Def Leppard Album: “Pyromania”

Pyromania(1983). Def Leppard's third studio album, and the

first one with Phil Collen on guitar.

DL has always been one of my favorite pop/metal bands to arrive on the 80's music scene. They started out in 1980's On Through The Night as a purely metal NWOBHM act (New Wave Of British Heavy Metal to the uneducated) and as they gained fame and fortune, DL gradually grew into more of a pop rock act. Pyromania sees DL at the height of their pop/metal powers just before the pop sound would take over on the albums that followed. To give this album more of an "edge" over the current rock competition, DL brings back producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange (that's right, High And Dry was his first time producing for DL, NOT PYROMANIA), and sends the band into the studio working hard for about a year. Pyromania was the direct result and in more ways than none, IT PAID OFF BIG TIME. Let's take a look:

1) Rock Rock- DL kicks off the album with this amazing head banger. As another reviewer put it, it draws great similarities to High And Dry's "Let It Rock". The intro always sends chills down my spine, and that's a good thing. 9/10

2) Photograph- One of the four big singles off here. This song became famous for a reason, and that reason is because IT ROCKS! Great guitar work and vocals. One of the songs that got me to be a huge DL fan. 10/10

3) Stagefright- A very catchy, fun, and ambient fast rocker. It's truly an underrated track, as I believe it would have made for a great single. Sadly, this is the last time drummer Rick Allen would play this fast before losing his arm a couple of years down the road. 9/10

4) Too Late For Love- A GREAT GLOOMY BALLAD, unlike many of the sappy ballads DL would be writing from Hysteria(1987) on. Joe Elliot's vocals really stand out here. With as much radio play as this song has seen, WHY DIDN'T THIS TRACK FIND ITS PLACE ON VAULT(1995)? 10/10

5) Die Hard The Hunter- BY FAR MY FAVORITE TRACK OFF OF PYROMANIA, and one of my four all time favorite DL songs ("Gods Of War", "White Lightning", and "Ring Of Fire" being the other 3). It starts out with synthesized war sounds and changes into a steady head banger with a killer chorus and guitar solo. VASTLY UNDERRATED AND EXCELLENT. 10/10

6) Foolin'- Another famous gloomy ballad like track 4. Once again, Joe's vocals really soar on this one, making it a winner. 9/10

7) Rock Of Ages- Ahh the classic rock 'n roll anthem, and one of the catchiest songs DL has ever made, pop years included. It hints at the next few albums down the road. Some people may hate ROA, but it still stands strong alone, even on the poorly-put-together greatest hits cd Vault. 9/10

8) Comin' Under Fire- I didn't pay much attention to this gloomy ballad at first, but it certainly grew better with each listen, and now I consider it to be a DL DEFINING MASTERPIECE. Very melodic and probably the best of the gloomy ballads. TRULY UNDERRATED FOR WHAT IT IS. 10/10

9) Action! Not Words- A mid-paced rocker with a cool guitar solo. Most likely, this is Pyromania's weakest song because it does nothing to stand up to the rest of the tracks. 8/10

10) Billy's Got A Gun- A great melodic slow-paced rocker, with excellent vocals and synths strewn about throughout the track. For some strange reason, as soon as the song ends an odd synthesizer drum beat pattern emerges and plays for about two minutes. Not sure why this was left on. 9/10

If I haven't stated it enough throughout this review, let me say it again: PYROMANIA IS A POP/METAL MASTERPIECE! Five stars for excellent songwriting and musicianship. If you see it in the stores, don't hesitate to pick it up. Some people may decide that they aren't huge DL fans, so they may settle for Vault. BIG MISTAKE. Like I stated above, Vault is a very poorly put together greatest hits cd. AVOID VAULT AT ALL COSTS! Instead, just buy Pyromania and Hysteria and then decide if you like DL or not. PYROMANIA IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TO ANYONE WHO LIKES POP/METAL.

Why can't it be 1983 again? Why did "alternative" music ever have to be created? Why do people laugh at my red leather jacket? I don't know, but one thing I do know is that this album still rocks after 20 years. Put in on and crank it up! And just for a moment, it will be 1983 again.

From receiving a hot little cassette for Christmas in 1983 to purchasing the (now scuffed-up) CD in 1990 to loading these tunes onto my iPod recently, I've always got a copy of "Pyromania" somewhere in my rock-music arsenal. Millions of young and hungry rock `n' roll fans bought the vinyl record version of "Pyromania," and I shudder to think how many of those are wasting away in landfills all over the country. Be that as it may, Def Leppard's third release stands as possibly the greatest CD in my collection, even after all these years.

I've read that the guys in Def Leppard muddled around with their producer, Robert John "Mutt" Lange, in the studio before recording this album, creating riffs and eventually formulating them into coherent songs. The process apparently wasn't easy or quick, and the band has attested many times that Mutt was a slavedriver throughout the arduous process. All the hard work paid off, however, as is evident from the first operatic notes of "Rock Rock (Till You Drop)" to the bizarre industrial-like shuffle that follows "Billy's Got a Gun" at the end of the record. Top to bottom, these 10 songs are simply classic and unstoppable.

It may be hard to fathom now, but at one time Def Leppard were a young and edgy band that set the rock `n' roll world on fire (no pun intended). Leppard's look on MTV in the early 1980s was hardly glossy or eye candy for the masses. "Pyromania" features a Joe Elliott whose voice is raspy and angry; on TV, the guy looked to be in harrowing pain as he screamed into his microphone with abandon. Armed with two arms, young Rick Allen's drumming was lightning quick and amazing at the start. To this day, I'm not sure I've heard better drumming than what's on the lo-fi

. Phil Collen apparently brought loads of enthusiasm when he joined the outfit in 1983, after Pete Willis was fired for too much drinking, while Steve Clark and Rick "Sav" Savage looked to be in a hungover-/strung-out-induced daze during the "Rock of Ages" video. The point of all this rambling is, these guys didn't look to be a band you took home to Mother during their early years, which is a far cry from the gentler-looking (and sounding)

days that loomed ahead.

Riffs abound on the slickly produced "Pyromania," all of them air-guitar-in-front-of-the-mirror worthy and memorable. The burning riff that leads off "Photograph" is classic, as are the rumbling opening chords of "Rock of Ages," perhaps my favorite song of all time. It's been said that Leppard and Lange perfectly melded pop and heavy metal, and that's definitely an accurate assessment, though "Pyromania" features some pretty heavy pop sounds. "Stagefright," for example, opens with a wild Elliott screaming, "I said ah welcome to my shooooooow!/We got the whole damn night to go!" The sharp chugging riff that follows Elliott's yell is downright scary in its ferocity, but in typical Def Leppard fashion, the band evens things out with a melodic and hearty chorus that even little kids could sing along with. For all its speed and heavy metal thunder, "Stagefright" is ultimately a romantic song that captures the band on the cusp of superstardom, simply dealing with the pressure of going on stage night after night and doing well. (What goes on backstage is also sung about within the tune.)

Some of the "artier" songs on "Pyromania" include the foreboding and somewhat desolate "Too Late for Love;" the absolutely amazing and rocking epic "Die Hard the Hunger" (perhaps Leppard's best song ever); and "Billy's Got a Gun," which displays the band in full-throttle darkness, a mood that seems to agree with Leppard best. Sing-along anthems are in full force on "Pyromania," including the hit "Foolin,'" the hit-worthy "Comin' Under Fire" and the enthusiastic "Action! Not Words."

It's been said that every note, beat, rhythm and vocal on this record was slaved over for complete perfection in the eyes of Mutt Lange, and, as stated before, all that effort in the studio was totally worth it. This classic record defines a moment in time and led the way for many imitators who would, for better or worse, follow. None of those later bands would match "Pyromania's" greatness, however, arguably even the band who created this masterful work.

Pyromania is the brdige between a very good album, (High N Dry) and a pretty good one(Hysteria). Pyromania is the great one. This album kicked off what Back in Black, by AC/DC almost did. Placing metal in the mainstream and keeping it there for sometime. Remember, for about 10 years after this album, Metal music was a norm on top 40 radio. In the same way hip hop is in control of radio and videos today, Pop Metal was by far the biggest thing going on MTV and top 40 radio for about a decade. Although, The Seattle movement is credited for putting and end to it, Nirvanna, Peral Jam, ect, in reality, they were still Hard Rock bands that thrived off of top 40 Radio and MTV, which would have never happend 10 years before. Pop Metal opened the door for allowing Heavy music to be heard by the casual observer. Def Leppard's Pyromania is revolutionary, not only for the metal bands that followed, but for the Metal bands that already were and received larger appeal( Van Halen, Bon Jovi, Motley Crue, Areosmith, Metallica) due to what Pyromania jump started. Therefore, setting up even the hard Seattle bands. When you hear Photograph and Rock of Ages on the radio today they still sound fresh. Def Leppard's Pyromania, a true classic and true Rock of the Ages

One of the best hard rock albums of all time. One of the few cds in which every song is (at the very least) great. The highlight of Def Leppard's career, as far as I'm concerned. I can work out to it (it's inspiring!) or rock out to it in my car, singing along to every word.

You've heard the hits: Foolin', Rock of Ages, Too Late for Love, and (Oh yes!) Photograph (which contains one of the best vocal screams in rock & roll). But Comin' Under Fire, Stagefright, and Billy's Got a Gun are all great rockers as well. Not one bad song. If you are a fan of 80's hard rock, you must own this cd!