Band:	Def Leppard
Album:	Pyromania
Style:	New wave of British heavy metal
Release date:	February 1983
Guest review by:	Mountain King

01. Rock Rock (Till You Drop)
02. Photograph
03. Stagefright
04. Too Late For Love
05. Die Hard The Hunter
06. Foolin'
07. Rock Of Ages
08. Comin' Under Fire
09. Action! Not Words
10. Billy's Got A Gun

I'm not quite sure what everyone thinks of Def Leppard nowadays, but there's no denying that in the early eighties they were one of the best bands of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. Life changing albums like Pyromania still inspire young musicians to this day, and if you're wondering how this album sounds, overshadowed as it is by its successor Hysteria, rest assured it's nothing like "Pour Some Sugar On Me" or "Let's Get Rocked," to mention a few.

Between the inspired heavy metal of High 'N' Dry and the hair metal/pop rock-laden Hysteria, Def Leppard braced us with what appears to many '80s rock/metal enthusiasts (including myself) as one of the best metal albums of the '80s and the band's best album to date. The reason for that to begin with is the superb songwriting of former guitarists Steve Clark and Pete Willis, who was replaced by Phil Collen because of alcohol abuse. Songs like "Rock Of Ages," "Billy's Got A Gun," and "Photograph" have stood the test of time. In fact, whenever listening to this album, one can't really pinpoint any major flaw, except maybe the murky production which - although typical of that era - fits the album's style and music perfectly while remaining above the benchmark of the recording quality of the early eighties.

Being a transitional album between their early heavy metal sound and the later radio-friendly hair metal, Pyromania offers a lot of various styles, most notably the AC/DC-inspired "Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop)" taken to a higher level. The intro riff is simply addictive. "Photograph" is the single-type of song because of its accessible pop-rock vibe, and its huge success clearly paved the way for the style in the Hysteria album. Joe Elliot lays down some of his highest and most memorable vocal lines to date. Lines like "Can you feel it in the air? / There's danger in the air" from the closing track "Billy's Got A Gun" send chills down my spine to this day. "Foolin'", another legendary track by all means and a facilitator of the power ballad movement, provides the intense atmosphere of a failing relationship which presents itself though nice effects, passionate lyrics, and intense drumming by the talented Rick Allen, who unfortunately lost his left arm the following year in a car accident.

Being an album that combines expert songwriting, talented musicianship, intricate harmonies, solos, and drumming, added to which are the soaring heavy metal vocals of Mr. Joe Elliot, Pyromania proves itself as a landmark album of the eighties metal scene and as close to a perfect album as any band can get.