INTO THE WILD

For the most part, this recent Uriah Heep release is a hard rock album first and a prog album second. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, though. "Nail On The Head" opens the album with some AC/DC-esque riffing. The song is actually very similar to "Back In Black" now that I think about it. The album then carries on to more hard rock songs in the vein of Deep Purple or Rainbow. Some highlights included the drumming in "Money Talks" and the song "Into The Wild", which is one of the album's finest tracks. In fact, "Into The Wild", an uptempo rocker about a desperado on the lam, is probably one of the best rock tracks I've heard released this decade. There are two more progressive songs on the album, "Trail of Diamonds" and "Kiss of Freedom", which are both excellent, featuring fantasy vocals and incredible vocal performances from Bernie Shaw.

"Into The Wild" isn't a masterpiece by any means but it's certainly a strong album and the best Uriah Heep material I've heard since the 70's. 3 stars.