Grand Design - Idolizer

Second album for the Swedish act and it picks up right from where they left with their debut… same style… same attitude with a better production this time. I honestly, expected something more from the band this time. I like their debut album and that’s why I got it. But then again, I wanted to hear something different… it’s okay to keep their Leppard influences but they could have blended it with much more Scandi hard rock, AOR elements. I hate to see bands repeating themselves, especially if they do not have a personal style and they are copying a band (Def Leppard) so openly.

 

Therefore, why should I listen again to something that Def Leppard have done better in the 80s… even in the 90s with “Adrenalize”? The truth is that not a single song from the debut or this album can reach the most average song of “Pyromania, “Hysteria” and “Adrenalize”. Def Leppard, with the help of Mutt Lange defined this specific rockin’ style with the (harmonic) backing vocals and the melodic guitars… they did it really well till 1992… then the band changed its musical style. Most of fans didn’t like that change of direction from the band, but on the other hand, for how long could they continue making the same music again and again? It was Def Leppard’s “evolution” and no one can blame them… like it or not (I don’t). Thus, what’s the use of having a Leppard clone band play the same things again, yet unsuccessfully? Do you really like it? Yes, the album has some nice songs… not only it lacks originality but it doesn’t have the rockin’ personality of its members… it’s like they wanted to be Leppard in the place of Leppard… bet they do…

 

This is not right… neither for the band… nor for the fans; I hope that the next album of the band will feature more of the personality of its members and less of a wannabe Leppard thing. There are plenty other bands from the 80s that have offered great albums as well… they can easily add more influences to their music… or else they will end up being a Def Leppard cover band… If I can’t have the real thing… then surely the clone won’t be missed by anyone…