 Not an original shirt. Oh, just the original design All right, here we go. We're live on the metal voice today. We're just two and then there were two And then there were two and there were two sometimes Well, you know what this is sort of a last-minute review of Def Leppard's new album and there it is Shows your shirt Warlock Yep and a last second review of Diamond star a halos the new Def Leppard album was it's gonna be released May 27th, which is tomorrow Seven years from the last one. It's interesting because Joe seven years ago You and I real we did a review of the last Def Leppard album And I can't remember what I said about that because that album kind of crept up on me a bit I thought it was I thought it was okay Mm-hmm But in as the year in the intervening years I find that to be a really strong record that self-titled album really strong And I think absolutely they're strongest since euphoria And I know they haven't had a whole lot in that they don't do an album very often But there are at least two or three re releases Between euphoria and a self-titled Def Leppard album, and I think that the self-title record from 2015 is actually really strong really good interesting enough I Think as I listen to it today, and I and I haven't played it in a while. I would agree with what you're saying It's actually not a bad record. I mean, I wouldn't say it's a pyromania here But I'm no good then this is the this is the problem though once you let go of this is It gonna be pyromania part two is it gonna be a skiria part two once you let go of that there is a great deal of Fine music from latter-day Def Leppard I mean the sparkle lounge can't stand the name of that record, but that's a really solid hard rock album as well Actually, that's a really good album, too. I mean, there's really only been Two duds in my opinion in the Def Leppard catalog I think slang was just a woeful misstep. It's still out a couple of good songs even and I think X You could say the same thing about X There was a couple of good songs, but that was just I thought a real low point and that brings us to the latest album Yeah, I mean, okay, we'll go quickly through the tracks fast fast But just overall I would say and this is my sort of sentence on it and you can give your One or two sentence on this. Yeah, it's got this glam rough production You know, Joe Elliott's kind of singing in that chest voice right registers not really doing that pyromania highs A lot of little orchestration bits a lot of slow moments. It's a t-rex ish type of album And it's nothing like the first three albums for all you hardcore Hard rock Leppard fans and give your gear give your one or two sentence overview on this You got to understand Bands I find in my opinion Which means nothing Ultimately become their influences to some degree Iron Maiden but get become the progressive rock band that all of the Steve's influences are Def Leppard have become the glitter rock Sounding influenced band that Joe Elliott always, you know, that's sort of his his love of that music now I've only had this record since late last night. I've given it a couple of spins today and The way I'm feeling right now, this is this is their third misfire This is death because there was slang there was X and now there's this I mean, I'm not counting that covers album called. Yeah, I thought that was just Awful, but most covers albums are so we'll give them a pass on that now Mm-hmm This just doesn't have any bite to it at all There's a couple that the opening track is cool and I and I just love how it's positioned at the front of the album We both could agree on that what you want a melodic rocker, right? But I but I almost feel cheated that it's position. It's almost strategically positioned At the at the front of the album to offer fan service to make people think it's gonna be a heavy album It's not this album is about as heavy as a is a Duran Duran record. It's really a Garth Brooks record. It's It's once again in my and again, I may I may be calling you up two weeks from now going dude It's actually really good, but no, I mean, I'm I don't think so because I've listened twice today And if you have to work that hard to get into a record, there's something wrong I find this this record is yet again them trying to dabble with With a you know a more can't I won't even say contemporary just a more trying to make a more Trying to do what they think is gonna be a more accessible record and I rather than just being defleppant and I think that is This is their third misfire in my opinion slang X and this new one. I'm sorry. I would add this I think the songs themselves are good. I just Be and again, I want people to understand this Joe Elliott his voice is you know, he's he's all right He's like anything I really see that is the big issue because this material you wouldn't be screaming over top of it Anyway, it's not that sort of material. Okay, we're gonna go through the songs fast fast. Okay. We talked about the first one kick That doesn't mean here's the thing. It's decent enough song to your point, but it's just Sonically the way it's presented just has it has no kick. It's really Even the good songs just seem to everything everything has that new to kind of feel where it's like that There's sort of almost a little bit. It's like when Michael Bolton rocks out, you know on some of those late 80s albums He did it's almost like they take a song that really could rock out But they kind of put a cap on it sonically so it doesn't get to Heavy it's it sounds a bit like that. I T-Rex T-Rex, that's the vibe of T-Rex Yeah, well like a lot of modern country which basically is is AOR hard rock and a different guys these days You know, I mean a lot of country they just kind of put that lid on it where it just can't Bus through and rock too hard even though this the basic song idea very much could be turned into that Eric says I like the singles I've heard so far But I'm not looking forward to hearing the songs that aren't so single worthy got the vinyl on the way and the single rock squark is saying Now this is an interesting comment. Here's a guy that's heard the singles seems to quite like him He's not looking forward to hearing the album, but he's bought the vinyl, you know, it's like and this is how these bands survive It's like people just are on autopilot. I guess they just kind of go new deflepid up and buy it and hey nothing wrong with that I'm not gonna purchase this I mean unless something really changes between now and when I'm done listening to it I don't think I'm gonna be buying this because I just don't feel it Bless me. I just don't cut away to the album on that. Okay. I just don't feel it's a strong record It really for me was I don't know it was okay And you know that was where their influence is the and it goes on it goes on longer than a It goes on longer than the bloody battle of a song as well. It's it's you know, it's 15 15 damn songs, you know, it's Up fire it up the next song pour some sugar on me basically, right? And but I do like the course. It's got that siren Yeah, again, again, it's funny how the three singles are the strongest songs And I don't know if I find them the strongest songs just because I've heard them a few times already Maybe once I've heard the whole album a few times. I'll be going. Okay. It's not so bad But again, like I said, I'm just not feeling this record All right, Eric is saying no, I am looking forward to hearing the album and he's just laughing Okay, now now we're getting into territory that people have not heard yet SOS emergency now, I thought this was This guitar, I mean, that's a that's about a wait a second. Did I miss that one? Oh, yes Sorry, this guitar. Okay. Now we're getting into Garth Brooks, right? Yeah. I mean really It's Garth Brooks and I and this is Alyssa. What's her name? Oh What's her name, Alyssa Geez, what's her name that sings with wabber plant? Okay, anyways, I forgot Crows Crows Crows Oh Allison Crows Allison Crows Allison Crows Allison Crows not Alyssa Milano Now we're getting into a bluegrass Garth Brooks acoustic and I was kind of like and drum machine and I'm like Where are we going here? Are we are we are we gonna compete for the neck? You know this year's top 10 country awards. I don't know again I do think they've got something in their head where they're again going. You know what? Let's stop, you know They seem to do what I call a what everyone calls a fan service record every so often they do like a They do a record that's for death leopard fans Which is which is a little bit heavier a bit more rockier By no stretch of the imagination is a high and dry But it's about as close as they're gonna get these days and that was the last album that was the brilliant euphoria, which I love They're kind of like right. Let's do an album for the fans and then they seem to do an album for the What I call one last grasp at a commercial success that never seems to work for them. It didn't work for X It's not gonna work with this either All they do is push that they die hard fans further and further away and they don't grab any new fans Well, maybe they're thinking, you know what? Maybe we could get into that country You know, what we don't know is the country the country will country world doesn't want Yesterday's 80s rock stars They don't want that and they they're never accepted very few people have made that crossover successfully Least of all death leopard. I mean they did that crossroads thing with Taylor Swift It did nothing, you know, it didn't do anything for that career. I'm saying Ron Keele did Garth Brooks. So, you know He tried but Ron is Ron Keele the big hot new country star. No, he's not he's had to go back to do You know, he's he's he's back to doing his keel stuff. It didn't it didn't turn him into a country superstar At all. Yeah, yeah, that's nothing against him, but he's playing bars Yeah, yeah, no, I get your point. There's some good points there I wanted to just finish off in this vocal thing and I get it Joe Elliott, you know It's probably in the 60s now his vocal range is not gonna be what it used to be and I get that and I'm not putting him down I'm just saying that I think these songs in these album on this album If they were some sort of like with the intensity of Paramania, you would have been talking about another This would have been a great album I just but I get it that Joe can't and it's understandable and I'm not trying to knock him It's just what it is. It's just what it is. Well I'm not even sure that would even matter But yeah, I mean SOS emergency is probably a bit of a blip on the radar in the positive direction again That's that's probably gonna be a single at some point or something. Maybe. Um, this is classic Def Leppard, right? This is a class It isn't it isn't that's the thing. It's this almost there, but not quite. It's I really liked it I enjoyed it. I thought SOS emergency was a good. It could have been off. Adrenaline's it could have been Because it was Adrenaline's was that sort of halfway there halfway kind of it wasn't that heavy But it was still sort of sounded like Def Leppard a lot, you know, yeah, that's a fair comment All right, so they saying there's always two three good songs and every Def Leppard album. That's yeah And they've all been singles so far. I mean that I mean that is the thing that is always I would even say five There's always three to five songs that you go. Why can't it all just be like this? Yeah, yeah. Yeah. All right, so let's go to the next song liquid dust. I don't know. I like this one too. I like Well, I wish I could just hit play now and remind myself what it sounded like was there was like these Arabic scales at the end. There was a cool guitar solo harmony It's actually one of the better songs off. I wrote eight out of ten and I like the guitar Well, and like I said, I've only had this album since last night. I've listened to it twice today I need I need a little bit more time. I'm probably making a fairly damning opinion based on Not having listened a whole lot, but I I'm pretty good at my first impressions of a record. I've been doing this for a long time So yeah, yeah, it's got these little orchestration keyboard bits just coming and going and I noticed that's a theme throughout the whole You know, I feel terrible if I if two weeks from now, I'm singing the Selvon praises I You asked me to do the show today, and I'm just based on how what what the album sounds like to me today That's fair enough. That's fair enough. That's fair enough so I'll give everybody a little picture of the album cover and They're supposed to be sort of images of their of their heroes or the songs that they loved of the past on that cover I Correct me if I'm wrong, correct me if I'm wrong. All right Where are we at now? Okay, we're at just David I hope rock you rock me, but it's me is spelled with oh, yeah, I mean this is this has got that sort of Club kind of vibe that that no no, thank you. I'll agree with you This was a bit like this was like that song off the last album. Are you are you man enough to be my girl or whatever? It was called out. It was just this Sort of dance floor rock, you know But not not not done as good as someone like Billy idols able to do it and make it really work and make it be great You know, I just know no, thank you Marco saying I listened to only the three singles nice the rest not even I Listened to to only the three singles. They were nice the rest not even one So I guess he's trying to say the rest the album is not what he only listen to the first three singles And he hasn't heard the rest or we listened to the first person to the whole thing Retype your comment. So you rocked me. I would say it's a dud. I did not it's a dud. It's absolutely a dud Now goodbye for good this time. That's a next song It's kind of a bleak cano kind of thing that I just Exactly really adds much to the old you know what it adds it adds yet more downbeat ballad reach for the album Yes, yes, and you know, you know what's concerning We're only halfway through the album so far. There is another Six seven songs. Oh, you know, it's way too long. They need a short short snappy ten track All killer no filler record and this is this is more filler than killer. Yeah, have they ever done piano? I was trying to think back. Was there ever like a piece? I would give them a credit to this I do like that sort of organic piano feel and I believe there's Well, they did Solo they did battle of my own on the last record which was stripped down and mostly acoustic and it was kind of zeppelin And I thought that was a brilliant song. It wasn't my favorite songs of the last record 8 out of 10 on goodbye for good this time because I like the guitar solo It was an acoustic guitar solo and I thought hey, that's pretty cool. There's piano There's I mean just just picking just picking up a different tool doesn't make you doesn't make something good You know, it doesn't mean to go there never done that before. I mean it still has to be good And I would you you go with thumbs down on that. I go thumbs up on that one. Okay. All right, all we need All we need and I wrote could have been off the last album death leopard light Yeah, but it wouldn't have been one of the strongest songs It would have been one of the kind of it's it's like the prom night kind of song, you know, I just I Just didn't again. It's there's just not enough energy. Yeah, that's the key word. There's just this album lacks energy You could take any one of these songs and take them away from this album and probably find some merit in most of them But it's got to hang together good as an album and it doesn't it just doesn't Open your eyes. It's got like an intro bass groove But it sounds like a very minor key sort of song very romantic in a sense to me. I wrote down boring Yes, that's one word I'd use Yeah, it's kind of like And you know what I've got to say something I know I'm keep interrupting our flow here, but a lot of the time I Keep, you know, we keep getting Notes and reports and finding out that the artists actually are watching our reviews and shows and all that but I'm not one of these you probably sees got long hair. There's iron maiden posters in the background I'm not one of these guys that wants them to make on through the night and high and dry over and over again I'm a guy that found plenty to like on the last record plenty to like on Sparkle lounge plenty to like on Even found some stuff. I really liked on X I'm not one of these legalistic people that's trying to hold them to Being the band that they haven't been for almost 40 years now. I Wanted to like this album. I didn't come in with a negative attitude. It's just not happening for me That's all that's a very good point when you said I'm the same way as you I'm going into the sound thinking I want to like this album. Yes, there is some tendencies to in me to say I like it to sound a little more like Paramania But I mean that's not that's that ship is Not Paramania in terms of the song sounding like Paramania, but Quality songs like Paramania. That's yeah I mean, I don't even think there'd be much merit in them doing the song like action not words or stage fright I mean, that would be almost ridiculous at the age. They are I'm actually thinking stuff like paper sum From euphoria would be is a really mature heavy dark kind of direction And there's a reason they still play that song occasionally, I suppose and And there's some stuff off the last record that I thought really fit that category well as also This is just a lot of the stuff actually sounds kind of twee and almost childish to me the almost new record. It's just Again, I think they're going for a big seller here Hoping they've got one and I just don't think it's gonna happen for them I could go. Hey, I hope I hope I'm wrong because just just cuz I don't like it Doesn't mean that if some millions of other people find some reason to like something in there that works for them And it's a hit record then that would make me really happy But personally, I don't think I'll be listening to this too much beyond this week. Give me a kiss I thought this was a more of a rocker 70s sounding Very catchy chorus. This is this is this is the worst track for me I mean, I like the song. I thought I thought this was rubbish. Give me a kiss that rocks I'd be embarrassed to even record something like that. I thought it was awful Look, they don't they've never had the great, you know song titles in this this makes this makes this makes that this this makes a Let's get rocked sound like Bob Dylan really. I mean, give me a kiss that rocks I mean, I that's not even cool from kind of a rock perspective. It's just a It's a country kind of it's a country kind of lyric. I found modern country sort of lyric I do like it though. I thought I put it down as one of the songs that I enjoy Yeah, um, no, thanks none for me. Thanks. All right angel angels. This was another slow one with orchestration Yeah, there's way too much way too much downbeat Slow and sappy on this record Yeah, yeah, it's just another it's just another slow piece like goodbye for for good this time very similar to that Too much again, I don't mind these again You could take any one of these songs and isolate them from the record and they'd all have merit, but except for give me a kiss but it's You put them all together. It's got a flow as a record and there's just too much of one thing here There's too much slow. There's too much downbeat. There's too much Mid tempo, it's just a little bit the album really drags and when you turn it into a 15 song record with two bonus tracks, it's It goes on absolutely forever Lifeless, I thought I liked that one too a little a little more of on the countryside of stuff and nice guitar solo Yeah, well, I'm just I'm not a modern country fan And that's what that's neither am I but I kind of like when bands go out of their element and And and maybe this album is really about that like we've done everything we sell out arenas We, you know, we headline stadium tours and maybe I can't pretend to know what goes on behind closed doors, but I do I do think at some point I would I would I would I would bet that at some point Def Leppard are kind of There's a certain element of frustration Okay, euphoria. We give them an album. That's pretty much the sequel to hysteria It's sold me all these albums sold well enough, but it didn't it didn't work as a as a juggernaut success Okay, so we go the other direction. Let's go with x. Let's do the boy band thing almost. I mean, they're really Bringing the outside riders. Let's really go for a hit and didn't work boy. Okay Let's kind of split the difference on sparkle lounge and still didn't work Okay, let's just make a very organic Def Leppard sanding record with with the self-title record, which I thought was a good record Still didn't turn into a mega seller. So they're probably They're probably there's a little bit of what you know What do we do, you know, or maybe I mean if that could be the case You're sort of saying like they're sort of planning their trying everything and nothing is working Or maybe they're just doing whatever they want and whatever I was just about to say or Maybe it's like to hell with it all We're done with the the hit single thing. Let's just do what we want and this record could very well be What they want and god bless them. Good luck to them. But is it what I want when I buy a Def Leppard record? No, so You know, we all have we all we all have our choices in life, don't we? Yeah. Yeah Unbreakable it's the last track I could have sworn they've already got a song called unbreakable, haven't they? I mean I Maybe not it was breakable I kind of had an on through the night guitar riff, but then it kind of I don't know. It kind of loses me a little bit I did like it It didn't stick out to me And maybe it was something that would come, you know a def a def leopard This record if I could wind up liking and enjoying half of it I'd be really happy because there's so much of it. It's 15 songs, you know And I you know if any of them or anyone from their camp is watching this I'm not down on Def Leppard. I'd be like I love seeing them live. They've got they have nothing to prove to anybody I I really you know It's funny. I'm a I'm a big fan, but I'm not crazy about this new record. It's just When we reviewed this seven years ago, I was not crazy about this album But when I put it on now, I tend to enjoy it maybe because Again, they're out of their element. They're not it's not a pyromania album. It's just It's kind of different, you know, and and maybe this album too. Well, we'll kind of get what they were I just feel I feel this whereas that album was quite a well balanced album as far as varieties of tempos and keys And there was enough of the old Def Leppard and there was still some new stuff This isn't like that. This is this is like ballad heavy This this to me has more in common with x than any other album they've done Yeah, well That's it any final thoughts. I mean You missed this song from here to eternity. Oh from here to eternity. Isn't that an iron maiden song? Yeah, how land a bad place 30 years old through the dark This was like more of a mid-pace 70 song. I would put it out again not super fast just sort of There's a lot of mid mid-paced and slow songs and a lot of piano a lot of orchestration Yeah, I think through the average Def Leppard fan this is going to be a little too downbeat and a bit too It'll be it basically to me Oh, so anyone asking that sort of says jobs get to the fucking point. This is this is x part two All right. Okay. This is x part two I don't I don't Not bad. It's not as disappointed as you are. Maybe that's it's but you take x. It's all done really well It's wonderfully written. It's wonderfully produced. It's wonderfully put together But it's just boring What would you rate it in the early in the early week of this album like or How arrogant how arrogant of me to listen to a record twice and then Okay, we don't have to rate it. That's all I mean for me. This is not if this is I mean if a five is a half a good record I haven't found half a good record here yet In my but it could change it could change over time So I'll I'll be very generous and give it a six out of ten I would say seven out of ten. I think there's even you're the kind of guy that gives like Okay, albums like a ten out of ten You know what I mean, you know what happens I get excited I get excited when albums are released from bands that we love Yeah, I know because I mean if heaven and hell and mob rules are ten out of tens You can't have okay albums being nine out of ten You know, I agree. I give it a six out of ten And with that that's with a provisionary mark just that it might get it might you know grow on me a bit You know and again, I I don't I hate to sit here and knock death leopard because I think they're a brilliant band I think they're a brilliant band too. And if they came to town, I would go see them I love most of their work like you do. So there's not we're not knocking them in that sense We do love the band. We do support the band But this album kind of fell flat a little is killil watching. I'd like to know what he thinks I don't even know if he's a death leopard fan I mean he doesn't even know if he surprises me because he likes a bunch You know, sometimes he likes things I don't think he'd like and then other things that I think he'd love he's never heard of so All right, 30 seconds and we're out of here last Or we're gonna set 30 seconds or we're gonna have 30 seconds of silence Let's see if we could play your song here. Oh, we're definitely can then critique my song. Okay. There we go Let's see if we could do this I'm having problems playing it. What are you playing? What are you playing the metal voice theme song? Hmm Yeah, I guess if I'm still again knocking someone else's record you should play something on mine So people can have an opportunity to criticize me. That's fair. Well, the thing is when we stream live It's a lot harder to play a track And uh, but it's all good. All right, everybody. Thanks for watching Giles. Thanks for joining me I know you're a huge death leopard fan and everybody have yourself a wonderful day. Keep rocking