Def Leppard – "Diamond Star Halos"
Another reason to tour, all else being equal
It must be weird. I mean, getting a successful career and being set for life because of something you did decades ago in your '20s. Living your dream to the extent that you still know deep down you'll never surpass your labor from those few years way back.
Def Leppard still ranks as one of my all-time favorite bands exactly because of two albums, the second one being "Adrenalize" ('92) (second one apart from 1987's "Hysteria", duh). Everything they did since 1993's somewhat overlooked B-side collection "Retro Active" has seemed more or less half-hearted. And after 2008's "Songs From the Sparkle Lounge", I didn't bother getting into their self-titled 2015 album.
"Diamond Star Halos" – named after a line from T. Rex's "Bang a Gong (Get It On)" – is... well, decent. As reflected in the name, it IS a pretty retrospective affair largely based on the creamier side of '70s hard rock. However, as reflected equally by the album cover's calculated references to Leppard's own classic releases, there are several such references in the actual songs.
While The Lep know their way around a decent hard rock tune, those tunes rarely and only momentarily transcend that very stage: Being decent.
Opener and second single "Take What You Want" is structured more or less exactly like "Rock ! Rock! (Till You Drop)" – the opener from "Pyromania" ('83). And its successor, the neutral-gear first single "Kick", is structured similarly to "Photograph" from the same album. Both have a solid base level of quality, as does "Fire It Up". And, for that matter, "SOS Emergency" and... well, most of the album.
The proverbial thing here is, while The Lep know their way around a decent hard rock tune, those tunes rarely and only momentarily transcend that very stage: Being decent. Most of the hooks will get stuck in your head after a coupla spins, sure. But as for outright relistenability, "Diamond Star Halos" might have most of its merit as a lower-stack car CD for longer drives on vacation trips.
Because overall, it DOES have that unmistakable feel-good summer hard rock atmosphere. But part from the overall quality-level being decent, the production's too much on the greasy side, and there are also a couple of filler songs. "Gimme a Kiss" is kinda awkward, "Lifeless" is boring, and the country-tinted "This Guitar" is too sappy, even for Leppard. Having Alison Krauss grace the two latter ones with her otherwise pretty backing harmonics doesn't help – perhaps even the opposite.
Most of the hooks will get stuck in your head after a coupla spins. But as for relistenability, "Diamond Star Halos" might have most of its merit as a lower-stack car CD for vacation trips.
In fact, the best songs this time around are the ballads "Goodbye for Good This Time" and "Angels (Can't Help You Now)" with their vivid string arrangements, modulations, and other tonal variety. But for an album in the hard rock category, that's not exactly the primary parameter of quality.
I wasn't expecting much, but I still feel kinda bad about being so... honest on a band that still ranks so high in my world. But "Diamond Star Halos" is by no means a bad album. All else being equal, as long as The Lep get an excuse to come out touring, it's all for the better as far as I'm concerned.
Come to Europe, dammit!
Rating: 3.5 out of 6
Genre: Hard rock
Release date: 27/5/2022
Label: Universal Music
Producer: Ronan McHugh + Def Leppard