Def Leppard - Yeah!
[Mercury]

26 years on from their 1980 debut, and one of Britain's most popular rock bands Def Leppard are still going strong. Yeah! sees the group return with an entire album worth of cover versions done in their own style.

Taking on some of the tracks that influenced their career, the band tackle some real classics and well-known hits by such artists as Bowie, T-Rex, ELO, Roxy Music, The Kinks and Blondie.

Yeah! impresses most when Def Leppard crank up the amps to 11 and lay down the raw, grinding riffs they have become so known for. Kicking off with a blistering version of 20th Century Boy, the guitars are deliciously scuzzy and drummer Tony Kenning hammers down a stomping glam rock beat.

Hell Raiser (originally by Sweet) opens with an intense intro of screaming vocals and an atom bomb explosion, which even seems light in comparison to the juggernaut rhythm section of Thin Lizzy's Don't Believe A Word.

But it's not all hard rock and ear-piercing riffs, the band showcase their softer angle in the ska influenced Rock On and the slow, anthemic Drive-In Saturday.

While the songs are all recognisable, Def Leppard have managed to turn them into their own and offer a new angle on familiar favourites. With Yeah!, the band are proving even after all these years that they still have it.