Uriah Heep
Demons and Wizards
Mercury 1972
David Byron - vocals
Ken Hensley - acoustic and slide guitar
Mick Box - lead guitar
Gary Thain - bass guitar
Lee Kerslake - drums, percussion
1. The Wizard
2. Traveller in Time
3. Easy Livin'
4. Poet's Justice
5. Circle of Hands
6. Rainbow Demon
7. All My Life
8. Paradise/The Spell
This album by Uriah Heep is large unknown now. And how criminal that is. This album is an amazing piece of work by an under-recognized band.
The Wizard is a mostly acoustic song with fantasy lyrics, fused with a sort of hippie idealism. Traveller in Time and Easy Livin' are both catchy rockers, the former with some great wah-guitar work, and the latter being one of the bands few big hits. Poet's Justice and Circle of Hands are more progressive pieces. The lyrics are beautifully poetic and the music rises to an epic splendor. Rainbow Demon is a heavy progressive song, with dirty organ and electric guitar dominating the sound. All My Life, I think, is the weakest song on the album. It's another straight-forward rocker in the vein of Easy Livin', but the former is more impressive, which leaves the latter feeling like it comes up short. The last song is the epic-length Paradise/The Spell. The lyrics are mostly dark and in places angry, the first part is soft and dominated by acoustic guitar or piano. When the second part comes in, organ, Mellotron, and electric guitar come to the forefront and dymanics shift constantly. The song ends with a grand crescendo, bringing the album to an epic close. Another thing that deserves mention is the drum work: nearly each song features excellent fills sure to please those into flashy drum fills. And who isn't?
This album comes highly recommended to fans of proto-prog or proto-metal.
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