Mick Box Explains How Uriah Heep Keep Their Traditional Sound

In a recent interview with Metallerium, Mick Box of Uriah Heep revealed how the band has managed to keep its traditional sound for so long, despite lineup changes and the years going by.

The guitarist stressed his importance as a pillar of the Uriah Heep sound, saying (via Blabbermouth):

“Well, I think, I think, basically, as long as I’m there, the band’s gonna sound like Uriah Heep. Because we created a template on how we sounded back in 1970 with our first album, ‘…Very ‘Eavy …Very ‘Umble.’ So, we’ve continued with that all the way along the line.”

Box continued, giving due credit to Uriah Heep’s producer:

“I think a lot of the credit must go to Jay Ruston, our producer, because he understood where we come from, what we’re all about, but he managed to make the album sound really fresh and today, and I think that’s a marvelous achievement. So really, as long as we keep playing and writing good songs and doing good performances, and we get someone like Jay Ruston recording it, I think it will always sound fresh and exciting.”

In the illustrious 25 album-strong career of Uriah Heep as an institution, Mick Box has been the only constant. Knowing this, there is little doubt that his words are correct. While the band never reached the public eye as some of its contemporaries like Black Sabbath, the sheer influence it had on music as a whole is staggering — from imitators to experimental acts, Uriah Heep’s sound is interwoven with music history itself.