Mining a little Rainbow, sometimes Deep Purple, even occasionally Kansas,
but always in a deep Uriah Heep vein, original member guitarist Mick Box, long-time
bassist Trevor Bolder and drummer Russell Gilbrook, keyboardist Phil Lanzon
and singer Bernie Shaw present Uriah Heep’s twenty-third studio album:
Into The Wild. This 11-tune collection is sure to delight Heep
fans as well as hard rockers looking for some catchy melodies.
Quickly into the proceedings with the ridiculously catchy “Nail On The
Head” (a hit single if I ever heard one), it’s pretty evident that
Shaw is at the helm of the proceedings vocally while Lanzon is laying on his
organ nice and thick. All the guys in Heep sing well, so there is no lack of
good backing vocals on this tune as well as almost every other on the CD, in
fact it’s what makes the choruses throughout all really catchy and sing-able.
“I Can See You” is pretty much riff-er-ific, things get pretty damn
Kansas-like with “Money Talk” with Bolder keeping down a steady,
low-end.
“Trail of Diamonds,” the first real slow song, truly showcases
those great vocals of Shaw. “Believe” has got another upbeat chorus
— it’s downright happy! — and “Lost,” a favorite
track, mixes up the heavy organ, guitar riffs and vocal harmonies. The wacky
“T-Bird Angel” and soaring vocals of “Kiss O f Freedom”
end the collection, proving that while Uriah Heep are not stretching themselves
lyrically, they still do make some an incredible noise. Having survived a long
history with a number of personnel changes — as most any band has into
their fourth decade — the present lineup is tight and responsive with
a fine mix of in-your-face playing and singable tunes on Into The Wild.
~ Ralph Greco, Jr.
