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Finally have listened all the way through....It's quite a roller coaster ride of styles. I almost can split it into 3 parts...There's a group of songs I like with Dangerous, All Time High, Let's Go, Wings Of An Angel, Broke N Brokenhearted, We Belong. Then there's a few songs in the middle that I'm still undecided on...They're interesting to me though and don't dislike them...Man Enough, Sea of Love, Energized and Last Dance probably fall into this tier. Then the last 4 songs are songs that just aren't doing much for me at all....Battle of My Own, Forever Young, Blind Faith and Invincible. I think Invincible is my least favorite track as it just plods and goes nowhere during the whole song. It's a shame too as it was one song I thought I could like....Was hoping for an Undefeated type vibe. Anyways, it's indeed a really varied album and sort of a mixture of everything Leppard has done over the years. I think there's 6-7 pretty good tunes, and 3-4 okay album tracks...And a few songs that should've been abandoned. All in all though I'm liking it more than SFTSL and X for sure and honestly, I could really see this surpassing Slang and Euphoria with a few more listens and a couple songs growing on me as usually seems to happen.

Yeah...Looks like they removed the video. Leppard's Official Twitter actually sent out the link originally so weird that it was pulled.

1 min 30 samples of each song have been posted for those interested...Personally, I'm not listening and I'm waiting for the CD to listen to it properly...

I'm one that often chases bonus tracks but I'm not interested in the other versions this time around as all they really have on other versions of the album to my knowledge are some alternate versions/demos of songs already on the album (Last Dance/We Belong). I'm a bit relieved in a way and glad they decided to just throw 14 songs on the CD and not save any for bonus tracks for all the various outlets.

Well...for what its worth I know someone online that's heard the album. He isnt saying too much about it so as not to spoil it (or get in trouble) but he told me what his 5 favorite songs were and the only one so far that's been on his list is All Time High. He's assuring me there is plenty more good stuff to come

Could agree more...I can't seem to wipe the ear to ear smile off my face I really like All Time High but this exceeds it for me. My only complaint is I wish it were about 30 seconds longer...I get so caught up in the melodic bliss that it seems to fly by too fast Great tune though...Almost sort of a mixture of Photograph, Promises and Animal IMO. It's early yet and the newness probably has me overly excited....But this might be my favorite Leppard tune since the Hysteria era. That song is phenomenal to my ears, the other two are good but this is fantastic, they weren't lying with the photograph references

Another new song released..."Dangerous". As a long time Leppard fan all I can really say is WOW Just the kind of classic Leppard riffs and layered harmonies I like

While I enjoyed Let's go I have to say I like this song even more. Great guitar work and a tune that proves Leppard still has some rock left in them Not Bad at all.

Andrew's review over at MR.com has been posted...great, in-depth track by track review http://www.melodicrock.com/articles/reviews/2015/10/15/def-leppard-def-leppard-review It’s quite fitting the new DEF LEPPARD album has been dubbed “Def Leppard” as the contents can only be described as sounding like, well, Def Leppard. In keeping with recent Leppard history, this is again a pretty diverse album, but perhaps not quite as diverse asSongs From The Sparkle Lounge. I’m likening the flow of the album to that of X; that is – more melodic in the front and heavier, more experiential in the back end. Song wise we have a very strong set of tunes. Far superior to those on Sparkle and amongst the most consistent for what fans want since Hysteria/Adrenalize. However, I can’t say the best album since Hysteria, as I’m one of a minority that continue to rate X very highly indeed. The first half of the album is very traditional Leppard. It also carries a unique moody feel that is played out with some very melodic choruses. The second half is a little more experimental and varied, featuring some stuff I haven’t heard before from the band and a mix of 70s, 80s and today’s sounds. What we have here is an album that is classic Leppard without actually honing in on any one album or era. There’s parts of Hysteria, Adrenalize, Euphoria, Slang, X and even Sparkle on here. In other words, its “Def Leppard”. Fans can get excited though, no matter what era of the band you favor. Because at the heart of it, this is the most authentic Def Leppard album in two decades and features a monster production and beautiful mix, where harmonies and guitars rule the day, but the rhythm section and vocalist Joe Elliott are all equally showcased. Track By Track: 1. Let's Go is quite simply, classic Leppard. Yes, it’s Pour Some Sugar Mk2, but it’s produced to the nines, features a catchy chorus and layers of Leppard harmonies. It gets better with age, which is something some of the tracks from Sparkle didn’t do. 2. Dangerous has been compared by the band to Photograph. I agree the chorus is a similar, fast flowing hands in the air singalong anthem, but the verse has its own identity. The rhythm guitars are quite meaty and have a modern sound while the lead guitar is more traditionally Leppard. Whatever the comparisons, it’s classic fast moving Def Leppard anthem and will be the most favoured song on the album by many I’m sure. 3. Man Enough is this album’s most left of center tune. It’s a cool tune – think Slang meets Queen’s Another One Bites The Dust. It’s bass heavy and very sparse apart from the short chorus where lead guitar delivers a cool riff. It is probably the track traditional DL fans will have the most trouble with, but it does have its charms. However, I do think it’s a tempo killer after the awesome Dangerous and a little too experimental for its position at track 3. 4. We Belong is something quite wonderful. This is one of the most genuinely heartfelt songs I’ve heard from Leppard since the song Hysteria and features what sounds like everyone joining in on lead vocals through the song. It’s a moody mid-tempo tune with a simply awesome layered chorus that I can’t get enough of. One of those tracks where the verse is every bit as good as the chorus. 5. Invincible kicks off with a heavy bass line and then a uptempo snare before a very melodic guitar riff kicks in. The first thing I thought of was Charlie Sexton. It really sounds like something from his 1989 Charlie Sextonalbum. This is another moody rocker that rolls along at a mid-to-up-tempo range with yet another stunning chorus – albeit one that holds restraint and keeps in pace with the mood of the rest of the song. The background guitar work is melodic bliss that emphasizes Joe’s warm raspy vocal. 6. Sea Of Love picks up the tempo a little and sounds like it could have come from any Leppard album post-Hysteria. The chorus is another catchy layered refrain, again feeling somewhat restrained and certainly smoother than the heavier verse. The guitar solo is a nice extended piece before the chorus again takes control. A bit of a party tune this one. 7. Energized sounds like it could be fast and furious, but it’s actually quite laid back and in keeping with this mid-album run of moody melodic rock tracks. The verse has a modern programmed feel with a soft JE vocal, before a very catchy, but restrained, chorus takes over. There’s a hint of X and Slang about the production here, but the chorus fits the style of the preceding songs. 8. All Time High kicks things back into full overdrive at about the time when you started wondering if this was going to be a mildly mellow album. Fear not – this is a high energy, thumping beat driven rocker where the chorus bursts through for high impact. Fun, fast and fabulous. The guitar solo in particular packs a real punch. Classic Def Leppard. Awesome. 9. Battle Of My Own is an interesting track. This semi-acoustic track is the band’s tip of the hat to Led Zeppelinand their quirky 70s acoustic/vocal driven sound. It also reminds me of the sound and style on the Coverdale Page album (think the intro stages of Shake My Tree). The song clocks in under 3 minutes, but still finds a minute or so to rock out at the end, further embellishing on the Zeppelinesque sound. They fit a whole hell of a lot into 2 minutes 45! 10. Broke 'N' Brokenhearted is a breezy, classic commercial upbeat Def Leppard rocker. Picking up the pace again, this is a simple guitar fueled enjoyable singalong song that will work well live – especially with the layered harmony chorus. 11. Forever Young features a more modern sound, the guitar especially. The drums kick in to lead the song into a jarring verse that’s contrasted with a short simple chorus that’s only defined by the change in vocal delivery and the extra harmonies. Otherwise it’s a pretty fast moving guitar dominated track. An interesting and musically challenging track. 12. Last Dance is another classic rock ballad featuring a very commercial chorus and a dominant acoustic driven sound. The track could almost be a Rod Stewart cover from the late 70s. Short, but cool. 13. Wings Of An Angel is the albums last big rocker. It builds from a restrained intro into a big modern rocker with a darker sounding vocal from Joe and some contemporary guitar parts that wouldn’t sound out of place on the latter half of X. However it still feels right at home amongst these songs. 14. Blind Faith is something new and different for the band. Featuring a strong raspy vocal from Joe and some slow electric soling behind him, the song builds with the addition of an orchestral section before another soft verse. Then the song turns slightly psychedelic while remaining slow in tempo before a guitar solo and the rest of the band up the stakes. Then it’s back to an acoustic vocal before everything finally bursts to life for the last minute of the song. At 5.30 the song is the longest of the album and easily the most epic of any recent Leppard song. Without the benefit of another month of high-rotation absorption of this album, I still think I can safely say that the band have delivered a home run here and will have fans united in their praise. A very “Def Leppard” style album which is all the fans want in this day and age. Fresh and innovative without sounding like someone else and classic and retroactive (pardon the pun) without being stale or repetitive. There’s life in the old dog yet and I give credit to the band for pushing aside modern industry concerns to still deliver a ripping full length album of this quality. For the record, I gave X a 98; Songs From The Sparkle Lounge 85 and Yeah 68 and Euphoria 93. Of coursePyromania and Hysteria are perfect 100s. For me, Def Leppard slips into the gap between X and Euphoria.

Good to hear....Hoping to see a full review soon Have seen a couple other reviews so far and both said pretty much the same thing and both reviews felt it was their best album from top to bottom in the post-Adrenalize era. I think it's almost unfair to really compare to Pyro and Hysteria at this point since there was so much different about the band back then. I think to be realistic it really has to be compared to Slang, Euphoria, X and SFTSL since those albums were basically made with the current band lineup (and without Mutt). Do you think overall it stands above those albums?

I'm with you...Dig the new song for what it is and I just like the classic Def Lep sound of the song...They've run away from that sound for quite awhile so it's nice to hear something with that flavor even if it is Sugar 2.0. By a all accounts though, I wouldn't be expecting more songs like it on the new album as I think the album is a pretty varied affair. I agree with you SFTSL as well. I always thought that album was pretty forgettable for some reason....Just didn't have the production, hooks and harmonies I associate Leppard with and felt a little unfinished or rushed. As for YEAH...that's so bad I don't even include it in the Leppard discography.... I'm excited about the album though. They've done a lot I've liked over the years and I've liked fair amounts of Slang, Euphoria, X and even SFTSL. If I took my favorite 3-4 songs of each of those albums I could make a pretty darn good album I'm fine with variety but just want solid production, guitar hooks and a good chunk of classic Leppard harmonies ringing through the album.

First review I've seen of the new album. It sounds like the reviewer is pretty in tune with the Leppard discography and have to admit I like what I'm seeing in the review. I just want Leppard to make a good, varied melodic rock album and sounding like they may have done it.... Is 'Def Leppard' the best thing they have done since 'Hysteria'? I've got my opinion, over to you... Def Leppard are one of the few bands that have an instantly recognizable signature sound that you can't mistake, no matter which era of the band any particular song may originate from. From the ground-breaking, technical excellence of 'Hysteria', the darker, moodier 'Slang' record that they rode out the Grunge storm with and the more contemporary-sounding 'X' album – even on the 'Yeah!' covers album they managed to sound uncannily like the band they were covering whilst also retaining their own identity. And so 'Def Leppard', recorded without any record label pressure or interference, sees them integrating many different elements and styles from their past into one cohesive and fresh sounding album. The band sounds invigorated, Joe Elliott is singing better than ever, the production is immense, and as for the songs... Opener 'Let's Go' is an absolute classic 'Hysteria'-era Leppard; big drums, big guitars, big harmonies – it may be a little structurally similar to 'Pour Some Sugar On Me', but who cares? 'Dangerous' that follows is an awesome 'Euphoria'-ish up-tempo ultra-melodic Rocker, while the bass-driven, Funky 'Man Enough' somehow manages to sound like a 'Yeah!' seventies-cover; there are elements of Queen circa 'The Game' here – great fun. 'X' would be the contemporary-sounding reference point for the classy ballad 'We Belong' (that features all band members singing lead vocal lines for the first time), the excellent driving Rocker 'Invincible' and the heavily-programmed 'Energized', while the fun-sounding 'Sea Of Love' and 'Forever Young' continue the no-frills approach from the 'Songs From The Sparkle Lounge' album. The Hard Rocking, guitar-driven 'All Time High' and 'Broke 'N' Brokenhearted' nod back to the 'High 'N' Dry' and 'Pyromania' days, albeit with a more modern sheen. Sounding quite unlike anything that DL have recorded before is the wonderful 'Battle Of My Own' that sees the band go all Led Zeppelin on us (Lep Zeppelin?), initially acoustic-led until the power-chords crash in, accompanied by string effects, while the beautiful, serene ballad 'Last Dance' has an almost Folky element to it, a feature that harks back to some of the 'Retroactive' tracks. As the album draws to its conclusion it takes a turn towards a somewhat moodier direction with the modern Rocker 'Wings Of An Angel' and the introspective and somewhat psychedelic ballad 'Blind Faith' that could have fitted comfortably on 'Slang'. 'Hysteria' is rightly regarded as one of the greatest Rock albums of all time, so is 'Def Leppard' the best thing they have done since that landmark record? I've got my opinion, over to you... Ant Heeks http://www.rocktopia.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6928:def-leppard-def-leppard&catid=910:cd-reviews&Itemid=121

October 30th. All details and pre-order links: http://www.defleppard.com/splash

Agree. I dig the tune for what it is and it's cool to hear that sound again as nobody really does it like Leppard. It seems like the more I listen the more it takes on it's own life. I'll be the first to say I wouldn't want a full album of this though. It's a fun, simple song but I want something deeper and at least a couple rockers. And going by comments I've seen from somebody that has heard the whole album Let's Go really is not representative of the album as a whole and there is plenty of diversity on it. However, they did say the production remains strong throughout. Really looking forward to it. I do think this a great first track as a single and first track for the album. It's almost like your getting ready to ride a roller coaster and this track says...Okay, it's a Def Leppard ride. We'll have to see where the rest of the ride goes Yeah, it hasn't seemed that long, but 16 years is indeed a long time! Anyway, the new song is very cool. Won't be my fave on the album by any means, but it's good for what it is, highlighting the true Def Leppard sound, most importantly. Their last album was an absolute disgrace, so it's good to hear something like this again. Oh, and it's a cool album cover too.

Have listened to this quite a few more times and it really does seem like a cousin of Pour Some Sugar On Me, especially in the beginning of the song. The band was clearly aware of that though and Joe acknowledged that in the Rolling Stone article. It is what it is and it clearly sounds like Def Leppard when you hear it so it's fine with me. In the article Joe also compares Dangerous to Photograph so it'll be interesting to hear that one. He was right on the Let's Go/Sugar comparison. For me, it's nice having a Leppard album with songs getting compared to Sugar and Photograph...Two songs that probably most fans immediately associate with Leppard when they think of them. Really excited for this release and looking forward to a good dose of Leppard style melodic rock/pop/aor or wherever they fit

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/def-leppards-joe-elliott-on-taylor-swift-donald-trump-and-eighties-pride-20150915 https://soundcloud.com/defleppard/vivian-campbell-interview-july-8-2015 New Def Leppard! Massive. "Let's Go," the lead track on Def Leppard as well as the first single, is clearly about that love for playing. You sing, "Welcome to the party/Welcome to the edge of your seat." It's a call to arms, you know? Rick Savage wrote 80 percent of the song. I wrote the verses, he wrote all the music and the choruses. He came in with it, and we knew it was a classic Def Leppard song. It's that three-minute pop-rock stuff with big chunky guitars and a big chorus. And it has that swaggering, mid-tempo rhythm, like "Sugar," and "Rock of Ages." The idea was, we wanted something familiar. I mean, when AC/DC comes back after years away, you're not going to get "Bohemian Rhapsody" from 'em, you know? And you don't want it, either — you want "Back in Black," or something like it. For us, this is what we do. And it's something we enjoy doing. Definitely has a Sugar 2.0 vibe to it but I'm fine with that. I think this song is a nice blend of classic Leppard elements with modern production. I think they've spent a little too much time over the years running from their trademark bread and butter sound so I welcome this even if they are copying themselves a bit. Many interviews have stated how varied the album is though so not sure it's reasonable to think the whole album will be like this. Either way, if you like the big Leppard sound this might be appealing. I'm digging it more than I think I dug anything on their last album which always felt fairly lacking to me in it's overall production and Leppardization so to speak.

Always had a bit of a soft spot fort these guys...Loved their debut album and their second album wasn't too bad. Then they sorta feel off my radar. New single released and sounds pretty similar to their earlier stuff to me. Not sure it's anything overly special but I kinda like the sound of it. If they put out a full album I'd probably give it a chance...

The debut album still is getting heavy play by me and remains squarely among my favorite releases this year. It's a little odd...It's not really a knock your socks off type of album but I just find it to be solid from top to bottom and it falls right in my wheelhouse of melodic rock tastes with obvious influences from the 80's rock scene. I think I also have taken to the guys in the band from reading various interviews and following along on social media. I like their old school approach as they've basically done this all themselves with no management or label helping them. I definitely don't see many young US bands putting out this type of music these days. Hoping these guys can catch some breaks.

I like crowdfunding and have had some really awesome experiences with it and gotten some really neat exclusives that I otherwise would not have gotten. So I'm not about to rip it. Heck, I even had an artist personally call me on the phone once because one of my items was delayed and he wanted to personally apologize I can see it being only as good as the artist is though. I mean, the artists are the ones setting these things up and following through on them with updates ,exclusives, etc. I'd be blaming the artist himself and not specifically the crowdfunding tools. Hate the player...not the game I think the artists do need to be clear about what they're doing and it is ultimately your decision if you take part in it or not. If I wasn't clear about what the outcome was going to be (ie..cover tunes, acoustic album, new original album, etc, etc) I'd be much more hesitant to give the money. I do think crowdfunding is a great way for artists to get in touch with their fan base, give people some unique items and get a little up front capital for their projects.

Bummer. Really have enjoyed most of their albums with both New Religion and the last self-titled album getting a lot of spins. Hope they can pull it together but losing Andy seems like a pretty big blow

I've tried these guys in the past and never really cared for anything I listened to. Gave a few song on this album a listen....Better Safe Than Sorry seems okay but I really don't care for most of the songs. Definitely haven't heard enough that I like to buy the album. Honestly, it reminds me a lot of Eclipse and I don't really like them either.

Wonder why this needs to be on 2 CD's? I have one CD that I've burned for this album with the 12 standard tracks plus Under My Skin, Shame and She's Like The Wind added and it fit just fine....And had room for more. Probably a production issue or licensing issue of some sort. Or maybe it just sounds better saying 2 CD's.

Cool video and good tune. Still enjoying this album and while initially was a bit lukewarm on the ballads, they've really grown on me. I would say that this is my favorite Trixter release top to bottom.

Reports on Leopard Facebook page say Viv will be joining the Leps soon and won't be missing many more shows

Boy...wish I were closer to MD. Need somebody in Buffalo NY area to book these guys!