UAWIL #284: Def Leppard - Slang with Neil from Def Lep Pod

The Ugly American Werewolf in London Rock Podcast · May 7, 2026 · 1h 50m

By 1996, Def Leppard needed to try something different. Their 80s heyday had long since passed and the grunge/nu metal era made them unwanted icons of a forgotten age. They got a new wardrobe, split up to write their songs and even left the stylized Def Leppard logo off of their album Slang to tread new paths without longtime producer Mutt Lange. Some saw it as a reaction to grunge as it sounded nothing like Hysteria or Adrenalize which had preceded it - the high harmonies and big, hooky riffs were gone. But Def Leppard fans saw it as the boys stretching out after a decade with Mutt and…