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"With hits like "Foolin'" or "Rock Of Ages", "Pyromania" is one of the legendary Def Leppard albums"
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5/5
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Reference band of the NWOBHM, Def Leppard crossed a first level in 1981 with the album "High'n'Dry" produced by John "Mutt" Lange, already responsible for successes such as "Highway To Hell" and "Back In Black" by AC/DC or "4" by Foreigner. Two years later, the band from Sheffield comes back with its third opus entitled "Pyromania" on which the producer was involved in the composition. The other important fact is the departure of guitarist Pete Willis, replaced by Phil Collen. The latter is no stranger to having played in the glam band Girl, and especially to having almost replaced Dennis Stratton in a small band called Iron Maiden, before Adrian Smith took the job. This is the setting for the presentation of what remains a monument of Melodic Hard Rock.
The involvement of John "Mutt" Lange in the composition is not foreign to the evolution of the music of the Leps, and not only at the level of the sound which will become the trademark of the group and its producer. Each instrument is meticulously crafted, and Clark and Collen's guitar harmonies and backing vocals take on a magnitude never before achieved. The rise in power of the solo of "Die Hard The Hunter" is the perfect example, playing almost only on the nuances of the harmonies of the two guitars without even attempting a technical demonstration. To finish with the sound, we will also note the presence of keyboards and sound effects that can flesh out some tracks ("Billy's Got A Gun"), lighten others ("Photograph"), or finally illustrate others, like the synthetic sounds of warlike explosions in the introduction of "Die Hard The Hunter" or the false live opening of "Stagefright". As for the rest of the production of this album, they manage to be discreet, precise and unavoidable at the same time.
But the production would be nothing without an obvious quality of composition and it is not for nothing that "Pyromania" is a real concentrate of hits, some of which will be played as heavy-rotation on MTV ("Photograph", "Foolin'" or "Rock Of Ages"). Def Leppard still operates in a dynamic and melodic hard-rock and tracks such as "Rock Rock (Til' You )", "Stagefright" or "Action! Not Words" remain quite close to the compositions of "High'n'Dry". On the other hand, with the main hits of this album, the British quintet and its producer give birth to what will become the Pop-Metal. Whether it is "Photograph" with its hard-rock verses and its pop chorus, the darker "Too Late For Love" with its heady chorus, "Foolin'" and its false airs of power-ballad or the irresistible and bouncy "Rock Of Ages", all of them clear new musical territories located between the power and the dynamism of the Hard-Rock and the melody and the arrangements of the Hard FM.
If we add to all these qualities, those of the instrumentalists, it is a legendary album that we are dealing with. Joe Elliot offers us a real demonstration and is able to alternate power and delicacy. His performance on "Too Late For Love" is the perfect demonstration. Finally, if we have already glorified the guitar pair, we will not forget the work of Rick Savage, whether behind his bass, and even more in his participation in the chorus. You will have understood it, "Pyromania" is at the same time impossible to circumvent for its artistic qualities, and for its precursory role. Indeed, it is not common to see a young band create both a style and a sound and meet success on a planetary level at the same time. And to think that the best is yet to come! - Official website
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TRACK LISTING:
01. Rock Rock ('Til You Drop) - 3:54 02. Photograph - 4:07 03. Stagefright - 3:44 04. Too Late For Love - 4:26 05. Die Hard The Hunter - 6:15 06. Foolin' - 4:33 07. Rock Of Ages - 4:07 08. Comin' Under Fire - 4:14 09. Action! Not Words - 3:48 10. Billy's Got A Gun - 5:56
LINEUP:
Joe Elliott: Chant Phil Collen: Guitares Rick Allen: Batterie Rick Savage : Basse Steve Clark: Guitares
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(0) MIND(S) FROM OUR READERS
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Top of the page
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(0) COMMENT(S)
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READERS
4.6/5 (7 view(s))
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STAFF:
4.3/5 (12 view(s))
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IN RELATION WITH DEF LEPPARD
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LAST INTERVIEW
DEF LEPPARD (APRIL 2022)
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Def Leppard did us the honor of interviewing them for the first time at Music Waves, on the occasion of the release of their new album, "Diamond Star Halos"!
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"Osmium out now !" |
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OTHER REVIEWS
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OTHER(S) REVIEWS ABOUT DEF LEPPARD
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