Def Leppard harness infectious riffs and leads aplenty in punchy new single, Take What You Want

Last month, Def Leppard announced their first new studio album in seven years, Diamond Star Halos, and ushered in the news by dropping the LP’s classically Leppard lead single, Kick.

Now, the British rock legends have further heightened anticipation surrounding the release by dropping the effort’s second single, Take What You Want.

Just like Kick, Take What You Want is Def Leppard to its very core, and precedes the track’s main event – a bruising, powerchord-driven electric guitar riff – with an atmospheric kaleidoscope of clean arpeggios, oversized chordal punches, ringing sustain and momentum-building cymbal smashes.

Once the track bursts into life, Take What You Want wrings out every bit of color from its modest melodic hook by intermittently introducing decorative double-stop licks, tasty interlude sections and a breakdown that prefaces a wailing, bend-heavy pentatonic-based guitar solo.

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It’s not quite Kick levels of catchy as far as melody is concerned, yet is perhaps a more freeing and open display of guitarists Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell’s evergreen six-string abilities.

You can hear the track in the video above.

Diamond Star Halos, the quintet’s first album since their 2015 self-titled effort, was recorded remotely over the course of the last two years in three different countries, and will arrive on May 27 via UME. 

As well as featuring the whole Leppard lineup – comprising Joe Elliott, Rick Savage, Rick Allen, Collen and Campbell – the LP will also contain cameos from country legend Alison Krauss and longtime David Bowie pianist Mike Garson.

While Krauss will crop up on This Guitar and Lifeless, Garson will offer his musical services on Goodbye For Good This Time and Angels (Can’t Help You Now).

Def Leppard will promote the album by way of a mega US tour this summer, for which they will be joined by Mötley Crüe, Poison and Joan Jett & The Blackhearts

For more information – and to preorder Diamond Star Halos – head over to Def Leppard’s official website.