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Uriah Heep
have been around for about 35 years, and still going strong. They
don’t make the enchanting albums they did in their heydays, though.
Somewhere in Sweden there are a couple of guys who very much regret
this fact. They have found the perfect solution: start a band and
record a similar album themselves.
From the first notes of the title track, it’s as if you are
listening to an outtake from Heep’s “Return To Fantasy”. Then
an “Easy Livin’”-like riff sets in, and when Magnus Lindgren starts
singing, you might be forgiven for thinking David Byron has risen
from the dead. This is Uriah Heep from start to finish: the
complex song structure, the harmony vocals, the intensive drumming,
the heavy Hammond sound, that ever-so-gentle interlude,… As if
Black Bonzo wanted to put every Heep trademark into this
one track.
And it doesn’t end there. Without having carbon copies of Heep
songs, this album is filled with references to early Heep.
Typical song titles, the general feel of the album cover, jazzy
rhythms, the vintage backing vocals, the Hensley- like Hammond
solos, the use of the mellotron, that guitar sound,…. There’s even a
nod to the “Firefly”/Lawton–era (guess who the singer sounds like
here). This is as close as you can come to imitating, before
becoming a copy. Even image-wise, the band refuse to accept they are
living in the 21st century: just have a look at some
photographs on the website; these could easily have been taken
sometime in the 70’s.
But it’s not just that they try to sound like their main influence,
they do it very well, too. This is a great album in its own right,
and it easily keeps my attention from start to finish.
As the album rolls on, you start noticing the differences. Despite a
similar approach, Lindgren’s voice is actually quite different from
Byron’s. The bass lines aren’t nearly as prominent as those of any
Heep bassist. The music doesn’t have quite the same depth. And a few
other influences pop up (like early Queen in “Freedom”). But
then, these are just reminders that you are actually listening to
Black Bonzo and not the real thing.
Funnily enough, the accompanying letter doesn’t mention Heep
even once, and neither does the website. Still, you can’t regard
this album as anything other than a Uriah Heep pastiche.
Nothing wrong with that, but it would speak for the band if they
were to acknowledge this somewhere.
You can’t award the band high marks for originality, but for once, I
absolutely don’t care. I’ve had so much fun with this nostalgic
trip, that I can’t but highly recommend Black Bonzo. |
