Def Leppard
High 'n' Dry

THE REVIEW

There are videos that, in adolescence, open your horizons and heart. Well, for me this happened with "Hysteria" by Def Leppard. The captivating and romantic notes of the song were the backdrop to a poignant and emotional video, reaching its peak during the solo and in the tender ballad of the lovers. Listening to and watching that clip filled me with a feeling of melancholy and an intense flavor that music had never managed to provoke in me before. Such feelings, at my age, helped me grow.

Def Leppard were the arena band par excellence in the 80s, especially thanks to the success achieved both in Europe and the States (which is quite unusual for a European hard rock band) with albums like "Pyromania" and, indeed, "Hysteria". A band that, however, had to pay a high price to fate to earn such fame.
After slowly recovering from the car accident that affected drummer Rick Allen, thanks also to the creation of a special drum kit that allowed him to play even without the right arm, Leppard had to deal with the death of guitarist Steve Clark, due to the usual alcohol and drugs that, unfortunately, have claimed so many lives in the music world. Yet despite this, the band continued its journey, although from 1991 (the year of Clark’s death) there followed a downward trajectory almost as fast as the one that had brought them to the attention of the general public in the previous decade. But, in my opinion, Def Leppard don't deserve to remain in the oblivion in which they've been for some time (and despite the participation as co-headliners at the recent Gods of Metal together with Whitesnake).
Not a group that was able to give me those emotions.

The album I propose to you is "High 'n' Dry", that is, the one immediately preceding those that consecrated them in the rock pantheon and in music in general, and the most rock-oriented. It should be noted that Leppard have always stayed away from the glam fashions of the period and have always played direct, no-frills rock with clear Ac/dc-inspired influences, featuring deep melodic veins.
Rock that powerfully emerges from the riffs of the opener "Let It Go"; from the fast "Another Hit and Run", where Joe Elliot’s vocals, usually soft even in the harder rock passagese s, become more aggressive and full-bodied; from the sex, drugs, and rock and roll of "High 'n' Dry"; from the fine romanticism of the wonderful ballad "Bringin' on The Heartbreak"; from the very heavy instrumental "Switch 625"; and, in general, from the cadence and engaging rhythm of rock songs such as "You Got Me Runnin'", "Lady Strange" and "On Through The Night".

The peak of the album is, in my opinion, to be found in "Mirror mirror", with its compelling chants and introspective lyrics. In conclusion, 4 is the rating I give to the album but, for the memories and feelings it aroused in me in the past, 5 is the rating the Deaf Leopard deserves.