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URIAH HEEP certainly comes to mind when you hear LUCIFER'S FRIEND, as do LED ZEPPELIN, DEEP PURPLE and BLACK SABBATH to some extent, although you can't accuse the FRIEND of cloning them as none had attained their notoriety as yet. The band started off as ASTRIX in 1970, with frontman and future URIAH HEEP vocalist John Lawton teaming up with guitarist Peter Hesslein, keyboardist Peter Hecht, bassist Dieter Horns and drummer Joachim Rietenbach. Through various personnel changes over the course of twelve years - including Lawton exiting in '76 and then returning for a last gasp in '81 - the band released 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 their sinister name, they performed heavy, mean, keyboard-based rock that should please LED ZEP, SABBATH or PURPLE fans. Then came their absolute masterpiece, "Banquet", in 1974, which focusses on epic prog numbers with complex instrumentation, complete with string and horn arrangements, and Lawton giving his full-throttle vocal performance. This album perfectly pulled together the many different elements of their sound: prog, soul, jazz and hard rock. If you want to sample some LUCIFER'S FRIEND, you could try their compilation albums; if you want to hear LUCIFER'S FRIEND at their proggiest, go for the "Banquet" - their subsequent releases received mixed reviews, particularly "Sumogrip" in 1994.

Fans of URIAH HEEP or those interested in the roots of heavy metal definitely ought to get their hands on some of these items.



1. Demolition Man (4:16) 
2. Jokers & Fools (4:21) 
3. When Children Cry (4:22) 
4. Straight For The Heart (3:22) 
5. Tell Me Why (4:07) 
6. Don't Talk To Strangers (3:45) 
7. I Will Be There (4:00) 
8. This Time (5:03) 
9. Tears (4:18) 
10. Sea Of Promises (4:53) 
11. Brothers Without A Name (3:21) 
12. When You're Gone (Live) (2:06)