Review Summary: By the time of their second album, Def Leppard managed to create one of the best guitar-centric albums of all time.
High 'N' Dry is the second album by the British metal band
Def Leppard. Continuing the sound of its predecessor,
On Through The Night, Def Leppard doubles down on their take on NWOBHM, creating one of the rawest mainstream metal records of the early '80s.
The line-up of Def Leppard (Anno 1981) was:
Joe Elliott: Lead vocals
Steve Clark: Lead and rhythm guitar
Peter Willis: Rhythm and lead guitar
Rick Savage: Bass
Rick Allen: Drums
~~~The review~~~
High 'N' Dry is easily the strongest outing by the Sheffield rockers. Being a very guitar-centric album it keeps the album very coherent and consistent from the get-go. Opening the album with the oh-so-catchy main riff of
Let It Go establishes this as an album on the level of their peers like Judas Priest or Iron Maiden. Continuing their tour de force of a sound with
Another Hit and Run, this somewhat slower track lets the guitar take centre stage. The track definitely strays away from some of the more radio-friendly elements the album has going for it, which only improves upon its monstrous riff. Before slowing things down, the A-side comes at the listener with one last rocker, the title track,
High 'N' Dry (Saturday Night). Burying the guitar just a bit deeper in the mix allows the band to create one truly catchy song. Though the A-side features the strongest riffs the album has to offer the B-side is no slouch either with both
You Got Me Runnin' and
Lady Strange featuring some enormous riffs to match the opening trio.
When it comes to the solos Both Clark and Willis have some amazing work to offer. The highlight is easy to spot, with
Let It Go offering not one, not two but three solos from Clark with the licks at the end done by Willis to hammer the guitar-centric nature of this record down once and for all. Another great moment from Clark is
Switch 625, the album's only instrumental, which works as an extension of the
Bringin'' On the Heartbreak outro. Even without Elliott's characteristic vocals Clark still manages to put so much life and soul into it with his guitar. Truly a great little piece, which adds a lot of depth to the album.
Given
High 'N' Dry is so focused on the guitar it's of course difficult to focus on other aspects of the band, but it is worth pointing out that the rhythm section on this one is super tight, with Rick Allen contributing with some truly amazing drumming at times. Not to be outdone by his bandmates it is worth mentioning Joe Elliott. Throughout a lot of this album, he does his best Brian Johnson impression, and I'm all here for it. His voice is gritty, dirty and rough on almost every track and it's a treat to the ear every time he decides to open his mouth. He brings so much life and charisma to the overall sound of the record, and it truly benefits the record.
On the catchier side, the highlight is without a doubt
Bringin' On the Heartbreak. A power ballad by nature, it allows the band to show their softer side, which allows Elliott to shine, as he is allowed to flex his vocal prowess. It almost manages to reach the level of peak Judas Priest ballads, just falling a bit short, but still pretty much flawless. Lead single
Let It Go is also just as catchy as it is heavy with its palm-muted verses and full-volume choruses with one of their best choruses tying together a very fitting lead single for this particular album.
Lady Strange is another one of the catchier numbers, with a very strong sing-along-chorus and almost melancholy bridge. Not to be too radio-friendly though it features one of the album's most metal solos, with a fantastic galloping riff ala Iron Maiden.
Generally, there is only one true outlier on this album, which is
No No No, it's just much faster and wilder than the rest of the album, which doesn't make it a bad song, far from it actually, it just doesn't fit the feel of the album other than the guitar-centric aspect. Willis' wild shredded solo also sets it apart, though its weakest flaw is the pretty flat and somewhat uninteresting chorus, which as a result drags the album down a bit, even though the song is pretty amazing. On the other hand
On Through the Night is a song which overstates its welcome far too much. Compared to the rest of the album the song is just boring, and sadly not even a pretty decent guitar solo and instrumental break can save it from mediocrity.
Song ratings:
1. Let It Go: 5/5
2. Another Hit and Run: 5/5
3. High 'N' Dry: 5/5
4. Bringin' On the Heartbreak/Switch 625: 4.5
5. You Got Me Runnin': 4
6. Lady Strange: 4.25
7. On Through the Night: 3.25
8. Mirror, Mirror (Look Into My Eyes): 4.25
9. No No No: 4
In conclusion: This is one very mighty and heavy record for its time. Sadly,
Def Leppard sought fortune and fame after this and changes their sound from NWOBH to the glam/pop metal they would end up dominating the charts with. After all, it is important to remember just how great of an album this is. Equal in quality to a lot of its peers.
