On Through the Night

Ah, Def Leppard. Few bands in metal have caused such a split in the metal community. While their later work is subject to debate, there is little dispute about their debut. This is 100% NWOBHM, although on the poppier side of things. With that said, lets get this review started.

The album starts off with the killer "Rock Brigade". It's defiantly a sign of what's to come for the band, with harmonized vocals along with hard rock riffs. Like most NWOBHM, there is very little substance, but you're listening to Def Leppard not Death, so you really shouldn't be expecting much anyway. "Rock Brigade" is followed up with the also good "Hello America". It isn't anything amazing, but a totally serviceable song with a great chorus. Songs with great chorus' can describe almost all the songs here, unfortunately most songs suffer from boring verses. Still, there is one song that is awesome through and through, that song is "Wasted". "Wasted" is an amazing song really, with an awesome riff, great chorus, and great solo. It's a real underrated gem.

As great as many of the songs are, they all are held back by the production and tempo. Every song here is played just a tad bit too slow. Live, these songs are awesome, but most lose their power on the album itself. The production job isn't bad by any means, but it's a touch too bottom heavy, and everything is just a but mushy. It doesn't kill the album, but it does it no favors. Look up "Dortmund 1983 Def Leppard" and just watch. Wasted live just destroys the album version in every way possible, and shows what the production and tempo really do to it as a song.

The point of a review is to show if an album is good or not in the reviewers opinion, and to me, this IS a good album. While it doesn't do anything particularity well, it does stand out from other NWOBHM bands like Angel Witch or Diamond Head due to the fact that the album feels relaxed. This isn't an intense album, it's very much a classic rock version of NWOBHM and it does get the "feeling" of classic rock right. That is the album's biggest strong point, and if that's something that interests you, then I think you'll enjoy what you hear. However, if you're looking for a second Saxon, then this isn't for you, it simply isn't that heavy. I do recommend, if nothing else, to listen to "Wasted". In the end, it shows what is to come for the band rather than truly delivering on that potential.

Side note: who thought that album cover was good? Who thought it was a good IDEA? Seriously, I can't think a worse album cover, at least not from a popular band. Seriously, unless this is a Deep Purple reference, there is no excuse good enough to excuse this... thing...