Over in the U.K. there's yet another new wave happening at this very moment. This time it's "the new wave of heavy metal" according to our friends in the British music press. Young bands (in the 18 to early 20's bracket) are cropping up daily - attempting to knock dinosaurs like Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath off their aging perches. One of the groups to bring attention to this new movement is Def Leppard - average age 18. But there's more here than pounding drums and endlessly riffing guitars. These boys are musically wise for their years. Of course, they earn their heavy metal points on the opening "Rock Brigade" and throughout this debut album. But elsewhere ("Sorrow Is A Woman") Def Leppard displays a use of subtlety and dynamics that keeps them from sounding one-dimensional. Nonetheless, this young Sheffield quintet (northern England way) will still manage to please the headbangers in their audience with the twin guitar attack of Pete Willis and Steve Clark on such tracks as "It Could Be You" and "Satellite." Vocalist Joe Elliott does not have an exceptional voice (he also supplies the lyrics), but the massed vocal choruses give the tunes added power in a manner not unlike Styx or Kansas. Though the group sounds typical for its chosen genre, a number of its songs (like "Rocks Off") put this blistering energy to most effective use. Also in their favor, Def Leppard boasts a far lower obnoxious quotient than a lot of other heavy metal posers (like Van Halen or Judas Priest). There's a big audience out there for this once-thought-dead form of rock `n' roll. And it shouldn't be too long before Def Leppard will capture it.

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