From the Vault...

10/15/2000
#703

info
Uriah Heep
"Demons And Wizards"


© Mercury Records

Year of Release: 1972
Rating:

track listing
  • The Wizard
  • Traveller In Time
  • Easy Livin'
  • Poet's Justice
  • Circle Of Hands
  • Rainbow Demon
  • All My Life
  • Paradise/The Spell

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    Uriah Heep
    "Demons And Wizards"



    With an album like Demons And Wizards, and Halloween right around the corner, this Uriah Heep album may not have songs sounding "creeping and crawling," but it does have a unique sound, as in Classic Rock, Progressive Rock, and even Hard Rock/Heavy Metal.


    Call it Progressive Rock, the album's opening song "The Wizard" grabs your attention, and if it didn't, the next two songs certainly will: "Traveller In Time" certainly has the hard rock sound, for any Heavy Metal fan to enjoy. One of Uriah Heep's most famous songs is on this album, the Classic Rock favorite "Easy Livin'," as it defines (once again) the hard rock sound. "Poet's Justice" definitely has the progressive sound, as heard in such future bands as Kansas and Boston.


    "Circle Of Hands" starts out with a Halloween-ish eerie organ sound, as it kicks into another common sounding Progressive Rock classic -- very impressive. Another impressive sounding song is "Rainbow Demon," as it has some very impressive vocals (slow and moving, as heard in Cream's "Tales OF Brave Ulysses"), and, like many songs heard on this album, it kicks into the style of Progressive Rock.


    Hard Rock best defines "All My Life," as it has the same driving style as heard in Rare Earth's "I Just Want To Celebrate," and again, it's Progressive. With enough energy and loud music through the first seven songs, the album's closing song, "Paradise/The Spell" slows things down, music wise, as it is a very pleasant soft-rocker, a nice way to end an album that is full of energy. Yet throughout this near 13 minute song, it does switch into upbeat Progressive Rock, and back to slow pleasant music. (Don't forget that most Progressive Rock bands featured this -- 10-minute plus compositions.)


    For the Progressive Rock fan, Uriah Heep's Demons And Wizards is quite an earful... Uriah Heep may not be a band that gets heavy airplay on Classic Rock/AOR radio stations, but there is quite a list of their material that could easily get the nod of regular airplay. Quite frankly, each Uriah Heep album I've heard, really doesn't have any complaints; it has the ingredients of Progressive Rock/Classic Rock styles. As many Progressive Rock bands of the 1970s there were, Uriah Heep may not be at the top of that list, but they are included, and for those who have them in their list, I'm sure that they do not have any complaints either.


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    Previous Review: #702
    Cher--Believe
    Next Review: #704
    Rod Stewart--When We Were The New Boys