit soggy with lyrics like "At seventeen, I hadn't seen, The thing that makes us real, Then I found you, At twenty-four, I wanted more, When no one else would listen, You sang to me"? I mean, the guy really loves his guitar. But Krauss best stick with Plant, as he is not trying to sing "Whole Lotta Love" with his shirt unbuttoned (or off, as is Collen's move of choice when he takes the stage to bring us tasty licks and oily slicks).

I can see why people are going to like this album. It is, like the first singles released, a return to a version of form. But it is just that, a version of form. And I think "Fire It Up" is Exhibit A. It sounds like a song they would have released in the late-80s . . . but it also doesn't. It has the shell, the sheen, but something is lacking.

And Campbell not being involved? Really? Who cares? What has he actually contributed to DL that stands out (and shouts)? He played on some of my favorite songs from my youth. I am glad he is on the mend and still making music. He is but a player on a stage that was set up long ago.

I won't get hysterical about a bunch of 60-something artists trying to adrenalize their way out of the Sparkle Lounge. Did it leave me high and dry? Not really. But I won't be playing this one on through the night.

[Jeff]

HIM - Your last paragraph is absolute gold

[Him]

Thanks, Jeff. I am a nitwit. So I try to balance that out with a modicum of creativity!

Hope you (and all the other regulars at BBG!) are having a great weekend.