Birmingham’s unyielding metal champions bestride the ages
Uriah Heep: musty by name, brilliant in nature
“THIS ONE IS
Rainbow Demon, it came out in ’72,” says Uriah Heep frontman Bernie Shaw to an already near-full arena. “Who remembers that?” Alarge proportion of the crowd by the looks of it. There’s a case to be made that a rejuvenated Judas Priest have missed an opportunity to showcase and build a bridge to metal’s next generation in their choice of supports. But as Rob Halford will tell the crowd later on, this is a “true heavy metal package”, and one that allows the band to share their extended, half-century celebrations with their British peers. More than that, it’s also a means to put Priest in context, both in terms of the scene they emerged from, and the one they helped create.