Def Leppard Planning 2015 Studio Album + ‘Unique’ Cruise for 2016

Update: It has now been revealed that the "something unique" that Campbell was talking about is a cruise. The "Hysteria on the High Seas" cruise will take place Jan. 21-25, setting sail from Miami with stops at Half Moon Cay and Freeport in the Bahamas. More details on the cruise and ticket information will be announced shortly.

Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell assures that the band will have a new studio album out later this year, but he also teases something coming in 2016 that definitely piques the interest.

In a new interview with Vancouver's Rock 101 host Robin LaRose, Campbell reveals that plenty of touring is ahead for 2015, but he adds, "We're gonna doe something unique that we've never done before, next January, which will be announced very soon."

While we wait to see what the big surprise is, one thing definitely known is that Def Leppard have a new album in the works. Campbell states, "It is just about finished. It's not mixed or mastered yet and all the packaging and the artwork and stuff [has not been completed]. So we're not in a hurry to release it. It won't be out until the second half of the year, but it will definitely be released in 2015."

Campbell has high praise for the new album calling it "the best record that we've made," though the guitarist admits that's a difficult comment to make as he was absent for a good part of the recording. With a smile, the guitarist adds, "The bummer is I actually didn't have a lot to do with it. So I think that speaks volumes that they're better off without me."

Vivian was absent during the middle portion Def Lep's recording as he was receiving a stem cell transplant hoping to thwart a return of the cancer he's been dealing with in recent years. "My first scan was on December 31 and it showed clean," says Campbell. "So I'm looking good. My strength is coming back. As far as I'm concerned, I'm over the hill and done with it, but you never know with these things."

As for what fans can expect from the new music, Campbell concludes, "[It's] a really, really good record and it's a very diverse record too. And it touches strongly on the rock element of the band, which was the first box that we ticked when we were doing it."

Stay tuned for more from Def Leppard coming later this year and keep an eye out for an announcement on the band's big surprise coming soon.

Def Leppard's Vivian Campbell Talks to Rock 101's Robin LaRose