We are now on the 2nd album from Man Raze and still no new Def Leppard studio album. This time Phil Collen, Simon Laffy and Paul Cook bring us more of their eclectic style of music. This one is even in the title as we get some punk, some funk (very little) and a lot of rock. You get two Girls and one Sex Pistol which adds up to even more fun. The album is a chance for the boys to pay homage to their musical influences and so we get a variety of sounds and songs all fit into a fantastic package.

When this came out on back in 2011, I was all over it. I really loved the debut and expected I would this one as well. I have the standard U.S. edition, but Japan got one too on January 26, 2012 and of course it had a bonus track. One day I’ll get that one.

The opening riff of the opening track grabs hold and sucks you in. “Over My Dead Body” is a cranking rocker that is catchy as hell and will leave the song eating away at your brain like an ear worm. A song that could’ve easily been a Def Leppard song as it is so melodic and full of great harmonies plus a tight, killer guitar solo. Man Raze opens the album with a bang.

“I C U in Everything” is up next and instantly things sound different especially in Phil’s vocal delivery. A lot of effects are put on them and he sings much deeper and darker. I love the bass work on this one as it gives it a nice groove. It is another rocker, but a completely different style then the previous song. They are keeping it interesting. The vocals I didn’t like at first, but are growing on me with each listen and Phil does another great little solo.

Then with “All I Wanna Do” we get a Clapton sounding guitar (at that is who I thought of first). The song is a little more soulful, a little bluesy and a little sexy. A nice change of pace. We get some great drum fills and I like Phil’s vocal delivery on this one…three songs…three different styles. I like it.

“Closer to Me” might the closest we get to Funk on the whole album. But it is more styled like The Police’s dub/reggae style and less funk…listen to those guitars and you will hear what I mean. Great bass work again on this one and the drums are subtle and perfect. A great and really cool song.

Then with “Lies Lies All Lies”, we are back with another song that feels like a Def Leppard throwaway, but shouldn’t have been as this is one of my favorites on the album for the reason it sounds like Lep. A fun, energetic track with a great bass line opening and some stellar powerful drum beats. The guitars are pure Leppard. And that chorus is as catchy as they come. This song is also about as close we will get to a punk sound as well.

Next we have the song “Get Action” and like the title says, it is full of action. Fast, heavy beats and speedy guitar. Another song where the chorus is pure Leppard. Lots of layered vocals, great harmonies and catchy…I know, I’ve said that a lot, get over it because the songs are catchy. This one also has one of the best solos on the album. Another killer track.

With “Edge of the World”, the tempo is slowed down and the sonics go darker almost to a ‘Slang’ album vibe (more Lep, I know). And I don’t mind as I love ‘Slang’. There is a menacing feel to it and a little sadness. Very different from the rest of the album. The biggest problem for me is I forgot how this song went, but when I hear it I like it. It just isn’t that memorable overall.

“Dreamland” starts out like a rocker with a massive opening riff. More great bass work as Simon is really slaying on this album and Paul is no slouch either on the drums. This one is pretty generic though overall. The chorus falls flat and the verses are just so-so. Musically though, the rhythm section is killing it.

Then we get a Jimi Hendrix cover of the song “Fire”. All I can say is…REALLY??? Why do we need another Jimi Hendrix cover and one that has been done a million times. They do an okay job with it, but I don’t care if I ever hear another Hendrix cover again…except for “Little Wings” by Leppard which was pretty cool. This one not necessary though.

“I, Superbiker” is the heaviest, most rocking track on the album. There is maybe a punk feel to it, but mostly it just kicks major ass. That chorus is so huge, in your face and I love it. A super insane tempo, the guitars race, the bass thumps are intense and the drums are explosive. The guitar solo is totally wicked with some really cool sounds…it’s nuts! A pure adrenaline filled song!!

Then we get a ballad with “Bittersweet” and it is about as boring as they come for me. The chorus is not engaging and the verses drone on a little. I think I prefer these guys to rock out.

To end the album, we get one of the coolest songs on the album and it is an instrumental. The song is “Dog Bite” and what a bite it has. The musicianship is on full display. I’m not going to say it is like Lep’s “Switch 625” but it does have that constant sound/tone throughout like that song had. But there are breaks and changes where the boys really get to shine. Some heavy bass, cool drums and nasty guitars. A cool way to end the album.

Track Listing:

1. Over My Dead Body – Keeper
2. I C U in Everything – Keeper (1/2 Point)
3. All I Wanna Do – Keeper
4. Closer to Me – Keeper
5. Lies Lies All Lies – Keeper
6. Get Action – Keeper
7. Edge of the World – Keeper (1/2 Point)
8. Dreamland – Delete
9. Fire – Delete
10. I, Superbiker – Keeper
11. Bittersweet – Delete
12. Dog Bite – Keeper

The Track Score is 8 out of 12 Tracks or 67%.  A pretty solid sophomore album, no sophomore jinx here.  The band continued on with the goodness that first album had and even turned it up a notch at times.  However, there were a few duds on this one for me. The front half of the album is superb and about as good as the last one, but the second half leaves a little to desire. There are only 2 killer tracks on the back half.  So, at times I like it as much as the debut, but others, I don’t.  My Overall Score is a 3.5 out of 5.0 Stars which makes this still a solid album and worth checking out if you were a fan of the first.  We did get a little punk, very little funk, but a whole lot of rock and even some great dub/reggae.  A nice variety of songs that will keep your attention.

NEXT UP: DOWN ‘N’ OUTZ – ‘THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF…’ (2014)

THE DEF LEPPARD COLLECTION SERIES

1. Def Leppard E.P. – 7″ Single (1979)
2. First Strikes 1978-1979 (Bootleg CD)
3. Girl – Sheer Greed (1980)
4. On Through the Night (1980)
5. When the Walls Came Tumbling Down (April 26 1980) (2020)
6. High & Dry (1981)
7. Too Many Jitterbugs – B-Sides And Rarities (2020)
8. Raw – Early BBC Recordings (2020)
9. Girl – Wasted Youth (1982)
10. Pyromania (1983)
11. “Photograph” 7″ Single (1983)
12. “Too Late For Love” 12″ Single (1983)
13. Live at the L.A. Forum 1983 (2018)
14. Seattle, August 3, 1983 (Bootleg CD)
15. Pyromania TV Collection (Bootleg DVD)
16. Hysteria (1987)
17. “Animal” 7″ Single (1987)
18. “Women” 7″ Single (1987)
19. “Pour Some Sugar on Me” 7″ Single (1987)
20. “Hysteria” 7″ Single (1987)
21. “Armageddon It” 7″ Single (1988)
22. “Love Bites” 7″ Single (1988)
23. “Rocket” 7″ Single (1989)
24. Animal Instinct – The Def Leppard Story – Book Review (1987)
25. Rarities – Volume One (2018)
26. Live in Mountain View – August 17, 1988 (Bootleg DVD)
27. Historia – DVD (1988)
28. Live: In the Round, In Your Face (CD Video / DVD) (1989)
29. Adrenalize (1992)
30. “Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad” – Cassette Single (1992)
31. “Tonight” CD Single (1993)
32. Live Sheffield 1992 (Bootleg DVD)
33. Retro Active (1993)
34. Visualize DVD (1993)
35. Hard Rock Café – Singapore, Malaysia October 26, 1995 (Bootleg DVD)
36. Vault: Def Leppard Greatest Hits (1980-1995) (1995)
37. “When Love & Hate Collide” – CD Promo Single (1995)
38. Video Archive (1995)
39. Slang (1996)
40. Montreal: The Classic 1996 Broadcast (Bootleg CD)
41. Live Bites: FM Broadcast (Bootleg CD)
42. Live in Argentina 1997 (Bootleg DVD)
43. Euphoria (1999)
44. Rarities – Volume Two (2019)
45. Rarities – Volume Three (2019)
46. Tokyo 1999 (Bootleg CD)
47. Cybernauts – Live (2000)
48. Cybernauts – The Further Adventures of the Cybernauts (2001)
49. X (2002)
50. Hysteria: Classic Albums DVD (2002)
51. Best of Def Leppard (2004)
52. Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection (2005)
53. Yeah! (2006)
54. Yeah! Bonus CD with Backstage Interviews (2006)
55. Songs from the Sparkle Lounge (2008)
56. Man Raze – Surreal (2008)
57. B-Sides (2021)
58. Yeah! II (2021)
59. Yeah! Live (2021)
60. CMT Crossroads – Taylor Swift & Def Leppard (2009)
61. Down ‘N’ Outz -My ReGeneration (2010)
62. Man Raze – PunkFunkRootsRock (2011)
63. Down ‘N’ Outz -The Further Adventures of… (2014)
64. Def Leppard (2015)
65. The Lost Session (2018)
66. Personal Jesus 7″ Single (2018)
67. Down ‘N’ Outz -This is How We Roll (2019)
68. Hits Vegas: Live at Planet Hollywood – Vinyl (2020)
69. Hysteria: Live – Vinyl (2020)
70. Def Leppard Acoustic Vegas – 10″ Vinyl (2020)
71. Down ‘N’ Outz – The Music Box E.P. (2020)
72. Diamond Star Halos (2022)
73. High & Dry – Picture Disc (RSD) (2022)
74. Drastic Symphonies (2023)
75. Drastic Symphonies – Picture Disc (2023)
76. Definitely: The Official Story of Def Leppard (2023)
77. Def Leppard – ‘One Night Only: Live at The Leadmill’ (RSD) (2024)
78. “Just Like ’73” – 7″ Single (2024)

PREVIOUSLY POSTED:

1. The Def Leppard E.P. (1979/2017)
2. Def Leppard: Interview Picture Disc (1982?)
3. “Bringin’ On the Heartbreak” – 12″ Promo Single (1984)
4. Live at the Top (Bootleg) (1987)
5. “Pour Some Sugar on Me” –  5″ Shaped Picture Disc (1987)
6. Hysteria U.S. Tour 1988 – Tour Book (1988)
7. “Make Love Like a Man” – 12″ Single (1992)
8. “Let’s Get Rocked” – 12″ Single (1992)
9. Adrenalize: The 7 Day Weekend Tour (1992/1993)
10. X: World Tour (2003)
11. Mirrorball – Live & More (2011)
12. Def Leppard: The Definitive Visual History – Book Review (2011)
13. Viva! Hysteria (2013)
14. And There Will Be A Next Time…Live from Detroit (2017)
15. Hysteria: 30th Anniversary Box Set (2017)
16. The Story So Far – The Best of (2018)
17. The Collection, Volume 1 (2018)
18. Hysteria: The Singles Box Set (2018)
19. Live at Abbey Road Studios (2018)
20. Def Leppard: Concert Review – Charlotte, NC June 9th 2018 (2018)
21. The Story So Far – The Best of Volume 2 (2019)
22. The Collection, Volume 2 (2019)
23. London to Vegas (2020)
24. Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 29 March 2019 (2020)
25. The Early Years ’79-’81 (2020)
26. The Collection, Volume 3 (2021)
27. Def Leppard Funko Pop!