On Through the Night

Unbeknownst to any "80's Hair Metal" fanatic, Def Leppard had come into this world like a hurricane, delivering powerful NWOBHM sounds and creating some very fine metal. Def Leppard denies the fact that they were once a metal band, but they're just ashamed that they had talent in the first place. What do they mean they "never really were a metal band"? Of course they were! Want proof? Well, here it is; "On Through the Night". This is the album that everybody should be looking for, rather than the albums from Def Leppard's muzak days like "Adrenalize" or "Euphoria". It contains talents and hooks that are never really heard on any other Def Leppard album, making it unique. Unfortunately, This is pretty much the only album out of Def Leppard's career that delivers the goods nicely without any influence of selling out.

Despite its cheesy album cover, "On Through the Night" is one of only two Def Leppard albums in which guitarists Steve Clark and Pete Willis extend their talents to the fullest. Clark's riffing skills are evident in songs like "Wasted", a song which has a riff that actually requires some skill to perform. Let's compare the main riff of "Wasted" to the main riff of one of Def Leppard's "classics", "Armageddon It", off their "Hysteria" album. "Armageddon It" is easier to play, cos you don't even need to move beyond the two strings that make up the power chords used to make the riff. In "Wasted", you have to strike the power chords once while keeping a chugging E-note going between playing each chord, and that means using another string of the guitar. Which one requires more skill? A) the one clearly made to sell records and woo fangirls, or B) the one that takes some time to perfect, and was made for the love of music rather than moneymaking? If you guessed B, than congratulations! You've guessed the right answer! This shows that Def Leppard actually did put effort into some of their music, but got lazy in later years.

Skillful riffing is also present in songs like "Answer to the Master" and "Rocks Off". Their riffs don't rely on chords so much as single notes. That kind of riff never really appears on any Def Leppard album other than this one, and this displays a stark difference between "On Through the Night" and what is considered to be their magnum opus, "Hysteria". Whereas the riffs in "On Through the Night" are more creative, the riffs in "Hysteria" don't really have much in terms of ability. Sure, "Pour Some Sugar on Me" had kind of a skillful riff, but that doesn't add up cos it's almost drowned out by the muzak-like synthesizer drum sound. There's no synthesizer noises here, though. It's all good old-fashioned heavy metal that's pleasing to the ears rather than robotic-sounding junk that isn't. And another thing? The choruses don't sound like robots like they do in "Pyromania" onwards. They sound like real human beings actually singing rather than human beings aided by computers an synthesizers. Because of this, the choruses sound more realistic, believable, and easier for us to relate to.

"Sorrow is a Woman" is a bit of a ballad, but wait! It's not like the usual sappy ballads we hear from Def Leppard! It's actually just acoustic guitars and electric guitars that make up the riffs in this one. No pianos, no violins, no synthesizers, no sugary-sweet puppy-love lyrics, nothing. We don't need all of those to make a ballad sound nice. "Overture" is kind of the same way, too, except the lyrics aren't about love, but the rebuilding of a fantasy world after a period of war and destruction. This is the sort of thing Def Leppard should have written more about, and less about lovesick puppy guys getting dumped. As Def Leppard's career went on, their lyrical creativity diminished, so out of all the albums that the band has made, "On Through the Night" is the most creative and original. There are love songs on "On Through the Night", that's true, but they're not the kind of love songs that would pleas any "hair metal" fan and cause any headbanger to feel the need to rip the cord connecting to the stereo right out of the outlet on the wall. They're love songs with more intelligent lyrics. Here's the lyrics to "It Could Be You", "Who's the one to knock me over, who's the one to take me by surprise? Who's the one who's out to get me, who will share my fantasy tonight?" You will note that the lyrics have a lot more thought put into them than the lyrics found on any song on "Euphoria". It's a sign that Def Leppard used to be a good band.

Ah, yes, this is the album that Def Leppard SHOULD be known for. Not the cliched, dated, 80's-sounding "Hysteria", not the horrific boyband wannabe-sounding "Euphoria", but the magnificent album from the days of the NWOBHM, "On Through the Night". I don't mean to sound snotty, or anything, I'm just pointing out how this album shows that there was more to Def Leppard than just cutesy love songs. They were truly a band that could have been placed on the map as NWOBHM band. They could have been forgotten more, yes, but in my opinion, it would be better to be obscure and sound good, than to be famous and sound appalling. The low number of record sales do not guarantee a bad record, and "On Through the Night" is proof of that. Just cos their other albums sold well doesn't mean that they'd sound terrific. If you want a real NWOBHM experience from Def Leppard, listen to this album. It's just more well done than the others.