Def Leppard
On Through the Night

The British Def Leppard, as is well known, were one of the most representative (and sometimes underrated) Hard Rock bands of the '80s, a true musical icon of that era, consecrated by albums that became true cult classics like "Pyromania" or "Hysteria" and plagued by tragic events such as the 1984 accident that befell drummer Rick Allen (which cost him an arm) or the death of guitarist Steve Clark in 1991, due to alcohol and drug abuse.

It is surprising, given the excellence demonstrated in over thirty years of career, how a debut as significant as "On Through The Night" has always been somewhat overlooked, a sparkling heavy Rock platter produced in England in 1980 yet filled with typical elements of American sound, from guitar riffs to choruses that sometimes echo the Kiss, in an impressive and highly original sound blend that was eventually incorporated into the emerging and heterogeneous musical melting pot that was then known as NWOBHM.

The album, although partly contaminated by the melodies of overseas Hard Rock, is in all respects one of the cornerstones of the second wave of British Heavy Metal, thanks to its extremely solid and high-level compositions, as well as a production that, under the legendary Tom Allom (Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Krokus), fully captures the energy and power of the five wild men from Sheffield. It's impossible not to feel a thrill when listening to the bold grit of "Rock Brigade", a Hall Of Fame-worthy opener performed by a Joe Elliott in top form, forming, along with the fantastic "Satellite" (perhaps the most successful track from every perspective, with a Rick Allen openly and magnificently acknowledging his artistic debts to Mr. Peter Kriss), the ground-shaking "Wasted", driven by a massive and unstoppable riff from the anthology, the beautiful "Answer To The Master", and the long and stunning closure of "Overture", the heavy heart and core excellence of the record, the compositional peak of the album. An honorable mention also goes to the bluesy and anguished "Sorrow Is A Woman", which through its alternating delicate acoustic parts and raging electric outbursts allows us to empathize with astonishing realism in the burning frustration of a broken heart, as well as the more mournful and intense "When The Walls Came Tumbling Down", which envisions the apocalyptic scenarios of a nuclear holocaust caused by human folly and madness.

In contrast to this excellence are songs like "Hello America", "It Could Be You", and "It Don't Matter", more melodic in their choruses and decidedly more oriented towards AOR and American-sounding tones, yet still matching the high overall level of the album, while the more classic "Rocks Off" seems to anticipate by a few years the unmistakable style of the Italian band Vanadium (and indeed strongly smells of Deep Purple and Rainbow).

An album that should not be missing, therefore, this "On Through The Night", in the discography of all Hard Rock lovers and admirers of the Deaf Leopard, a true classic that laid the foundations for an extraordinary artistic career, an epoch-making record that in 1980 positioned itself among the milestones, among the foundational blocks of the emerging NWOBHM edifice and that still remains among the somewhat underrated masterpieces of the Rock of those years.