After putting out "Songs From the Sparkle Lounge" in 2008, Def Leppard is planning to make some new tunes in Sin City.

Frontman Joe Elliott tells us that during Def Leppard's nine-show "Viva Hysteria!" residency in March at The Joint in the Hard Rock Casino and Hotel, the group will likely use its down time to write songs for its next new album.

"This will be the first time in at least 10 years where we're all actually in one room banging out songs from scratch," Elliot notes. "We don't all live on the same continent, so it's increasingly more difficult for us to just do what people expect a band to do -- wander into a dusty old rehearsal room and go, 'What you got?' Getting together to write an album is an event. So the whole point of this Vegas thing when we're not on stage is to attack pieces of work we have that aren't finished songs -- 'I've got this riff.' 'Great, let's play around with it.' I'm sure everybody's got some individual ideas, and we'll go from there."

Elliott expects Def Lep to hit the studio this year as well, since the group will be eschewing its usual summer tour itinerary in order to concentrate on both a new album as well as continuing to re-record its older material for digital release.

The "Viva Hysteria!" shows begin March 22 and run through April 10 and will feature the "Hysteria" album played in its entirety. Elliott is also working a third album with his side band, the Mott the Hoople tribute group Down 'n' Outz.

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