Review Summary: Despite some cracks starting to show, Wonderworld ultimately amounts to another quality Uriah Heep release
An album title like Wonderworld invokes the fantastical aura of a Demons & Wizards, but Uriah Heep probably weren’t feeling the magic as much by this time. With this 1974 album being their seventh in four years on top of extensive touring, the absurdly prolific output was no doubt catching up to them. But even with a noticeably grainy production job and an inevitable sense of fatigue in the playing, the tried and true Heep tropes remain in tact.
In a neat twist, a rawer approach leads to the ‘eavy songs standing out even more than usual. “Suicidal Man” is downright brutal by Heep standards with an especially punishing chugs that call for a full-on metal cover while “I Won’t Mind” is driven by a grinding bass line and bluesy weight that sounds like something Free could’ve done. I can also appreciate the irony of “So Tired” being such a hard-driving song whose catchiness is matched by the more archetypal hustle of “Something Or Nothing.”
On the flip side, the more dynamic songs have less of their signature flair. You won’t find any of their folk excursions here as “The Easy Road” awkwardly aims for soft rock balladry closer to The Carpenters or Fleetwood Mac. The opening title track and “The Shadows And The Wind” try to offer some enchantment while “We Got We” sees their prog tendencies back out to play, but they still got a certain mystical touch that made their previous works so special.
Despite some cracks starting to show, Wonderworld ultimately amounts to another quality Uriah Heep release. Even if it is a step down from their echelon, there are enough commonalities with the classics for it to sneak by and offer its own share of strong songs. For all the moments where it feels like they couldn’t fully tap into their flourishes, it’s cool to see how their endurance allowed some of their more overlooked aspects to shine.
