Review: Def Leppard – Diamond Star Heroes – Live From Sheffield

Mercury Studios (November 21^st, 2025)

Reviewer – Jason Hopper

Def Leppard are one of the biggest bands in the world to avoid releasing an official live album (not counting their ‘In The Round…‘ concert video) until well into their fourth decade as a band. Since then, they seem to want to catch up to bands like Foreigner and Styx in terms of live output.

Starting with Mirrorball in 2011, the band has released four live albums, not counting the live material that accompanied re-releases of the excellent ‘Pyromania Deluxe Edition‘ and the ‘Early Years 79-81‘ box set. They had just released ‘One Night Only: Live at the Leadmill‘ last year (review here). All this is to say we have well entered cash grab territory.

With the exception of two songs never featured on live albums, everyone who is a fan has heard numerous renditions of all these tracks. The only real question to ask then is how do the sonics hold up in comparison to all their other live releases?

I can say with certainty that this release has some of the worst sonics I have ever heard from an official band release. It sounds like the show was recorded by the microphones at the front of the stage rather than the soundboard. The bass is way too loud creating a vibronic sound that drowns out other instruments and is aggressive on the ears when the music is cranked. There’s also an echo effect, making the music sound like it’s played in an empty arena. I had difficulty listening through the entire album just to do this review.

This cannot be blamed on the equipment I used while listening. I initially listened to the albums with my Heavys headphones (highly recommended BTW). Upon hearing the sonics,I switched to my Sonos system, followed by my PLT Sport earbuds. Each time, the same issues persisted.

I am shocked that a band of this caliber would release such sonically poor material. By all means, check out the album once it’s available for streaming, but certainly don’t buy this. There are better versions of these songs available elsewhere. This release taints the band’s legacy. They would do well to ensure quality control on future live releases.