HIGH AND MIGHTY

I always felt that High and Mighty was a very underrated album. Considering much of the the reviews here I see I'm not alone. This is very good, since I´ve enojoyed this album for years. Ok, this is no The Magician's Birthday nor Demons And Wizzards (their true masterpieces, ever), but it does have some great tunes that are beginning to get the recognition they deserve.

Songs like One Way Or Another, Weep In Silence, Footprints In The Snow and Midnight are classic Uriah Heep anthems: full of power and inspiration. Confession is simply one of Hensley's most beautiful and poignant ballads, ending the Byron era with a touch of grace and delicacy. The remaining tracks may be not as good, but none is crap. Actually a lot of fans dislike the album for many reasons other than the quality of the material here over the years: it was recorded to please the american audiences (or so they say), the production was weak (no Gerry Bron here), little commitement from some band members (Mick Box plays only on a few tracks), etc., etc. Plus David Byron was on the verge of being sacked (he was fired soon after the completition of this album). John Wetton would soon also leave in a short time.

Considering the crisis Uriah Heep was facing during this period, this is a very strong and valid work after all. And far better than a lot of things they'd do in the future (and I mean a lot!). This band really had something special during the Byron years and even not on their best period, they still come across with an album far superior to a lot of their competitors. Conclusion: not really essential Heep, but very good anyway: 3,5 stars.