Ranking The Albums: Def Leppard

Written: September 2025

Emerging in the late 1970s and quickly establishing themselves in the world of rock, Def Leppard remain one of the most enduring and best loved bands of all time. With live performances that combine energy, precision and showmanship, they have maintained a devoted fanbase even as musical trends shifted around them. Their dedication and resilience, from Rick Allen’s remarkable comeback to their relentless touring, have become a key part of their story and appeal.

As with some of my other ranking pieces, my introduction to each album and the personal moments attached to them have influenced their placement. I consider the top six to all be very good albums, the top four to be particularly strong, and the top three to be genuine classics. On another day, the positions might shift slightly, as some of the gaps are very narrow, particularly between the top two.

This ranking excludes the covers album Yeah!, the recent symphonic reinterpretation Drastic Symphonies, and Retro-Active, focusing instead on the eleven core studio albums.

Remember, rankings are purely subjective and just for fun. Please add your own rankings and comments at the end!

11. X (2002)

X is a divisive Def Leppard album, leaning towards pop-rock melodies. Elliott’s vocals are smoother; Collen and Campbell are restrained compared with earlier aggression. The albums shows moments of their true potential and still features some catchy hooks but it was an attempt to broaden appeal and dabble with contemporary trends. I listened to it with curiosity and appreciation for their willingness to try something different, even if it was never going to be my favourite Def Leppard offering. It did not connect with longer term fans and while I am completely in favour of bands experimenting with their sound, the ranges of styles here means it does not have anything close to a consistent personality. Overall, a little too lightweight and unmemorable.

Three favourite tracks: Four Letter Word, Cry, Scar

10: Euphoria (1999)

Euphoria sounds like a band quietly pretending Slang never happened, ignoring the risks and moods they explored there. The record is polished and tidy, but that polish makes it feel cautious and constrained. I cannot help but feel it is a shame because it would have been fascinating to see them continue down the path Slang hinted at. Listening now, the songs are clean and well executed, yet they rarely surprise or challenge, always leaving me wishing the band had embraced the daring direction they had flirted with just a few years earlier. Despite this, there are moments that remind me why I love their sound but the album often feels like a retreat rather than a step forward which contributes towards its low ranking here.

Three favourite tracks: Promises, Paper Sun, To Be Alive

9. Diamond Star Halos (2022)

Diamond Star Halos finds Def Leppard looking back while still trying to move forward but I cannot shake the sense that it would have benefitted from being three or four songs shorter. Some songs linger a little too long, yet there are moments that catch me off guard - a clever guitar line, a lyric that hits harder than I expected or a vocal harmony that makes me smile. It never fully grips me as a whole the way some albums higher in this ranking do. It is reflective and occasionally brilliant but I find it is a record I admire more for the highlights (such as Take What You Want – their best songs for years) than the full journey.

Three favourite tracks: Take What You Want, SOS Emergency, From Here To Eternity

8. Def Leppard (2015)

In all honesty, there is very little between this album and Diamond Star Halos for me. Long before this point in their career, Def Leppard were doing things their own way and naming this as an eponymous album makes perfect sense. Although it maybe runs a little too long, it is a culmination and combination of styles that works better as a collaborative whole than many of their albums from this millennium. While it is not totally successful (Man Enough is painfully close to Queen’s Another One Bites The Dust), there was a feeling of confidence from the band once again. Their first album for seven years, it also proved they wanted to continue to make new music and not simply look back to their most successful times, even if their live setlists continue to reflect this.

Three favourite tracks: Let’s Go, Broke ‘N’ Brokenhearted, Wings of an Angel

7. Songs from the Sparkle Lounge (2008)

Songs from the Sparkle Lounge feels like a band cautiously stretching its wings once again. There is a clear effort to blend contemporary rock influences with their established identity, though not every experiment is successful. However, it was a significant improvement on the last studio album proper (X), demonstrating more confidence and focus. The under forty-minute running time is a blessing in disguise, keeping the album lean and energetic so that most tracks make their point and exit before overstaying their welcome; thus, the album does have a sense of brisk momentum. Songs From The Sparkle Lounge may well have benefited from the band digging into their roots during the making of Yeah! and some of that initial fire is restored here.

Three favourite tracks: Go, Cruise Control, Bad Actress

6. Adrenalize (1992)

Adrenalize aimed to follow the blueprint of Hysteria, capturing big melodies and arena-ready choruses; however, it did not have the consistently high quality songs as those found on its predecessor. The loss of Steve Clark hit the band hard and while Vince Campbell helped stabilise the band in the live arena – bringing both technical skill and personality, he did not play on the album. Adrian Smith auditioned for the band at this time and though he never joined the line up, imagining how his presence might have changed their sound is intriguing. I enjoy most of the album with one key exception: Make Love Like A Man is a track I have never liked, even though I know it is all supposed to be very tongue in cheek. At the other end of the spectrum, White Lightning is a standout, a heartfelt tribute to Steve Clark. Adrenalize succeeds in stretches but some unevenness and the shadow of Hysteria are never far away.

Three favourite songs: Tonight, White Lightning, Stand Up (Kick Love Into Motion)

5. On Through the Night (1980)

On Through the Night feels like stepping into a garage with a group of teenagers who are already thinking bigger than the room they play in. Rick Allen had joined on his fifteenth birthday and was only sixteen when the album hit, yet his drumming already shows flashes of precision and inventiveness. The production is rough, but that roughness gives the songs urgency, a raw energy that makes the record exciting even if it is uneven. It is a band finding their identity, testing ideas and full of the kind of ambition and daringness that youth brings. On Through the Night saw Def Leppard lumped in with the NWOBHM scene, a label they had never considered for themselves and one that never truly reflected their ambitions. The debut also showcased the inventive guitar duo of Pete Willis and Steve Clark whose interplay and complementary styles gave the album a spark that set the foundation for the band’s future sound.

Three favourite tracks: Sorrow Is A Woman, Wasted, Overture

4. Slang (1996)

A placing in this ranking that will surprise many, Slang remains consistently underrated in my eyes. I saw the band on the tour for this album and they only played three songs from it, yet those tracks left an impression of total honesty. The record is darker, moodier and closer to introspection than anything else in their catalogue. Its reception disappointed me because it would have been fascinating to see where the band might have taken this direction. As an album I still listen to regularly, I am drawn to the tension in the arrangements and the grit in the vocals. Slang may not have reached a wide audience but to me it stands as a bold statement that the band never revisited, and that makes it all the more compelling.

Three favourite tracks: Truth?, Blood Runs Cold, Pearl of Euphoria

3. Hysteria (1987)

Hysteria was the record that truly drew me into Def Leppard. After hearing Animal on the radio, I rushed to buy the album the day it was released, just three weeks past my fifteenth birthday. Each track carries a clear sense of purpose and Rick Allen’s return following his accident adds an emotional weight that resonates through every drum fill. The production is meticulous; guitars and vocals are stacked with care to create immense sonic depth. God of War remains one of my enduring favourites, combining aggression and precision in a way that still leaves me breathless. While Hysteria was a commercial triumph the band never repeated, it is thrilling and immersive, even though on this list, two albums surpass even this landmark.

Three favourite tracks: Women, Armageddon It, Gods Of War

2. Pyromania (1983)

After discovering Hysteria, I went back to explore the band’s earlier work, and Pyromania immediately struck me. It sits so close to my number one pick that choosing between it and High ‘n’ Dry became the hardest decision in this ranking. The album exudes confidence and scope, every song combining sharp hooks, polished production, and driving riffs that command attention. The arrangements feel ambitious without being overblown and the layering of instrumentation gives the choruses a sense of lift that still excites me today. Pyromania captures Def Leppard on the verge of worldwide fame, full of curiosity and energy. It is a record that exhilarates on repeated listens and cemented my status as a fan. Something else to note is that picking my three favourite tracks from each of these top two was almost impossible and another three or four songs from each album could easily have been listed.

Three favourite tracks:  Stagefright, Foolin’, Rock of Ages

1. High ‘n’ Dry (1981)

More than forty years on, High ‘n’ Dry still crackles with energy, capturing a band who have a clearer idea of the sound and direction they wish to follow. Pete Willis and Steve Clark’s guitars trade inventive riffs and harmonies that spark throughout the tracks, while Joe Elliott’s vocals cut through with clarity and bite, giving each song presence and drive. Mutt Lange’s production sharpens the debut’s rough edges without dulling its rawness, preserving spontaneity and urgency. Every track pulses with youthful determination and creativity, showing a band on the rise. High ‘n’ Dry remains foundational, the record that set the blueprint for everything that followed and it still excites on every play.

Three favourite tracks: Another Hit and Run, Bringin’ On The Heartbreak, Mirror Mirror (Look Into My Eyes)

Listen to my Def Leppard Through the Years playlist featuring my three favourite songs from each album in chronological order.