Earlier in 2001, during the summer, the group embarked on its first US tour in seven years and returned the following year to headline both nights of Classic Rock Productions Classic Rock Festival at the Patriots Theater at the Trenton War Memorial in Trenton, New Jersey , on 5 and…
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The band released The Legend Continues DVD and then toured the UK. A reunion gig with Ken Hensley and John Lawton took place in London on 7 December 2001 in the course of the Magicians Birthday Party , which since then became a tradition, even though Hensley never actually joined…
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Produced by Pip Williams, Sonic Origami , originally issued in Europe and Japan in the fall of 1998, then, a year later, in the U.S., had “a grand, epic tone throughout” that, according to rock critic Steve Huey, “doesn’t always match Uriah Heep’s journeyman-sounding prog-tinged hard rock, still being a…
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In late March and early April 1995, the band’s former singer John Lawton briefly rejoined Uriah Heep for two weeks to tour South Africa and Austria with Deep Purple , filling in for Bernie Shaw, who was suffering from voice problems at the time.
The album Sea of Light (released in April 1995) produced by the band along with Kalle Trapp was well received and in retrospect is seen as the band’s return to form, the key to success being (according to critic Donald A. Guarisco) the way it “forsook the ill-judged pop metal…
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Produced by Trevor Bolder and released early in 1991, Different World got a mixed reception from the press (put down in Kerrang! , hailed in Metal Hammer ) and sold poorly. “Yet another technically sound but artistically bland recording from Uriah Heep” (according to AllMusic) failed to chart and marked…
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Raging Silence , produced by Richard Dodd and released in May 1989, was followed by a return to the Soviet Union, concerts in Poland, East Berlin , six dates in Brazil and another British tour. “The last two years have been the most enjoyable of all my time in Heep”,…
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The lineup remained unchanged from 1986 until 2007, with veteran Mick Box at the helm, Trevor Bolder on bass, Lee Kerslake on drums, vocalist Bernie Shaw and Phil Lanzon on keyboards. Their principal tour circuit has been in Germany, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Japan and Russia. In December 1987 they became…
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American singer Steff Fontaine, formerly of Christian metal band Joshua , joined in July 1986 but was criticised for being totally “unprofessional” (he missed, for some reason, a San Francisco gig) and was sacked in September 1986 after just one American tour. Fontaine’s position was offered then to ex-Grand Prix,…
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Totally exhausted and having serious voice problems, Goalby left in November 1985 after an Australian tour. “I loved and believed in Uriah Heep but it kicked the shit out of me in the end”, were his parting words. Then John Sinclair quit, deciding to join Ozzy Osbourne, and keyboardist Phil…
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