SonicBond Publishing (Release Date 29.05.2026)

With Def Leppard’s successful UK tour still fresh in the memory, now is a good time for a look back at their career and to revisit their back catalogue. As Scott Robinson points out in this latest of the ‘on track’ monographs, most of the books about them are from the first decade of their career- with one exception, the band’s own coffee table account ‘Definitely’. That set an unmatched standard for presentation and is the official account from the horse’s mouth, so his own book has to stand or fall on whether it provides a fresh and independent insight.

The book charts the band’s journey from NWOBHM hopefuls to game changing multi million pound sellers, to staying relevant and riding the waves of the changing musical world. The format of these books, which devotes equal space to each album, does justice to the first and the third of these phases, making it more interesting than just an over familiar rehash of how ‘Hysteria’ was made.

He treats the early material (my own favourite) on its merits rather than just as a raw precursor to their later sound, and is particularly good at describing later albums such as ‘Slang’, ‘Euphoria’ and ‘X’ in the wider context of contemporary pop and rock trends. It goes right up to ‘Diamond Star Halos’ where his detailed descriptions led me to revisit an album I have spent very little time with.

Having read over a dozen in this series now, I have found the American contributors can be relatively lacking in objectivity. However, while clearly a fan, Robinson is prepared to call out moments where the standard slipped: I enjoyed his description of ‘Let’s Get Rocked’ as ‘goofy’, ‘unrelentingly juvenile’, and ‘beneath a writer of Elliott’s tenure at this point in their career’.

As a musician himself, he gives plenty of technical detail, indeed for those of us who are not musical, rather too much. He will not only delight in a ‘modulation’ (key change) but tell you the actual keys. However, as the book progresses, the musical descriptions become less intricate and there is a better balance between musical and lyrical analysis. Another slight quibble is the prominence given to reviews from provincial newspaper scribes in the USA hardly known for their musical expertise.

All in all though, the combination of facts, well written analysis and pungent opinions, make this one of the better titles in this series and a worthy addition to the small canon of work about Sheffield’s finest.

Review by Andy Nathan

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

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Power Plays w/c 3 August 2026

STORMBRINGER Dirt And Bone (Attic Records)
SARI SCHORR Mr. In The Middle (Provogue Records)
JAMES KENNEDY & THE UNDERDOGS Shadows (Konic Records)
KATH & THE KICKS Sleep (indie)
VELVETEEN QUEEN Too Far Gone (Silver Lining Music)
SESAME GIRL Prettiest Girl In The World (indie)

Featured Albums w/c 3 August 2026

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Singer Songwriter)

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