Def Leppard are entering the early stages of brainstorming ideas for their next album, which will be the follow-up to 2015's self-titled effort from the glammy English rockers. That's according to a recent radio interview with longtime Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell.

Interestingly enough, however, Campbell himself won't be present at the first writing session for the upcoming record. The musician already had plans with his other outfit, Last in Line. Regardless, the guitarist explained that Def Leppard's Joe Elliott, Phil Collen and Rick Savage are starting without him.

"I think Joe and Phil and Sav are getting together in the next couple of weeks to start work on something," Campbell told Q105.7's Steve King last month (Feb. 28). "Unfortunately, by the time I got wind of the schedule, I was already booked to do some shows with Last in Line. But it's just an initial writing session."

Listen to the rest of the interview down toward the bottom of this post.

Since the act last released a studio album, a live release (And There Will Be a Next Time… Live from Detroit), rarities EP (The Lost Session) and a hits compilation (The Story So Far – The Best of Def Leppard) have emerged. But that doesn't mean the group's songwriters aren't continually working on new material.

"Joe's always writing songs," Campbell added. "In fact, everyone in this band is always writing songs. We always have something in our back pocket. So someone obviously has a burning desire and a song that they really believe in to get the ball rolling."

The musician continued, "It's just an initial session, and Def Leppard records take a long time to come together. We'll be together pretty soon to start rehearsals for the tour. In fact, we have a one-off show in Mexico on May 1, a festival date, so we'll be rehearsing for a week or ten days before that. And that's when we'll probably start to swap ideas and talk about a schedule. But, realistically, it'll be next year before we get in to actually make a record of any shape."

The tour mentioned by Campbell is this summer's "The Stadium Tour" that puts the band alongside contemporaries Motley CruePoison and Joan Jett. After that, Def Leppard will tour the States this fall with ZZ Top.

Def Leppard's Vivian Campbell Talks to Q105.7's Steve King - Feb. 28, 2020

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