CONQUEST

I do understand everybody's disappointment with this album; nevertheless I think this is not such a bad album after all. The main problem is that it often doesn't sound like Heep, and second problem is the newcomer John Sloman. Not that he is a bad vocalist (not at all), but I'm starting to agree with those who say his vocals didn't suit the music. And compared with the first two Heep vocalists, Byron and Lawton, Sloman's lucky star is starting to fade away.

By late 70s, Uriah Heep was starting to be a sinking ship; after losing Gary Thain and a bit later David Byron, the band abandoned their progressive roots and became a mainstream hard rock act, alienating the Byron era fans. After John Lawton left, things got even worse. Newcomer John Sloman was a bad choice from the start; he doesn't even sound like any of his two predecessors, affecting the live performances of the band.

The music is quite good; Fools, It Ain't Easy, Out on the Streets, No Return and Carry On are the highlights here (IMHO), the rest is often ruined by the vocals.

Three stars rating for this album, good but hardly essential for the Uriah Heep collection. Fans of AOR and hard rock might still enjoy this album.