DEF LEPPARD Guitarist Says Next Album 'Needs To Be More Raw'

Joe Bosso of MusicRadar.com recently conducted an interview with DEF LEPPARD guitarist Phil Collen. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

MusicRadar.com: Let's talk about DEF LEPPARD. I understand the band is on a hiatus.

Phil Collen: "Kind of. We getting some new songs together because we want to release something next year. The plan is to be on the road in 2011, so it'd be nice to get some fresh material out there."

MusicRadar.com: How many new songs has the band has written for the new record?

Phil Collen: "At the moment, I've got two. Luckily, everybody in the band writes, so we're never usually lacking for material. And it's not like the burden is placed on just one guy, which is good.

"Our songwriting approach is different from what we used to do. Years ago we used to get in a room and hash things out. These days we write on our own and come into the studio with our demos of finished songs - or mostly finished songs — and we just kind of record 'em. Not all them make the final record. We try to pick the best ones and make well-rounded albums. I still think that's important."

MusicRadar.com: At this early stage, can you speculate as to what the next DEF LEPPARD record will sound like?

Phil Collen: "I think — and I've been saying this for over a year — that the next album needs to be more raw. What I want to avoid is sounding too clinical, too fussed over. Even when Mutt was involved with us, we did manage to sidestep that. You can kill the vibe of the music if you record it over and over again. So yeah, I just want to go in and make a raw record."

MusicRadar.com: What's the status of your side band MAN RAZE? Is it active at the moment?

Phil Collen: "Yeah, we're writing, as well. There's a movie coming out in England about these kids who race through the streets on these high-powered super bikes at, like, 200 miles per hour — really dangerous stuff. I'm not sure what the movie's called, but it explores the whole culture of these kids. So we have a song in it. We did sort of a high-end demo, but we liked it so much that we ended up using it. The track is a bit of a cross between MOTÖRHEAD and THE POLICE, if you can imagine that. It's pretty edgy, but that's the nature of the band, really. We have fun. I think it's important to always have fun if you're playing music. If you're not, well, something's wrong."

Read the entire interview from MusicRadar.com.