Def Leppard - Pyromania Review

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Tracklist:
1. Rock Rock ('Til You Drop)
2. Photograph
3. Stagefright
4. Too Late for Love
5. Die Hard the Hunter
6. Foolin'
7. Rock of Ages
8. Comin' Under Fire
9. Action! Not Words
10. Billy's Got a Gun

Ranking: #15 for 1983

user rating

3.8
excellent

Chart.

other reviews

deflepp0925 (5)
...

classixroc7 (4.5)
"Pyromania" is a rare find in the world of 80's metal. Namely, it's good. Not only that, it's extrem...

Davey Boy STAFF (4.5)
Equally filled with tight musicianship, infectious melodies & anthemic choruses, Def Leppard and pro...

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On 5 Lists

5.0
classic

AeroZeppelin1 USER (23 Reviews)

2006-06-04 | 13 comments | 1,088 views

2 of 2 thought this review was well written

The third album from Def Leppard after the big success of the previous album "High 'N' Dry", comes "Pyromania". After showing that they could rock like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, it was time to polish up thier sound a little and make some hits. And in 1983, that's exactly what they did. You can tell right away that this album is going to be a rocker with the opener "Rock Rock ('Til You Drop)". "Photograph", "Too Late for Love" and "Foolin" are some songs to jump out and grab your attention on your first listen. So crank up the speakers and get ready to rock!

Band Members:
Joe Elliott (Vocals)
Pete Willis (Guitars)*
Phil Collen (Guitars)
Steve Clark (Guitars)
Rick Savage (Bass)
Rick Allen (Drums)

*Left the band during the recording of Pyromania

1. Rock Rock ('Til You Drop) (3:54)
An obvious AC/DC like song with a slow start, then about 30 seconds into the song kicks in the anthemic riff and begins the ride of ten hard rockin' songs. This is one of Def Leppard's more under appreciated songs. 5/5

2. Photograph (4:07)
The first huge hit off the album, starts with a classic riff and into a decent chorus. Later into the song there's a great solo, though it's a bit short, it's a classic without a doubt. Overall, this is some of the best lyrics on the album as well as some great singing from Joe. 5/5

3. Stagefright (3:44)
A more heavy metal kind of song with a faster paced riff. Like "Photograph", it features a great solo and just great guitar playing throughout the whole course of the song. It has a great catchy chorus, but the singing isn't too great and niether is the lyrics, but it's still a great rocker. 4/5

4. Too Late for Love (4:26)
Another hit off the album, a bit of a haunting song with great lyrics and some great guitar playing. It starts out slow and quiet with Joe singing then about a minute into the song the rockin' begins. 5/5

5. Die Hard the Hunter (6:15)
Now this is easily the most underated Def Leppard song ever! It shows a lot of influence from bands like Iron Maiden and such. But what stands out the most on this song is the solo, it's a long one too. Timing over two minutes, it's a great solo to be heard. 5/5

6. Foolin' (4:33)
This song starts out with some nice acoustic guitar playing and good vocals. The lyrics are quite catchy and some of the best on the album along with "Photograph". This song is actually kind of similar to "Too Late for Love" to the fact it starts out slow and quiet but turns into a heavy rocker soon enough. It's a great song and shows that Def Leppard could rock just as hard as the next band. 5/5

7. Rock of Ages (4:07)
Probably the biggest hit on the album, it's a hard rocker with some fun lyrics. Though, the lyrics do get repetitive, everything else makes up for it, especially the drums. Also, some good guitar playin' as usual and over the top vocals from Joe. Probably one of the better songs to ever come out of the 80's. 5/5

8. Comin' Under Fire (4:14)
Another underated song, features some awesome guitar playing along with some catchy singing. The lyrics aren't the best but everything else is at the top of its game. Another song not well known, but if you have the album, it's a great song to turn up loud. 4/5

9. Action! Not Words (3:48)
Maybe the weakest song on the album, it has a sound similar to a lot of the songs on the next album "Hysteria". It also has similar lyrics to "Photograph" in a way. The riff is pretty catchy and overall it's a fine song. 3/5

10. Billy's Got a Gun (5:56)
The album closer, is real hard rockin' tune with the best drum playing on the album. Also, the lyrics are great as well as the guitar playing. The singing is probably the weakest point on the song but even that's still superb. It ends with a goofy drum beat for about a whole minute. Something I never understood but it doesn't ruin the song or album at all, just something really different. But in the end, it's a great closer to a great 80's album. 4/5

This album would come out to be Def Leppard's most straight forward set of hard rock songs without all the pop and glam that would be put into their next coming albums. "Photograph" is one of the best 80's songs around while "Too Late for Love" and "Foolin'" just rock and roll all over the place. "Rock of Ages" is another popular hit with a kick *** riff along with some neat sound effects. Although those are the most popular hits, "Rock Rock ('Til You Drop)", "Die Hard the Hunter", "Comin' Under Fire" and "Billy's Got a Gun" should satisfy any 80's metal fan out there. The only complaint is the goofy ending to "Billy's Got a Gun", i'm not too sure of its purpose but oh well...

Pros (+)
+ Sure to please the metal fans
+ The album is almost done to perfection (Great riffs, ect.)

Cons (-)
- Not sure what the point is of the last minute of "Billy's Got a Gun"

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