Mick Box: Lead guitar/vocals 1969–present. ![]() On April 26, 2005, the band announced on their website and in their Email newsletter that there would be no Magician's Birthday Party in 2005, as they are concentrating their efforts on writing and recording a new studio album to be released in early 2006 (see announcement on the band's website ( )). This event consists of fan gatherings (a devoted fan is usually referred to as a Heepster) at local venues featuring current and former band members, and a concert, often with guest appearances by former members, (including Hensley, who has appeared onstage with the band at one show, and performed a separate solo concert as part of the festivities for another) which is filmed and released as a DVD and CD. Their principal tour circuit is in the countries mentioned above, although they return to Britain for a tour each year that culminates in 'The Magician's Birthday Party' (named for one of their most popular albums) in November in London. They still tour and release occasional studio (and frequent live) albums, featuring the same lineup since 1986. The band released several commercially successful albums in the 1970s, but their audience declined during the 1980s, to the point where they became essentially a cult band in the US and UK, although they maintain a significant following in Germany, the Netherlands, the Scandinavian peninsula, Japan, and Russia. In Germany, their biggest hit was "Free Me", from the 1977 album Innocent Victim. In spite of their huge popularity in Britain and continental Europe, Uriah Heep was never able to break into the American market in a big way, with the exception of three hit songs, "Easy Livin' " from the 1972 album Demons and Wizards, "Sweet Lorraine" from the 1972 album The Magician's Birthday, and "Stealin' " from the 1973 release Sweet Freedom. Box has been the band leader ever since, and in recent years, until April 2005, acted as their manager as well (as of April 5 2005, the band has retained Simon Porter as their manager, see announcement here: ( )). ![]() Two early 1980s releases, Abominog and Head First, updated the band's sound and generated a brief, newfound interest in Uriah Heep among younger hair metal fans. It fell to guitarist Mick Box to pick up the pieces and soldier on. ![]() ![]() The replacement of Lawton with vocalist John Sloman for the 1980 album Conquest was not well received by most fans, and Ken Hensley's acrimonious departure in September of that year left the group in a state of collapse. Subsequent releases would find the group's ever-shifting lineup (between 19, the band changed drummers five times, bassists four times, and lead singers twice) frequently exploring fantasy-oriented lyrical themes, often in lengthy, multi-part compositions, largely penned by Hensley, who would eventually come to dominate the band during his tenure.įollowing the 1976 replacement of vocalist David Byron with John Lawton (formerly of the German band Lucifer's Friend), Uriah Heep turned away from fantasy-oriented lyrics and multi-part compositions back toward a more straightforward hard rock sound typical of the era. Their second album, Salisbury, was more squarely in the progressive rock genre, with its 16-minute title track featuring a 24-piece orchestra. Very 'Umble (which was self-titled in the United States), introduced a heavy organ and guitar-driven sound, with David Byron's theatrical, dynamic vocals soaring above thunderous sonic backgrounds, although acoustic and jazz elements also featured in the mix.
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