Review Summary: Def Leppard switches up their style, and alienates a good chunk of their fanbase. Is it worth a listen? I'd say so.
"Slang" is the album when Def Leppard decided they didn't want to be Def Leppard anymore. After "Adrenalize", a number one album in 1992, didn't give them as much success as they had hoped for, they decided to follow a couple trends. However, the trends they try to follow were long gone by the time "Slang" surfaced in 1996.
"Adrenalize", which is a strong set of pop-rock party songs, came out in during the rise of grunge, and was probably the last "80's" metal/rock record to claim the top spot. It didn't sell anywhere near as well as good as Hysteria, and it was not as embraced by critics. So, after the tour ended in 1993, Leppard decided to make a record that was unlike their other records sonically. Sadly, this means they had to sacrifice some of the things that made them great in the first place.
When you pop in one of Def Leppards two "classic" records, there are certain things you are expecting to hear. One is perfectly written pop rock songs. On Pyromania, Hysteria, and even on Adrenalize, you can tell that they didn't do anything by accident. Every note, every word, every chord progression was fully thought out and made to sound perfect. Another is harmonies and stacked choruses. On their classics, there is nary a chorus, bridge, or refrain without 50 people shouting along, and in perfect harmony. Its part of Leppards signature sound. You wont find either of these traits in abundance on Slang, which I believe is why this record tanked when it came out.
Slang isn't in and of itself a failure. It is obviously a well made record, and they took their time to get things to sound good. There is some changes sonically that did make them sound a bit more fresh, the most important being Rick Allen's switch to a more acoustic sounding drum kit. They also put less effects on the vocals, so the performances do come across as organic and immediate. However, the songs they brought to this record just aren't strong enough to support that much of a stylistic switch. In interviews, the guys in the band say themselves that during the writing, they refused to let themselves go back to already written songs and make them better, or to even give them big hooks. That is definitely evident on the record. Lots of the songs sound like first drafts that they deemed "good enough". The songs "Deliver Me", "Gift of Flesh", and "Pearl of Euphoria" are hard to swallow, let alone get through completely because they simply are not very good. Tellingly, these songs are the most "Grunge" sounding on the record, which is something they were obviously going for.
That isn't to say that all the songs on Slang are not worth listening to. The opening track, "Truth?" blasts out of the stereo with its industrial drum and bass rhythms and its heavy metal guitars. They sound like a totally different band. "Turn To Dust" has the honor of containing the best chorus on the record, courtesy of guitarist Phil Collen, which is followed closely by "Work It Out" by newcomer and guitarist Vivian Campbell. In a couple of the tracks there is a noticeable RnB influence, which is both unexpected, and unexpectedly welcome. These guys proved that they can integrate quite a few different styles into their writing. The most entertaining is definitely the "Latin" inspired breakdown on the title track.
Slang is not a complete failure...wait...I guess it is in one sense: commercial. However, it is the artisitic statement these guys wanted to make at the time, and I commmend them for that. I just wish they had some stronger, better written songs to go with their asthetic pathos for this one. Its one of those A for effort, C for execution kind of things.
