Uriah Heep
Living The Dream

No, they are not Uriah Heep with Byron, nor those with Ken Hensley.

Strangely enough, however, this album sounds as fresh as few others produced by bands close to fifty years of career. I'll jump straight to my judgment on this "Living The Dream" because I find it extremely difficult to start talking about a Uriah Heep album in 2019; I would risk becoming verbose and boring after not even the first ten words, after all that has been said about this phenomenal group in recent years.

"If this group makes it, I'll have to kill myself!"

So said journalist Melissa Mills in 1970, upon listening to "Very Eavy...Very Umble", a phrase that needs to be analyzed to understand how underrated and poorly regarded the Heep were at the time by critics, despite delivering between '70 and '75 no less than eight albums that are still considered cornerstones for Hard Rock and Progressive Rock in general. Many lineups, many disputes, and very long pauses, but guitarist Mick Box is still here. And like the album's title, he's living the dream, a long dream that is still able to excite him and those who listen to Uriah Heep's albums.

But as with many other '70s groups like Deep Purple or Magnum still active today, some might think "Why do they keep putting out album after album? Let the new blood have their space!" And here you could agree with me, if it weren't for the fact that Box and company have not wanted to produce a bad album, at least since that "Sea Of Light" in 1995, and a bit of nostalgia, especially if done well, never hurts. After the problems with alcoholism and consequent death of David Byron, the singer who greatly contributed to Heep's success in the '70s, and the more easy-listening period of the '80s (not forgetting the excellent "Abominog"), the recruitment of singer Bernie Shaw seemed to have revitalized the band, which after two more than good albums (Raging Silence '89 / Different World '91), rose back to glory almost returning to the splendor of their early career. As of today, Uriah Heep seem to not have lost even an ounce of the youthfulness and fantasy that have always characterized them, qualities that are distinctly heard on this "Living The Dream".

Relying once again on the experience of producer Mike Paxman, it's up to tracks like "Take Away My Soul" and "Grazed By Heaven" to demonstrate that even in 2018, the typical Heep sound has never faded. An excellent drum work by Russel Gillbrook and an equally engaging performance by Phil Lanzon on keyboards, which will play a leading role alongside Box's guitar throughout the album, proving to be a winning combination. "Water's Flowin" powerfully harks back to the '70s with that mystical, light sound that might remind many of the famous "Lady In Black". Comparisons aside, a great piece that is anything but obvious and predictable, in which Bernie Shaw carves out a space to express himself at his best. More direct, but not necessarily simple, are "Falling Under Your Spell" and "Goodbye To Innocence", which put aside the more progressive sounds for a moment, letting Mick Box express himself at his best even in territories less explored in Uriah Heep's career. Quite the opposite is "Rocks In The Road", long and elaborate especially in the central part which, as said at the beginning of the paragraph, gives the starring role to Phil Lanzon's keyboards, but which in the initial part showcases the overall abilities of the whole group.

I would like to say that the excellent success of this album is a pleasant surprise, but it is not. Already with the previous "Outsider" and "Into The Wild", Uriah Heep had shown that despite their age they still have plenty of aces up their sleeves, and "Living The Dream" is absolutely no exception. Unlike many of their colleagues who at a certain point in their career decide to suddenly change and shift towards other musical shores, almost never successfully, the Heep manage to confirm their excellent state of health without sounding "old".

Absolutely a pleasant surprise. And we await the next one...