Def Leppard announces 'Diamond Star Halos'

Album due May 27th

Ready to ignite 2022, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-inducted icons and rock music legends Def Leppard return with their 12th full-length album, Diamond Star Halos via UMe on May 27th. It marks the band’s first new work since 2015’s chart-topping self-titled, Def Leppard. It is available for pre-order now in multiple configurations, including a CD, 2 LP vinyl, 2 LP clear vinyl, 2 LP picture disc, cassette, Target exclusive 2 LP set, digital formats and more. Exclusive bundles including newly designed album merch have also launched.

To herald the arrival of Diamond Star Halos, the UK quintet — Joe Elliott, Rick Savage, Rick Allen, Phil Collen, and Vivian Campbell — have just shared a powerful and rip-roaring new rock single entitled “Kick.” The song thrusts into an anthemic stadium-ready frenzy kickstarted with driving guitars and bombastic drums woven into its musical fabric. Meanwhile, the chorus has all the makings of another iconic Leppard hit with its skyscraping vocals and melodies the band has become synonymous for.

The artwork for Diamond Star Halos is art in itself. The design follows pedigree with their instantly recognizable album covers from their celebrated past. With images by world renowned photographer and director Anton Corbijn, styling concepts by Maryam Malakpour and graphics by the UK based Munden Brothers, the design truly follows the band’s influence through their eyes today.

Earlier this week, the group launched diamondstarhalos.com to tease the project. Day by day, the site unveiled all five members as fortune tellers while teasing the album.

Following the album’s release, Def Leppard will co-headline the massive 36 city The Stadium Tour with Mötley Crüe joined by special guests Poison and Joan Jett.

Over the past two years, Def Leppard recorded Diamond Star Halos simultaneously in three different countries with Elliott in Ireland, Sav in England, and Collen, Campbell, and Allen in the United States. Without the pressure of timelines or a fixed schedule, they poured all of their energy into crafting 15 meaningful tracks with a mixture of classic spirit meets modern fire. Thematically, they nodded to their earliest collective influences such as David Bowie, T. Rex, and Mott The Hoople, among others. The title itself notably references T. Rex’s “Bang a Gong (Get It On).” However, they didn’t embark on this journey alone. The multi-Grammy award winning and legendary artist Alison Krauss lent her instantly recognizable and angelic voice to “This Guitar” and “Lifeless,” while David Bowie pianist Mike Garson performs on “Goodbye For Good This Time” and “Angels (Can’t Help You Now).”