How Def Leppard’s New Album Will Shock Fans

Def Leppard vocalist Joe Elliott advised fans that some of them will be shocked by the material on the band's upcoming 13th studio album.

The follow-up to 2022’s Diamond Star Halos is scheduled for release in early 2027, and comes after the band launched lead single “Rejoice” in February.

In a recent interview with French radio station Oui FM, Elliott explained the delay between single and its associated full-length record.

“We released it in time for the Vegas residency,” he said. “We did a Vegas residency in February, and we wanted to play a new song, so it made sense to actually put it out.”

He continued: “The album won't be out until early ’27, ‘cause we’re still recording it. We were actually recording parts of it in Vegas on days off – we would go down into the basement of the casino and set it up as a studio… So we're still actively recording now, and mixing.”

Elliott said Leppard had accumulated about 18 songs, although not all of them would make the final LP. “[W]e’ve kind of got nearly two albums,” he explained. “We’re gonna pick and choose which 10 or 11 we think are the right ones… we've got some great songs – very varied.”

New Def Leppard Album Moves in 10 Directions At Once

He went on: “I will tell you this much: we’ve written the fastest song we’ve ever done. And we’ve also written the most ridiculously over-the-top, pretentious, massive, big, kind of bombastic song that we’ve ever written too; and lots of stuff in between.

“So it’s very varied. It’s a very eclectic collection of tunes. A lot of people will be shocked, I think, because of the direction that we’re going in – ‘cause it’s not one direction. It’s 10 different directions. And we love being able to do that.“

The singer predicted that, despite a hectic schedule, the album would be finished on time. “We’re touring this summer, and we’ll be working on the album up to going on tour and then when we come off… we need to get it finished by the end of the summer for an early release next year.”