Alex Gitlin

My review of Sonic Origami. Got it at 6:00 pm last night (Friday, September 18th) - did I beat someone? :-):-) Who beat me? What's my number? No matter.

Hey, I like it, I like it!!! It's a great BACK TO THE 80s pomp-rock album. For my tastes, I could've used a bit more 70s elements in the production, playing and writing, but the way it is, it's not bad at all. I find SO on first listen very very enjoyable. What I'm about to reflect here are nothing but my personal opinions, the way these tracks make ME feel, so I don't think anyone can physically AGREE or DISAGREE - these are just feelings, so if any of you get too hot under the collar, chill out and skip my post, it's not for the faint-hearted. :-)

First of all, I can't say that the old magic is back. No way. This is a totally different band from the "classic" Heep. Said that, looks like the new band cooks with gas and has its own brand of magic on offer, which makes me happy, as a fan.

1. BETWEEN TWO WORLDS. This one instantly creates an atmosphere of an 80s melodic heavy metal album, borrowing the chord structure of the intro from The Sweet "Action", but the way it would've been done by someone like Gary Moore in the mid-80s ("Out in the Fields"). In fact, the resemblance, mood-wise is so strong, "Out in the Fields" is THE song I immediately thought about as soon as I heard this one! [In fact, as an aside, I listened to "Run For Cover" and "After The War", Gary Moore's 1985 and 1989 albums, directly after SO, and I have to tell you, they "play" on the same "breath" as SO - well, GOOD, I say.] This song has a very strong and powerful presence and identity, a very original melody, strong Hammond presence, and constitutes exactly the kind of a 1980s AOR-tinged British heavy metal track I'm used to liking and listeng to… well, since the 80s! :-) The only two weak points are IMHO the not-so- original bits, the intro (see above) and the middle part, which smacks of The Move's "Blackberry Way" (and has Roy Wood written all over it). But SO what (pun intended). :-)

2. I HEAR VOICES. This is one of the funker rock tracks on the CD, and not necessarily my absolute favourite, but not bad over all! :-) Bernie's vocals on this one remind me of Glenn Hughes somewhat, the way he "bends" his voice in a funky sort of way (although nothing like Sloman, thankyouverymuch); all in all, it's a modern hard rock track with a funk flavour to it, which wouldn't be at all out of place on one of Glenn Hughes' 90s solo albums, has a good, commercial feel to it, and even some Deep Purplish overtones, in the way that riff is designed…

3. PERFECT LITTLE HEART. As you know, this is one of the most commercial and what people call "catchy" tracks on the entire album, and definitely not a favourite of mine (in fact, this would be my least favourite track on SO), but it's still kind of "OK" in a strange sort of way. :-) The Hammond organ, although a bit out of place in this sort of arrangement, makes its imminent presence well known right from the get-go, and the overall "feel" of this track is good old 80s AOR pomp-rock; the melody and the arrangements are above average, the melodic ideas and harmony vocals are great also, and the string arrangement passage in the middle is excellent, but the electric percussion underlining the whole song and the pop-guitar riff which Mick plays in the intro and throughout the whole song are both annoying and ruin the track IMUO - in fact, reminds me of Fine Young Cannibals' annoying chart-topper from 1989, "She Drives Me Crazy". This track is single-handedly THE nod to the 80s pop, if I ever heard one.

4. HEARTLESS LAND. This is, as every one knows already, an acoustic guitar ballad. The "feel" of it is one of a typical 80s AOR rocker ballad, with good HVs, lead vocals, excellent melody and great Hammond padding, but the song itself reminds me a bit of the likes of Tesla and Extreme, in their mellower, acoustic moments (which is not necessarily a criticism!), although in all fairness, the melody on this baby is 10,000,000 times better than those by the two I mention above.

5. ONLY THE YOUNG. Ah - a Bolder song! :-) I've been quite critical of his material in the past (Sail the Rivers, e.g.) but I assure you, it's not intentional. I like Bolder as a songwriter in general (except on "Different World", but was it really hit fault?) Said that, at first listen, I disliked the idea for the chorus of this song too much, didn't like the "tinny" modern drums, the tempo and the voxy digital synths - sounded a bit flat and dead in the water to me. But there ARE, afterall, some redeemable qualities in this song… This is a very melodic, back-to-the-80s-MOR/AOR pomp-metal ballad in the flesh, so if you like this sort of stuff, it's definitely for you. :-) I sometimes do and sometimes don't (else how would you explain my love of Magnum - the kings of 80s British pomp-AOR!) Again, the melody is excellent, and the overall arrangement and the idea for this song is very reminiscent of Magnum, great harmony vocals too, excellent guitar solo; this song definitely borrows from the 80s but not necessarily 80s Heep (which is a good thing in my book). This is a far superior track to anything Heep have ever done in the late 1980s/early 1990s, " but at the risk of compromising their identity. Is it Heep? Does it have Heep stamped all over it? I don't think so. I like it, regardless.

It has a great riff and some (as usual, out of place for this sort of arrangement) Hammond padding, quite high in the mix, so this makes Only The Young a listenable and even enjoyable track all in all, even if it seems a little odd at first.

6. IN THE MOMENT. This is a mid-tempo power-pomp-AORish track, which ALSO smacks of the 80s (hey, I can't help it!!), also has a very melodic riff, a-la 80s Deep Purple and the overall feel that's similar to vintage mid-80s Magnum ("How Far Jerusalem", "Just Like An Arrow") - not the melodies themselves, mind you, but the way it makes me feel, the atmosphere. Which can't be a bad thing at all.

The arrangements and the production are very consistent throughout the album, so no surprises here - SO borrows big time from the 80s AOR, but perhaps British 80s AOR, rather than the likes of Journey/Triumph, which, again, in my book, is a very good thing. Maybe Pip Williams is to "blame". :-)

This is compensated by the rich melodies, original melodic ideas, superb arrangements, VERY non-formulaic stuff, even if it's commercial and radio friendly. This song, for instance, has a very high commercial potential, but it is enjoyable to me at the same time. Thus, Only The Young is an anthemic pomp-rock track with an AOR flavour, with a superb surprise wah-wah solo from Mick - at last!

7. Question - yet another acoustic ballad, and a welcome one, at that, IMUO. This would be a perfect choice for MTV's Unplugged (getting back to the suggestion brought up by Boris some years ago!) if Heep ever reconsidered and decided to do an Unplugged concert - alongside The Wizard, Tales, Blind Eye, and so forth, although the "feel" of this song is quite different than these latter titles. This is not Heep in the "classic" sense, but this track could be compared to the better moments of Moody Blues, as someone else has pointed out, albeit the "updated" version. :-) This track features a sad, melancholy melody that is absolutely superb, thoughtful, deep and meaningful lyrics, excellent harmony vocals; the acoustic guitar and piano work befitting the mood; the tempo and overall arrangement (padded with synth strings from Phil) move dangerously close to the "Extreme" territory, "feel"-wise, and further away from the "classic" Heep. So Ken would've been right if he chose to say "It ain't like the good ol' days" about this track. But once again, this song stands very strongly on its own merit, a very strong and moving track in its own right, indeed. The arrangements are actually haunting, in a new-age sort of way, this type of synth and piano sound was definitelt en-vogue in the late 1980s (just listen to practically any new age album from that era)… this song flows into…

8. CHANGE! Another perfect 80s AOR track (do I sound like a broken record now??), a-la "Raging Silence", except the production is MUCH MUCH better (not overdone), and Bernie actually sings (and quite soulfully so) instead of barking. Very well done. The synths in places are a bit lame for my tastes, and the tempo of this song is akin to a typical 80s pomp-rocker, but again, decent HVs, an upbeat, original melody are not bad at all and serve as this track's strong redeeming qualities! This actually sounds like MUSIC to my ears, with MELODIES and vocal arrangements, etc., unlike DP "Abandon".

The Hammond - acoustic guitar interlude the midde are most welcome! The drums are definitely played on and mixed in a modern way, not like Heep used to do back in the 70s, and the prominent synths in the mix are also a dead giveaway that it's a modern rock track. Good synth work, though, for what it's worth - given Phil's curriculum vitae, that would be his forte, although he also handles Hammond superbly. All in all, a very good melody, strong vocals, but the overall sound is a bit too 80s pomp-rockish for my tastes, although done without the usual poseurism which normally goes along with this type of arrangements.

9. SHELTER FROM THE RAIN. The guitar intro immediately reminds me of Gary Moore - this one is a very commercial, 80s style rock ballad, not unlike what Gary Moore's stuff sounded like at the time, with proper arrangements, a little Hammond added for posterity (remember "Still Got the Blues"?) a superb melody, strong, powerful vocals; the lead guitar solo break is A+!!! Not to mention the "orgasmic" "oohs and aahs" - the old Heep is ALMOST back on this one via those! :-)

This may not be my MOST favourite track on the CD, but it's damn good, nevertheless, done in the same spirit as Gary Moore's albums from the latter half of 80s: "After The War"/"Still Got The Blues" type arrangements married to good 80s pomp-rock, excellent HVs and the usual (for this album) Hammond padding.

10. Everything in Life - well, Vlad wins, we get another track (tempo and arrangements-wise) a-la "Weekend Warriors", "Night of the Wolf", but I can't help but feel delighted at the fact! :-) The 80s Heep (its better moments, I mean) is definitely back on this one! But the superb, original melody and the wah wah guitar beat anything they've done in the 80s hands down (my opinion!)

11. Across the Miles - the "electric percussion and the synth" monster is back on this one, unfortunately (see above); this is a VERY 80s style pomp-rock, synth-and-guitar-driven track… The rhythm and the solo aren't as good as what I've heard elsewhere on this disc so far, the whole song does not stand a chance against the ten tracks above IMUO. Thanks to the synthetic/electric percussion, the overall feel of this song is not unlike Queen's "These are the days of our lives", off "Innuendo" - this sort of arrangements are usually not my cup of tea. But not bad, if not compared to anything else Heep have done, really - standing on its own merit, it's a modern, Magnum-style synthetic ballad, with an 80s twinge to it. A very commercial song as well (no surprise!), but the melody here ain't too bad, especially in the chorus; the song's saved by Bernie's powerful vocals, in fact, I don't think Bernie's ever sounded this good, ever! It's a happy-go-lucky 80s style "listen to the radio" type pop ballad with bombastic arrangements, but good melodic ideas, nevertheless.

12. FEELS LIKE - Another mid-tempo pomp-rocker, 80s style; good solid guitar work, good synth backing, great HVs, not a bad melody, and the lyrics that are telling a a story! But on this one, Bernie gets dangerously close to his former style from the "Raging Silence"/"Different World" days, but thankfully (using the pun!) he doesn't quite CROSS THAT LINE. :-) Maybe it's just that kind of a song which calls for that kind of vocals. :-)

13. Golden Palace - A nice and haunting string intro (although done on digital synths) joined by Mick's acoustic guitar… This one apparently is supposed to be a ballad about the oppressive regime days in the former Soviet Russia, and it tells an appropriate story. This song with THIS type of arrangements work particularly well for the kind of story the band are trying to convey, a good, wholesome tune, but doesn't have anything Heep-ish about it. The melody again is quite sad and melancholic, and interesting, but I couldn't detect anything particularly "Russian" about it. :-) Bernie's vocals and the instrumental arrangements do make this song sound like an 80s AOR ballad in the vein of Journey, et. al. But the melodic idea for this one is much better than any Journey out there could ever DREAM of…

The song evolves into a Magnum-style anthem, with a great, powerful melody, featuring some unexpected twists; this is a complex, multi-part songs, and all parts seem to fit quite cohesively and coherently together, as the song continues to tell that story… This may be the closest Heep have ever come to creating a "concept" piece of sorts…

14. Sweet Pretender - ah, at last, a proper Heep rocker, maybe close in style and feel to "Time of Revelation", although still bearing the 80s heavy metal overtones, which are quite pertinent for this album, the surprisingly out of place Hammond (for this style of arrangement and feel); it's also a very comercially-sounding track, which would work very well for the radio, IMHO, and, at the same time, one of my instant favourites on the album! The vocal harmonies are very well done/

Overall, this album is very well arranged, well-thought-out, excellently produced in the mid-late 80s pomp-AOR style, and the pomp-rock melodies are typically par for the course, but I don't mean any of this as a complaint or with any kind of bad connotations. I'm not holding back any grudges, moaning or complaining about anything. If this route is what Heep have chosen for themselves in the late 90s - then more power to them. I used to quite enjoy this type of music, and still do, from time to time, contrary to the popular belief, and I'll stand behind Heep 100% - SO's really worth it, a very strong album. I could've used a bit more of the 70s feel (not necessarily 70s Heep, but 70s in general, in arrangements, writing, recording, instruments, and so forth), but if that's not what Heep want - fine, who am I to tell them otherwise. :-)

This album IMHO would've been very very successful, had it been released anywhere between 1984 and 1990 in Britain, but I still hope that it becomes successful now, on both sides of the Atlantic. The material's very strong, and doesn't, by any means, lack in talent, originality or individuality, so once again, more power to Heep, and congratulations with the release of another EXCELLENT album.

Hope my above "criticisms" will be taken as meant - constructively. Overall, I'm VERY VERY pleased with SO.

Alex.