'80s Heavy Metal Legend Records New Songs After 44 Years
It was revealed on Tuesday that Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell reunited with his former bandmates in Sweet Savage to record two new songs.
Sweet Savage frontman Ray Haller confirmed to Eonmusic at the Download Festival last weekend, where he told reporter Eamon O'Neill that Campbell and the band made new music recently, marking Campbell's first contribution to Sweet Savage since leaving in 1982.
"Universal [wanted] to put out all the old stuff, so we're going to," Haller said. "We've gone through all these tapes and all these recordings from the '80s. Then Viv and I came up with the idea, 'Why don't we do two new ones?' So we recorded two new songs, and they're ready to rock and roll."
The new music will showcase the quality of the group's songwriting and style from the 1980s, which helped establish them as one of the most respected bands in the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. The two new songs were supposed to be released earlier this year, but due to Def Leppard's touring schedule and Campbell's inability to promote the songs, it was pushed back to an early 2027 release instead.
Sweet Savage was formed in 1979 by Campbell, Haller, Trev Fleming and David Bates in Belfast, Ireland. Since its formation, they have released four studio albums and are considered the pioneers of the new wave of British heavy metal movement, alongside Iron Maiden, Saxon, Diamond Head and Def Leppard. After not being able to produce a studio album, Sweet Savage went on a hiatus in 1983, but came back with a different lineup a year later. After multiple changes in the past 50 years, Sweet Savage's current members are Haller, Marty McCloskey and Phil Edgar.
Despite Campbell leaving in 1983, he and Haller remained good friends over the years. After leaving Sweet Savage, Campbell worked with multiple bands and artists, including Dio, Whitesnake, Lou Gramm and the Riverdogs. In April 1992, the Irish guitarist joined Def Leppard to replace Steve Clark, their former guitarist, who passed away in January 1991. Campbell also dabbled in some solo work during the 2000s and early 2010s.
Sweet Savage released their latest album, Bang, which came out on Sept. 12, 2025, via German music label earMusic. Although Campbell's tenure with Sweet Savage was brief, his guitar work on their early recordings became a defining part of their legacy.
"The two new songs are absolutely amazing," Haller said. "It's Viv, and it's the Viv that we know."
Related: '90s Metal Band Announces New Songs for the First Time in 7 Years
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This story was originally published June 16, 2026 at 12:51 PM.