INTO THE WILD

The nearly forty year old Uriah Heep continues their golden-year come back with this steady rockin' release. It features the band keeping the volume cranked, the bottom heavy, and delivery direct. It's nice to hear a band as venerable as Uriah Heep keep the energy level high, but in general Into the Wild comes and goes without much to grab hold of.

Dedicated fans of the band will doubtless find a lot to like. In general the group sounds great. Shaw's vocals are as strong as they group's heyday, and the band plays with a warm and energetic feel that rocks with a classic sound. In general the tone of this album is optimistic, with plenty of sing-along material and '70's fuzz.

That being said, the songwriting is essentially a collection of filler. Songs like "Money Talk," "Lost," and "T-Bird Angel" plod along blandly and don't leave much of an impact. The two extended pieces "Kiss of Freedom" and "Trail of Diamonds" give us more varied dynamics, but don't strive for anything more ambitious than just being rock songs with extended solo and chorus sections. In thinking about this album several days after listening, I couldn't remember a single melody except for the bland opener "Nail On the Head."

There isn't a sliver of 'prog' here, but Into the Wild doesn't try to be anything other than what it really is: an old rock band having fun jamming to new material. At this point Uriah Heep isn't going to be collecting new fans or be expected to sound like anything other than themselves, which makes Into the Wild a by the books affair that will appeal to those already fans of the band.

Songwriting: 2 - Instrumental Performances: 3 - Lyrics/Vocals: 3 - Style/Emotion/Replay: 2