Def Leppard

Def Leppard are a British rock band from Sheffield, England, that emerged in the late 1970s as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal.

Music

The music of Def Leppard is a mixture of hard rock, glam rock and heavy metal elements. The band has occasionally been associated with the hair metal movement of the 1980s, although its sound is more accurately associated with the contemporary NWOBHM genre of the 1970s. It is understood that the band consider themselves a rock band rather than a metal band, though many people would argue that the terms "rock" and "metal" are rather ambiguous in the first place.

Related Topics:
Hard rock - Glam rock - Heavy metal - Hair metal - 1980s - NWOBHM - 1970s

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The band's songs generally feature simple guitar hooks and catchy, melodic choruses. The Def Leppard sound is also characterized by its combination of hard rock and polished melodic backing vocals. This approach is very much evident on their first international single, Hello America, which featured the backing vocal style of Queen, with the guitar crunch of Thin Lizzy.

Related Topics:
Queen - Thin Lizzy

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By the release of the Hysteria record, the band developed a distinctive, futuristic sound featuring heavily processed drums and effects-laden "space-aged" guitar sounds, overlaid with a layered wall of husky, harmonized vocals. Def Leppard are considered a classic example of the rock sound of the 1980s, perhaps even to the point of cliché.

Related Topics:
Hysteria - Processed - Cliché

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