Hi Heepsters!

Important (official) announcement below... scroll down for details!

URIAH HEEP http://www.uriah- heep.com

Upcoming Uriah Heep live dates!

April 14 - Rockin'70's Festival, Katinkulta, Vuokatti, Finland
May 27 - Laugardalshöll Music Hall, Reykjavík, Iceland
July 6 (or 7) - Lovely Days Festival, Saint Polten, Austria
July 14 - Rowlit, Parainen, Finland
July 20 - Meripäivät, Kotka, Finland
July 21 - Open air, Breitenbach, Germany
July 26 - Keitelejazz, Äänekoski (north of Jyvaskyla), Finland
July 27 - Umpitunneli, Tornio (north of Oulu), Finland

All details, tickets info, phone numbers:
http://www.uriah- heep.com/ newa/livedates. php

***** URIAH HEEP DRUMMER ANNOUNCEMENT *****

URIAH HEEP is delighted to announce that drummer RUSSELL GILBROOK has joined the band. He replaces LEE KERSLAKE, who left the band in January due to health reasons.

Russell is regarded as one of the UK’s finest drummers and clinicians and has demonstrated specialist drum clinics all over Europe. He has worked with such diverse artists as Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath), Van Morrison, John Farnham, Alan Price, Chris Barber and Lonnie Donnigan.

RUSSELL GILBROOK comments: "I am really excited to be joining a band with such a fantastic history and quality of musicianship and musicality. I am just as excited to be a part of the band’s progress into the future, and I cannot wait to get in the Recording Studio because the songs we have already worked on are fantastic. This will hopefully take the band to a new level. I hope the fans will enjoy my playing and singing as much as the band and welcome me as a member of Uriah Heep".

Comments URIAH HEEP and founder member MICK BOX: "Russell came to the audition and blew us all away. He is one of the heaviest drummers I have ever heard. We spent two days auditioning a shortlist of twelve drummers from 120 applicants, and once Russell started playing we just knew he was the man for the job. There were smiles all around and he made the drum stool his. We were never looking for a clone of Lee Kerslake, as that would have been an impossible task, as there is only one Lee. Had we taken that stance we would have in effect stood still. We were looking for someone who can come into the band and energise it and have a wealth of ideas, especially for the new songs and give us a new lease on life. Russell did just that and his appointment comes at the start of an exciting new phase in the band’s career. We hope the fans will feel the same way once they have heard him play and sing".

URIAH HEEP commence recording its first new studio album in nine years, since 1998’s "Sonic Origami", later this month at Chapel Studios (The Darkness, Arctic Monkey's) in Lincolnshire with producer MIKE PAXMAN (Status Quo, Judie Tzuke). The as yet untitled album - which will be Heep’s 21st official studio album, is scheduled for release in early September on Sanctuary Records.

RUSSELL GILBROOK’S debut live show with Heep will be at the Katinkulta Festival in Finland on April 14th. You can visit Russell at his MySpace site: http://www.myspace. com/russellgilbrook .

Click here to see a photo of the new Uriah Heep lineup:

www.uriah- heep.com/ newa/heep07. jpg

MORE HEEP... AND RELATED!

Keith Baker, former Heep drummer (he played on "Salisbury") , is currently fighting prostate cancer. Anyone wishing to send a personal message to Keith can do so through Mike Taylor at WMtaylor57@aol. com. Please write "Message for Keith Baker" in the subject line and Mike will make sure that all messages reach him. Thank you.

John Sloman, former singer of Uriah Heep (album "Conquest", 1980) and Gary Moore Band, is the special guest at the Mostly Autumn gigs in Holland in May 2007. John just released his acoustic CD, "13 Storeys".

The new Ken Hensley CD, "Blood On The Highway", will be released on May 25th. On May 22nd there will be a live showcase performance of the entire CD, including the original singers, Glenn Hughes, Jorn Lande, Eve Gallagher and John Lawton, at the Fabrik in Hamburg, Germany. The entire performance will be filmed for later release as a DVD.

Paul Raymond Gregory, the artist who draw Heep's "Spellbinder" cover, has a paintings exhibition based on J.R.R Tolkien's "Lord Of The Rings" trilogy going on. Please follow this link for details: http://www.studio54 .co.uk/

Heep news for the Scandinavian people can be accessed through ScanHeep News: http://geocities. com/scanheep/ news.html. Also maintained by the same people is this rock site: www.freewebt own.com/InRock/.

Check these out! Thanks to Filip Björner for the info.