10 Hard Rock Albums Artists Want You To Forget About
2. Slang - Def Leppard
When it comes to hair metal, Def Leppard holds a bit of an interesting spot among their poofy-haired counterparts. Unlike someone like Poison or Warrant, Def Leppard's journey to the top of the rock heap had one foot in and out of the hair metal sphere, leading them to move into full pop rock mode on Hysteria. Much like hair metal though, it wasn't necessarily cool to be Def Leppard after the grunge scene threw everything for a loop.
Looking to switch up their sound from their usual formula, something about Slang just feels awkward when put up against Leppard's masterpieces. Being one of the more slapdash production jobs, the whole record feels like Leppard are trying to adopt some of the more organic habits coming from the Seattle bands like Pearl Jam, often with an audible clunk. Across singles like Work it Out and Truth?, you feel like you're listening to Leppard trying to be some mix between industrial, grunge, and themselves at the exact same time.
On the back half of the record though, we get the same Def Leppard we always knew, which makes the first few songs stick out like a sore thumb in the most possible way. When this record is, you know, being a Def Leppard record, it's fine, but the world didn't need Def Nine Inch Nails at all.