THE MAGICIAN'S BIRTHDAY

If anyone ever wanted to know what a typical classic Uriah Heep album sounded like, this would be a fine candidate for that title. It contains all of the elements that the band is best known for: heavy-hitting hard rock from guitarist Mick Box, romantic fantasy-themed lyrics delivered beautifully by David Byron, a couple of ballads here and there and some fairly standard keyboard performances interwoven between Mick Box's guitar licks. If you love everything I've just described, then you will find it all delivered well on this album. The reason why I only give this album 3 stars is because aside from these facets, there's little that's memorable about the album. The only truly magnificent track is the epic "The Magician's Birthday", which undoubtedly features Mick Box's strongest guitar work, with a nearly 4 minute guitar solo, as well as some of the band's best fantasy storytelling. So unless you're a Uriah Heep mega fan, you certainly won't be making this release one of your desert island discs.