Overall, this is a must for every Def Leppard fan. Listen to the first 2 and the last 5 tracks repeatedly and you'll see what I mean.

4.5 out of 5 stars!!

BUY BEFORE YOU TRY !!
This album rocks !! This is so great and altogether different from the other Leppard discs, but I really love it. It hasn't got the typical Leppard sound to it, which gives the other cd's a bit of 'again?' (just!!!) sound and that makes this cd so special. I read an interview with the singer and he stated that they wouldn't make a record like Slang anymore and I found that very disappointing. Probably they won't do it again because it was (financially) not such a big succes as for instance Hysteria or Pyromania. BUY IT BEFORE YOU TRY IT (I mean it!).

This Hidden Treasure Is Also Their Best!
Before you scream, I'll admit that this is not the best example of the sound that made Def Leppard a hard rock heavyweight in the 80's. For that, you need to look elsewhere (namely "Pyromania" and "Hysteria"). However, if you ignore for one moment your preconceived notions of this band and give this record a simple listen as if it were an anonymous piece of music, you might be likely to agree that this is one of the greatest, most adventurous album experiences you'll ever hear. This is by far the most mature, subtly complex music that Def Leppard ever recorded, and as a result, my favorite not only of their albums, but a top ten contender on my all time list. Everything is so different on "Slang," you'd think that this band had just come out of the gate. The guitar work on songs like "Turn to Dust" and "Pearl of Euphoria" is inspiring because of its simplicity. The latter song, the album's best track and coda, might as well have belonged to Led Zeppelin. The ballads, particularly "All I Want Is Everything" and "Where Does Love Go When It Dies," are for once sincere and moving, devoid of the usual mushiness that has become a trademark. "Blood Runs Cold," supposedly written about their late guitarist Steve Clark, is poignant in the same way that "Deliver Me" is haunting. Even the title track, the closest thing to traditional Leppard fare, is fresher and more creatively fun than most of their previous songs of the same blend. It is a shame that this material's commercial failure has since forced the band to return to its safer pop sensibilities, instead of allowing them the opportunity to delve into this territory even further, and in essence, grow as musicians and songwriters. We'll never know what could have been. Don't get me wrong, I champion the fun and good times of their 80's heyday as much as any fan. But whereas those albums were strictly geared towards escapist entertainment, "Slang" is the only example of Def Leppard's music that actually touched upon genuine artistry.

A nice stretch - underated album
I would have loved to have seen the reaction had this been released in thier late 80's-early 90's heyday. A very surprising and sophisticated departure that works. It balances hard rock and power ballads nicely. I've had this CD for a few years now and still find myself shower singing songs from it.

The first track "Truth" of the album proves that they are on to something different by with an industrial scratch-drum as the main beat. Then goes into the eastern influenced "Turn to Dust." "Deliver Me" is a great throwback to Pyromania days. "Gift of Flesh" and "Pearl of Euphoria" were also favorite tracks of mine.

The only track that I was not impressed with was "Breathe a Sigh" It was the most contrived of all the power ballads.
The acoustic laden "Where does love go.." on the opposite end of the spectrum by being the most sincere.

Vivian Campbell, the much underutilized axeman in Dio and Whitesnake, makes his debut on this album replacing the late Steve Clark. He slides comfortably into the position and even gets a few writing credits on the album.

A really nice stretch without sacrificing thier basic sound by incorporating sitars, mandolins and dulcimers. There have been many eighties metal bands that have tried to reclaim their former glory by relasing mediocre, poorly produced albums. This is not the case here. I recommend this to anyone remotely curious, like I was when I got this on an impulse. A really good and solid album.
Somewhere along their musical path, Def Leppard shed their raw, youthful rock aggression and became a pop band. Their new direction, beginning with Pyromania and continuing with Hysteria and Adrenalize, was a complete departure from their earlier, stripped-down, AC/DCish approach, and it vaulted them to mega-stardom. Slang is their first record without producer "Mutt" Lange since their debut, On Through the Night. The good news is that it's a much more organic, less overproduced record than they would have made with Lange, but it's still more pop than hard rock. Dance beats and funky riffs, with no shortage of slower power ballads, sum up this record pretty thoroughly. The single "Work It Out" has a nice strong chorus (with almost Sebadoh-like harmonies) and is certainly less bombastic than past hits like "Pour Some Sugar on Me." Def Leppard have long since abandoned their heavy metal roots, but with Slang they've at least moved away from the studio dominance of Lange, and that's a step in the right direction. --Adem Tepedelen