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URIAH HEEP certainly comes to mind when you hear LUCIFER'S FRIEND, as do LED ZEPPELIN, DEEP PURPLE andBLACKSABBATH tosomeextent,although you can't accuse the FRIEND of cloning them as none had attained their notorietyas yet.The band started off as ASTRIXin 1970,withfrontman and future URIAH HEEP vocalist John Lawton teaming up withguitaristPeter Hesslein, keyboardist Peter Hecht, bassistDieter Hornsanddrummer Joachim Rietenbach. Through variouspersonnelchanges over the course of twelve years - including Lawton exiting in'76 and thenreturningfor a last gasp in '81 -the bandreleased nine studio ...read more
URIAH HEEP certainly comes to mind when you hear LUCIFER'S FRIEND, as do LED ZEPPELIN, DEEP PURPLE andBLACKSABBATH tosomeextent,although you can't accuse the FRIEND of cloning them as none had attained their notorietyas yet.The band started off as ASTRIXin 1970,withfrontman and future URIAH HEEP vocalist John Lawton teaming up withguitaristPeter Hesslein, keyboardist Peter Hecht, bassistDieter Hornsanddrummer Joachim Rietenbach. Through variouspersonnelchanges over the course of twelve years - including Lawton exiting in'76 and thenreturningfor a last gasp in '81 -the bandreleased nine studio albums and two compliations. In '82, they split up but reunited in'94 for a night album.
Their earlier releases are aggressive and raw, not unlike The SCORPIONS, JANE or LONESOME CROW. Living up to theirsinistername,theyperformedheavy, mean, keyboard-based rock that should please LED ZEP, SABBATH or PURPLE fans. Thencametheir absolutemasterpiece, "Banquet",in 1974,which focusses on epic prog numbers with complex instrumentation,completewith string and hornarrangements, and Lawton giving his full-throttlevocal performance. This album perfectly pulledtogetherthe many different elements of theirsound: prog, soul, jazz and hard rock. If you wanttosample some LUCIFER'SFRIEND,you could try their compilation albums; if you want tohear LUCIFER'S FRIEND at their proggiest, go forthe"Banquet"- theirsubsequent releases received mixed reviews, particularly "Sumogrip" in1994.
Fans of URIAH HEEP or those interested in the roots of heavy metal definitely ought to get their hands on some oftheseitems.
Source: http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=963 « hide |
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