Considering the Def Leppard related threads under the General Discussion forum....it's already known I'm a Def Leppard fan.

Like Bon Jovi, Def Leppard was a band the fans could experience watching and listening to grow artistically while overcoming many obstacles. They kept the progression going from the very beginning all the way up to Hysteria. Unfortunately, they released that steaming pile called "Adrenalize" that set them back immensely. That album nearly cost them a fan in me until they released Slang and put it all back on track.

Slang really isn't as experimental for the band as some might think, no more so than Pyromania and Hysteria.....all were very much Def Leppard....the band that set trends with new styles and sound. It's in fact an honest, natural progression for the band that should have occured following Hysteria. The band had always been trend setters. It's difficult to recognize the brilliance of Pyromania and Hysteria respectively when viewed from the current vantage point when there have been so many poor copies that degenerated the value of what the Leps achieved. You have to remember they and the albums were cutting edge. There was nothing like Hysteria when it was released. This was Def Leppard's calling card.

But then they released the mistake of their lives with Adrenalize. The album was a poor sequel to Hysteria......instead of going on to the next level...they stayed the same. Only this time...the music and the image became more of a parody of themselves. That permanently skewed the perception of many fans and the world towards the band. Because they were enjoying the public spotlight still due to their previous achievements....the album still sold well...the songs were fairly popular...all within a climate where bands like Metallica and Nirvana were rising up and Ozzy (arguably one of the band's peers) was enjoying his biggest solo success. That made Def Leppard the Clown at the funeral...and that was not a good thing at all. It made Def Leppard a damnable name to mention among rock fans when the dust settled...a name to be laughed at that invoked images of big hair and songs about telling daddy off. That was not Def Leppard.

So they finally got back on track being trend setters and pushing forward with Slang...unfortunately.....no one cared anymore because they had wasted their spot light time.

For the most part I've been happy with their work post 1995. Euphoria, though it does back track, modernizes their 80s sound with the adult Leppard mentality making it respectable enough.

X, unfortunately, is hurt by their attempts to be current, a futile pursuit at this point in their career. I'm happiest with the band when they set trends...they were following trends to an extent with this album. "Let Me Be the One?" "Girl Like You?" Oh Gag. The song titles alone are very Un-Def Leppard-like. The lyrics on many of the songs that might otherwise be winners, kill the tunes.....Torn To Shreds is a prime example. It's going great all the way up to the opening verse.."I don't wanna fall in love..." Hit the "next" button. I'm hoping the next studio outing will find them simply concentrating on making the best possible album they can find within themselves. That album should reflect the adult artists they are....X comes off as an attempt to sound young. It's ok to do an album about love....but do one from an adult perspective....X comes off like a teen romance novel.