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40 years of rock, that adds up to a sizable amount
of music, shows and hotel rooms. Uriah Heep still carries
on after all these years and they can dig in, give their
fans a great show, and produce great studio albums. In 2008,
Wake The Sleeper was an excellent return to form. Now we
have Celebration-40 Years of Rock to commemorate their long-standing
success as one of the progenitors of prog-metal.***
Mick Box (guitar, vocals), Bernie Shaw ( lead vocals),
Trevor Bolder (bass, vocals), Phil Lanzon (keyboards, vocals)
and Russell Gilbrook (percussion, vocals) are the current
lineup and do a fine job of making their way through the
classic Heep catalog that are most recognized throughout
the world as their signature tracks.***
By now, longtime fans have adopted Bernie Shaw as the
official vocalist but will always remember the original
voice of the band David Byron. I think his presence comes
to mind on soaring numbers like ‘The Wizard” where the high
vocals parts are unobtainable for the current front man.
I must give Shaw credit however because he has impressed
me over the years as a real showman and you can tell he
has taken the Heep catalog to heart and he delivers every
song with energy and personality.***
Along with new versions of all these songs come the
obligatory new tracks to sweeten the pie. The album kicks
off with “Only Human”, a track the gives you a glimpse at
the present day Uriah Heep and then “Corridors of Madness”
has a heavier prog flavor that lets you know that they still
have it and shows how at times they can reach back for that
something extra to sound like they did in their prime. If
you are fan that goes back to the 70’s like myself, you
realize that this sounds like an entirely different band,
with the exception of Mick Box on guitar, the last surviving
original member that holds the whole thing together. I do
still love them as I always have but you still cannot top
albums like the 1972 releases Demons and Wizards and Magician’s
Birthday, those days are gone forever. These great albums
defined their sound and still have some mileage left in
them, just listen to this release.***
I can accept the fact that several musicians have come,
gone, and passed away and releases like this continue to
give their legacy credibility and invite a new audience
to appreciate their past and help them to discover more
of the recent work.***
Celebration-40 Years of Rock is nice combination of
the old and new, a refreshing reminder of what once was
and never will be, yet a wakeup call that what you are hearing
is a great band that still knows how to rock only as Uriah
Heep can.***
Keith
(Muzikman) Hannaleck
http://www.muzikreviews.com
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