* * * * <i> Great Balls of Fire</i> * * * <i> Good Vibrations</i> * * <i> Maybe Baby</i> * <i> Running on Empty : </i> : DEF LEPPARD ‘HYSTERIA’ AFTER HIATUS

* * “HYSTERIA.” Def Leppard. PolyGram. Chances are you won’t read or hear anything about this album without references to time. Namely, that it’s been a long time since Def Leppard released its last record--like nearly five years. And that LP, “Pyromania,” became the heavy-metal commercial phenomenon of its time, selling more than 6 million copies. Moreover, “Pyromania” resided in the Top 10 for the better part of 1983--an extraordinary length of time, then, for metal merchants.

But the time issue most people will key on is that gap between releases. (Among the reasons for the delay: Drummer Rick Allen lost his left arm in an auto accident 2 1/2 years ago; he reportedly played all the drums on this album.)

That gap has proved fortuitous for the English band. “Hysteria” is the right album at the right time, commercially speaking, and it’s likely to join other metal collections in the Top 10 about three minutes after it hits the stores Monday. Indeed, this sprawling, hourlong package has something for everyone of the head-banging persuasion. It’s like a 12-song sampler of popular metal styles, past and present.

You want chugging metal-pop with understated guitar jabs and lush vocals enveloped in a dense setting? Cue up the first single, “Women.” How about a bouncy metallic shuffle slithering beneath a crazy-quilt of sounds and free-association phrases? Tune in “Rocket.” Maybe you’d like to see something in a simple, lean rocker that skirts metal but still packs a gritty, melodic punch. Try “Animal.”

How’s that for variety? And those are just the first three songs. The range widens considerably by the end, thanks to the raunch-rock anthem “Pour Some Sugar on Me” and the tender, reflective title track, which comes as close to elegance as Def Leppard gets.

Lyrically, “Hysteria” isn’t the same kind of hodge-podge, partly because the group doesn’t fool with otherworldly concepts or Satan-place shenanigans. Def Leppard is a little more down to earth than its metal compatriots, generally given to addressing romance from assorted angles.

Occasionally, the group strikes out for more global territory. On the cautionary tale “Gods of War,” Leppard underscores its message with battlefield sound effects and snippets of Reagan speeches. No one’s going to confuse Leppard lyrics with literature, but many songs do possess a cinematic quality--short sound tracks in search of videos.

Much of the credit for this belongs to Def Leppard’s longtime producer and sonic architect Robert John (Mutt) Lange, who helped write all the material, pulled out every trick in the production book and probably devised a few new ones along the way.

He’s certainly all but ensured that “Hysteria” will be played frequently by radio stations, video outlets and lots and lots of record buyers. So chances are you’ll hear--or see--Def Leppard quite a bit for a long time .