Def Leppard release live album Diamond Star Halos: Live From Sheffield.
I first heard Def Leppard when I was about seven or eight years old. The first song I ever heard was ‘Pour Some Sugar On Me’ playing on the radio, and it got me into the band.
Def Leppard formed in Sheffield back in 1977. The current lineup is: Rick Savage on bass, keyboards, and backing vocals; Joe Elliott on lead vocals; Rick Allen on drums and percussion; Phil Collen on guitars and backing vocals; and Vivian Campbell on guitars and backing vocals.
The band released this album on 21st November 2025, featuring 17 live versions of tracks spanning their career, from Hysteria and Euphoria through to Diamond Star Halos.
The set kicks off with Joe Elliott introducing a couple of the band members (the rest get their moment throughout the show) and talking about how they first met back in 1977. Then they launch into ‘This Guitar’. The whole album captures that feeling of actually being at the gig. The band interact with the crowd constantly, which makes it feel like they’re talking to you (the listener) too. It’s very well recorded and produced, but still feels authentic. They’re a band I’d genuinely love to see live. I do prefer their older tracks to the newer material, but I love that there’s a good mixture across this set.
Here are some of my highlights:
‘Take What You Want’ is one of their newer songs. It has the same energy as their classic stuff, which is why it works so well for me. The guitar riffs are loud, powerful, and properly epic.
‘Animal’ was originally released in 1987 on Hysteria, and it’s one of my favourite Def Leppard songs. I would have loved to see them perform this live, but listening to it here is a close second. I couldn’t stop singing along, dancing around my living room. I felt like I was actually there.
‘Switch 625’ features some seriously impressive fast drumming from Rick Allen. There are no vocals, just pure instrumental, but it still has all the passion of the other tracks. A different vibe, but it works.
As soon as ‘Pour Some Sugar On Me’ started, I got excited. This was the first Def Leppard song I ever heard, and it’s still one of my favourites. I sang along, I danced. It’s played brilliantly live. The guitar work is epic and the vocals are just as good as the studio recording.
Overall, this album is brilliant. Def Leppard sound fantastic live, and I honestly hope I’ll get to see them for myself one day. The whole thing feels like being at the gig, and it’s really well captured. Highly recommended.