There's a lot I didn't know about this band when I set out to listen to their new CD. Now that I've familiarized myself with the band a bit, there are two things I can state with complete certainty. The first is that yes, "Uriah Heep" has been around since the dawn of time, and secondly, I don't know much about their music. But of course who hasn't heard those timeless words echoing in the wind from time to time, "This is a thing I've never known before, it's called easy livin'." Yes gentlemen, a true classic, and here we are some twenty-five years later and I can ashamedly proclaim that I STILL don't know what it is! They must have had me in their plans when they wrote it.

Midway through the first tune, "Between Two Worlds," I've come to realize this is pretty potent stuff! The first song's a killer, a boulder of a song that I honestly didn't expect to cave my skull the way it did. The English underdogs are not coming back from anywhere. Let's point that out up front. It's the natural assumption for many, that even though a band's not been heard of recently in the radio-hit sense, or written up, they must have gone somewhere and died off. Not true. Unlike fellow Brit classic rockers Nazareth, who recently enjoyed an actual comeback, "Uriah Heep's" kept on going. If this new "Sonic Origami's" any indication, they ain't ready to rest just yet.

But, by all rights, they're one of the few bands who've earned the right to call it a day with their exhaustive roller coaster ride through the world's stage and generations changing hands - or in their case, band members, yet they stride up here to the mic, perhaps maybe a bit of swagger in their step and are like, "We're still here mates, let's have at it!" Good for them.

"I Hear Voices" and it's "run to be free" utterance has the makings for rock radio attention, as might "Perfect Little Heart," but more likely would have circa 1976, since their likeness to early Journey surfaces. "Heartless Land" adopts a serious tone and ponders where love quickly took a back seat to hate between now and then. "Question" mildly addresses honesty in a C, S & N kind of tradition.

"Change" finds UH back in solid rock form, and it is here that I can't help thinking of early Gary Moore to go along with the previously compared Perry-less Journey, particularly when "Everything In Life" shoves itself into the picture. "Across The Miles" is listed as the first single, and was written by the former Survivor team of Peterik and Sullivan. It's '80s pop leanings might be a little odd to absorb at first, but is pleasant enough.

"Uriah Heep" - the name will always signal a blast from the past, one of those bands who would either make it big on infamy or nothing at all. Even with an impressive catalog and career that spans thirty years, they never quite landed the big one, but managed those couple of songs that everyone remembers. Their sound quality is still there, and remarkably so too is their firepower. I'll be the first to admit this is a good album. The new music is well written, performed, and thanks possibly to the starfish effect they as a unit had to endure with replacing members, the sound is all rock and roll signed, sealed and delivered with no expiration date! Oh, and stick around for the bonus cut at fourteen if your disc comes equipped with it. "Sweet Pretender" is one of the best on the album!