2023 gets off to a great start with ‘Chaos And Colour’. Just the ten songs let loose by Uriah Heep upon the waiting public.
Written by: gdmonline
ARTIST: Uriah Heep
ALBUM: Chaos And Colour
LABEL: Silver Lining Music
SERIAL: SLM104P02
YEAR: 2023
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: England
LINEUP: Bernie Shaw – vocals * Mick Box – guitars * Phil Lanzon – keyboards * Dave Rimmer – bass * Russell Gilbrook – drums
TRACK LISTING: 01 Save Me Tonight * 02 Silver Sunlight * 03 Hail The Sunrise * 04 Age Of Changes * 05 Hurricane * 06 One Nation, One Sun * 07 Golden Light * 08 You’ll Never Be Alone * 09 Fly Like An Eagle * 10 Freedom To Be Free
RATING: 85/100
WEBLINKS: Site Link
Background
We last looked at Uriah Heep back in 2018 with their ‘Living The Dream’ album. It was their last for Frontiers SRL while the line-up remains the same, despite not releasing an album in five years. Those years in between have seen the band continue to gig though without any new music releasesd, while they also moved to the London based label Silver Lining Music.
The label have already built an impressive roster of classic metal acts on their books including Saxon, Alcatrazz and Diamond Head, among others. So it shouldn’t come as any surprise that Uriah Heep have signed on. Fit for purpose indeed!
The Songs
Just the ten songs let loose by Uriah Heep upon the waiting public in 2023. The obvious choice for the lead-off track is the boisterous ‘Save Me Tonight’. It’s all go on this one, with everyone on red alert. Check out the video below. ‘Silver Sunlight’ dips into a freewheeling classic rock excursion, the metronome revolving around a mostly mid tempo range. ‘Hail The Sunrise’ is high on a quota of organ supplied by Phil Lanzon, it’s like a throwback to their prime early 70’s era.
‘Age Of Changes’ is a song of remembering the past, it’s not a ballad at all, but a mid range rocker. ‘Hurricane’ tries to invoke the power of the weather, no worries there, but I believe there are enough bad guys out there using their weather bomb technology in various parts of the world. This track is a whirling vortex. ‘One Nation, One Sun’ is the first encountered ballad, Bernie’s soulful voice coupled with Phil’s piano makes for a perfect union.
‘Golden Light’ is a brash affair, parping synths, organ fills throughout, this track fits the Uriah Heep musical template to a tee. ‘You’ll Never Be Alone’ for its inauspicious beginning ends up being the album’s epic track, at nearly eight minutes there’s a lot going on, and certainly a lot to sink your teeth into. ‘Fly Like An Eagle’ is constructed with melodic rock layers, in parts 70’s in feel and 80’s in spirit. Doesn’t get any better if you are a Uriah Heep fan. Ensuring that the album doesn’t wimp out at the eleventh hour, ‘Freedom To Be Free’ guarantees a rock out to the finish line.
In Summary
2023 gets off to a great start with ‘Chaos And Colour’ living up to its name. All of the attributes that have followed Uriah Heep down through the decades remain intact. Their musical style is their own brand which they’ve kept to themselves for years, they certainly don’t need to play copycat at this late stage of their career. As long as they remain healthy, there are a few more albums and gigs yet to play out.
Video
Save Me Tonight
Hurricane
