A swirling organ and straight ahead double snapping snare open the pulsing “Speed Of Sound” from Uriah Heep’s 2014 release Outsider. It’s an organ-up-front, bass-thumping tune that showcases the vocals of Bernie Shaw and bassist Dave Rimmer (who joined the Heep in the summer of 2013, replacing longtime bassist Trevor Bolder). This is pure Heep bombast. As the band’s founding guitarist Mick Box says, “Outsider is very much a rock album in true ‘Heep’ style.”
The lilting piano of “One Minute” follows but then we are quickly into the anthem beat of the band coming in.. Drummer Russell Gilbrook brings it on another riffing-around-the melody on the title track as Box makes his presence known here with a blistering fast lead. “Rock The Foundation” grooves but the lyric here is pretty trite, while “Is Anybody Gonna Help Me” is probably my favorite for pure full-on organ bleed from Phil Lanzon. “Looking At You” has got a cool power chord guitar drive, more wonderful organ backed by tuneful harmony vocals in the chorus.
“Can’t Take Away” is Uriah Heep at their rockiest, most Deep Purple-like, as Gilbrook gets especially wild amidst some of loud organ drops out in the mix. sees Box rolls around the frets on “Jessie” as the organ sails in. “Say Goodbye” sees Box heavy picking the main riff, with Shaw’s vocal mixed in well and an organ part lifting the tune out of what could have been the common roll of its simplistic verses.
Outsider, Uriah Heep’s 24th studio album, is, to borrow from an earlier Uriah Heep album title, a “very ´eavy, very´umble” album with Shaw’s strong voice pushing things forward to new melodic heights. The lyrics are a bit trite in spots, but musically the band is tight and authentic to that Heep sound we all know and love so well.
~ Ralph Greco, Jr.
