Guitarist Vivian Campbell (Dio, Def Leppard, Last In Line) recently took on some fan questions submited to Guitar World. Following is an excerpt from the interview.

Q: In your opinion, what makes Def Leppard so timeless?

Campbell: "There’s always been a certain quality to Leppard’s music, and I can say that having been in a few bands prior. When I joined the band, the first thing that was immediately apparent was the discipline and work ethic. Everything from songwriting and recording to rehearsing and live performance. Our vocals are incredibly strong and 100 percent live. We take incredible pride in our ability to do that."

Q: What’s your favorite Def Leppard song to perform live?

Campbell: "I always like the deeper Steve Clark cuts like 'Too Late for Love' or 'Gods of War'. We don’t get to do them very often because we have the lovely problem of having so many radio hits people want to hear. It doesn’t leave us a lot of opportunities to stretch out, but when we do it’s always exciting."

Q: Given the supposed rift between you and Ronnie James Dio, how did his death impact you?

Campbell: "Time changes everything and allows you to have a very different perspective. I must admit it’s irksome that all these years later people still think I left the band. I never wanted to leave Dio. I was fired during the middle of the tour. It left a bad taste in my mouth and turned me away from the music. Then in later years Ronnie and I made the mistake of airing our dirty laundry. We should’ve never allowed things to get to that point. It was only after my stint with Thin Lizzy that my passion to play angry, aggressive rock guitar was reignited. Ronnie’s passing allowed me to look at things differently and reassess. That was the whole reason I started Last in Line. I got into playing that stuff again and thought, 'Fuck, not only was this great fun to play but I helped create it.' It’s my heritage as much as it was Ronnie, Jimmy and Vinny’s. For many years I allowed myself to believe it wasn’t because I kept it at arm’s length. Now I embrace it."

Read the complete interview here.

Last In Line - Vivian Campbell, Vinny Appice, Andrew Freeman and Phil Soussan - released their sophomore album, II, in February via Frontiers Music Srl. Behind-the-scenes footage from the making of the song "Blackout The Sun" can be seen below:

Watch the official video for "Black Out The Sun":

Order II on CD/LP/Digital, here.

Tracklisting:

"Intro"
"Black Out The Sun"
"Landslide"
"Gods And Tyrants"
"Year Of The Gun"
"Give Up The Ghost"
"The Unknown"
"Sword From The Stone"
"Electrified"
"Love And War"
"False Flag"
"The Light"

"Year Of The Gun" lyric video:

"Landslide" music video: