Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Diamonds aren’t just a girl’s best friend, for those that appreciate the quality and commitment of a jewel created out of untold pressure, a rock of crystal pleasures and gems that sparkle and reflect the light caught in its star like quality, then arguably, decisively, Sheffield’s Def Leppard are on display as being a precious stone in a crown that is selective on the head on which it is worn.

Time wears away such precious jewels eventually, a constant renewal is the price we pay for being entertained, for staying loyal, for listening to a beating heart that wants to keep giving; and yet Time can be occasionally tempted to hold back the change in appearance on the crown by allowing maybe one more appearance of the jewels as they are called upon to reassure, bolster, and encourage the crowd to admire the wearer of the crown and just enjoy the spectacle that the crown provides.

Just shy of seven years since their last studio release, the diamonds of Sheffield rock return, and not only is the crown intact, not only are they still, and remain always, stars, but the sound is terrifically upbeat, passionate, forceful, and at times impressively, beautifully, melancholic.

Diamond Star Halos is an album that reflects Time, one in which explosions of old that which battles that were hard fought were won with humility and grace, and with an abundance of style that marked the band out as one of the great British music exports of the last four decades. If Time is reflected on the album, then it also leaves its own unique place for the band to be seen in a light that is dazzling, glaring with power, alluring and leaving the listener coveting their presence in their live.

Across tracks such as Kick, This Guitar, Goodbye For Good This Time, Gimme A Kiss That Rocks, From Here To Eternity, and SOS Emergency, Def Leppard remove the crown from the hiding place they securely left, wrapped in cotton and preserve, and wear it once more with pride, with honour, and the privilege that the respect they have always shown their fans, deserve.

However you view Time, it has the ability to confirm that some stars and diamonds will last beyond our lifetime’s view, that the enigma of the halo worn by angels is touched upon by few mortal beings, and in Diamond Star Halos, Def Leppard are to be seen once more as unbreakable and iconic.

Ian D. Hall