A CD THAT PROMISES TO BE A FAVORITE
Here they are again. Def Leppard have returned to the old sound on their latest outing EUPHORIA,an album that is already a favorite of mine. Now many will say that this cd sounds like the band's biggest albums HYSTERIA and PYROMANIA. However, i find this cd to be the perfect combination of the sound of those albums and the lyrical maturity of 1996's SLANG. The album kicks off with "Demolition Man", a rocking song sure to make the harder Lep fans rejoice. It is folowed by the song which was number 1 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock charts for 3 weeks "Promises". I have heard this song get compared to at least 3 other Leppard songs but in my opinion, it is it's own song and should be listened to as such. "Back In Your Face" is another crowd anthem that shows the boys trying to understand their supposed fall. "Back in your good books/ I did you no wrong" sums it all up in this song. The muture lyrics are displayed best in the tunes "Paper Sun" and "Day After Day". The first song being an amazing musical and lyrical journey and a favorite among fans and the latter, just an interesting song with a driving beat sure to get the blood flowin'. I have had this cd since the day it came out and it is still a must have in my cd holder. In my opinion, Def Leppard never left. For those who have lost touch, isn't it time to get rocked again?
Still Alive and Kickin'
Euphoria features Def Leppard returning to melodic pop metal after the alternative-flavored Slang, which was a strong album but perhaps a bit too severe a departure from what fans have come to expect from them. Although a return to form, some of the alternative influence from Slang is still present, and it has given the band a wider musical vocabulary. Euphoria is an overall fun album featuring some great songwriting and has lots of energy and solid playing. "Demolition Man", the lead track is fast and furious, setting the pace. "Paper Sun", "Day after Day", and "Kings of Oblivion" are excellent epic hard rockers, and "It's only Love" and "To be Alive" are great ballads. "Promises" has a great riff and is alot of fun to listen to, as well as the killer instrumental "Disintigrate." My only gripes are that "All Night" should of been left as a B-side and Joe needs to let loose on the vocals more...he manages a few old Pyromania-style wails on Kings of Oblivion (...watch the waking beauty CRYYYY!!!) but elsewhere his voice is a little too tame. Overall, another winner from Def Leppard, and I am looking forward to hearing more from these guys.
ONE OF THE BEST OF ROCK 'N ROLL EVER !!!!
This is a group that entertains. No hidden messages, no agendas; no saving whales,green forests or the ozon layer but pure rock. (...). Despite the adversities such as loosing a member and dismemberment of the drummer Rick, the group did exeptionally well together and this album is a living proof. If you have to get stuck on an island with two cd's and a cd player this would be one of my choices (THE OTHER OBVIOUS CHOICE IS THE GROUPS VAULT CD WHICH IS MONUMENTAL). Even my 8 year old would testify on my behalf who is a great fan of the "DEF".
Def Leppard Returns To Their Classic Sound
EUPHORIA is a return to the classic Def Leppard sound, following the unfortunate detour of their previous record, SLANG. The album is filled with great hooks, and the songs are top-notch. Some of the touches from the previous record are still there, but used in a more pop-friendly way. You should get this when you buy the first five albums.
Back to the past (not a good thing)
I may be biased on this one, since I loved their previous record, Slang. When I saw the cover and the old logo, I feared the worst: On Euphoria, Def Leppard reverted to the Adrenalize style and dumb teenybopper meaningless lyrics.Best tracks:
"Demolition Man": high steam rocker, maybe like something from the High & Dry record.
"Back in your Face": another "Pour some sugar" clone, but a very good song indeed. Makes me want to drive at full speed with the stereo at full blast.
"Goodbye": good ballad, reminded me of "Love Bites" from Hysteria or "Have you ever needed someone" from Adrenalize -maybe a little Diane Warren stuff rubbed in from those Aerosmith ballads.
"All Night": dumbest lyrics this side of Britney/Christina, but a great vocal hook and a funky groove.
"21st Century Sha la la la Girl": another rocker with a dumb lyric - who writes these lines? Still, a very good song. Sounds like they're having fun and the guitars rip the walls off.
The rest of the album I didn't care for:
"Kings of Oblivion" and "Promises" (the first single) sound like they were lifted off the Pyromania record. Come on, this isn't 1983!. "Disintegrate" is a rock instrumental which I don't personally care for in this day and age; "Paper Sun", "Day after Day", "Guilty" all sound the same.
"It's only love" is a clone of a clone of a clone - it's been done to death as a ballad from every pop artist in the spectrum.
Not a bad album if this was released in 1985. Too bad they went back to formula pop rock and strayed (maybe the record company is to blame?) from the more experimental and sonically satisfying Slang.
Tongue firmly in cheek, Def Leppard vocalist Joe Elliott once referred to his band's wildly successful anthemic hard rock as "deep and meaningless." Indeed, while peers of the Sheffield punters were scrambling to embrace successive waves of punk, new wave, alternative, and post-whatever, the Leps stayed true to their arena-rock roots and became one of the most successful, if least hyped, bands of the 1980s and early '90s. Only their 1996 album Slang bowed to market trends; its disappointing showing only spurred a return to familiar form on Euphoria. The band also brought producer and de facto sixth band member Robert "Mutt" Lange back into the fold for a trio of tracks, including "Promises," a seamless wall of hooks that outshines even the band's Pyromania and Hysteria prime. And if the Lep-Lange lineup bats only .333 (faltering on the goofy, Prince-ly funk of "All Night" and the bubble-gum pop of "It's Only Love") this inning, they redeem themselves with balladry that beats post-Diane Warren Aerosmith at their own game ("Goodbye") and enough glossy energy ("Demolition Man," "Back in Your Face," "Day After Day," "King of Oblivion") to reclaim their strange niche on the pop plateau midway between AC/DC and Abba. Though they've largely been left out of the critical debate, Def Leppard long ago established their credentials as power-pop monsters with the public. All that's left for the pundits to decide is: Def Leppard--band out of time or band for the ages? --Jerry McCulley
