After reaching an international level of success with
Demons and Wizards
,
Uriah Heep
continued to build their fan base by knocking out another album of
prog
-like
metal
before the year's end. The end result,
The Magician's Birthday
, is not as consistent or cohesive as
but still offers plenty of highlights. It starts dramatically with
"Sunrise,"
a spooky
power ballad
that alternates quiet organ-led verses with an emotional chorus and guitar-fuelled instrumental breaks topped off by
David Byron
's operatic wail. The remainder of the album divides its time between punchy rockers and spacy balladry before climaxing with another
-inflected epic. Highlights in the
rock
arena include
"Blind Eye,"
an acoustic-flavored rocker whose galloping pace is firmly anchored by
Gary Thain
's melodic bassline, and
"Sweet Lorraine,"
a stomping good-time rocker that adds extra texture to its guitar-driven sound with some spacy synthesizer lines. As for the quieter moments,
"Rain"
is a lovely piano
ballad
that makes surprising and impressive use of a xylophone in its sound and
"Echoes in the Dark"
is an eerie mid-tempo song that alternates stark piano-led verses with an emotional chorus cemented by
Mick Box
's searing guitar leads. There is also another multi-part epic in the title track, a prog-ish piece with fantasy themes. It lacks a strong structure (it feels more like three songs grafted together than a true multi-part composition) and succumbs to a bit of aimless jamming in the middle, but it is redeemed by strong hooks in the opening and a spirited performance from the band on its
space rock
finale. All in all,
never quite hits the consistent heights of
Look at Yourself
or
but remains a solid listen for
fans. ~ Donald A. Guarisco