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Hi Heepsters!

Uriah Heep are delighted to announce that the band has signed a new, exclusive worldwide recording deal with Sanctuary Records.
 
Heep will commence recording their first new album for nine years since 1998's "Sonic Origami", during March/April and going into pre production rehearsals in February. The as yet untitled album  - which will be Heep?s 21st official studio album - is scheduled for release during late summer and will feature at least ten new tracks, produced by Mike Paxman.
 
Mike Paxman played guitar, wrote and recorded with singer and songwriter 'Judie Tzuke' from the late seventies, co-writing many of her early successes including the single 'Stay With Me 'Till Dawn', and the album 'Welcome To The Cruise'. Mike went on to tour with Judie's band until the mid-eighties, producing, writing and playing on a further 12 albums.
 
Having developed a preference for the studio over the stage, Mike and Judie's partner Paul Muggleton established Big Ocean Studios in Surrey. Throughout the eighties they worked developing and making albums with a series of artists of varying styles, including three albums with Nick Kamen including the single 'I Promise Myself' which achieved #1 in six territories worldwide, the album 'Under a Southern Sky' and the single 'I Got You' with Australia's Paul Norton, 'Independent Love Song' and the album 'Naked' with UK girl group 'Scarlet', albums and tracks with UK jazz band 'First Light', singers 'Francis Rufelle', 'Jimmy Nail' and Germany's 'Thomas Anders' and many others, as well as writing and producing music for film and TV.
 
Since 1997 Mike has made five albums with UK rock band Status Quo, including 2002's Heavy Traffic, widely acclaimed as putting the 'rock' back into Quo's studio output. He has most recently produced the audio for their recent Live DVD 'Just Doin' It', released in November 2006.
 
Mike says he saw Uriah Heep at the very first gig they played under the name Uriah Heep at Salisbury Tech College on March 20th 1970, so he was there at the beginning! He says he is honored to be asked to work on the new studio album and he promises to make it a stormer.
 
Comments Uriah Heep manager Simon Porter: 'We thought very carefully about the new deal before deciding that Sanctuary is the natural home for the band at this moment in time. They know the band well and have done an extremely good on marketing the back catalogue. More importantly, they are extremely enthusiastic about the band and can?t wait to get their teeth into a new album. I also believe that Mike Paxman will add a ?back to basics with a 21st century twist? approach to the recording process which will result in a welcome return to the classic Heep sound from which the success of the band was originally built'.
 
Comments Mick Box - 'We are very pleased to be able to make this announcement as we have been waiting for this as much as the fans. There is much excitement in the Heep camp and we hope to put an 18 month world tour planner around the new album. We are pleased to have Mike Paxman wear the producer's hat as he has a varied producer's record which we think will benefit our music. He has already spent some time with Phil and I going over the songs already written and there is a good buzz with what we have thus far and we have been exchanging ideas to get the best out of each song. Trevor is presently finishing off the building of his home studio and will bring his songs to the table too. I am presently in Australia and then will be moving on to New Zealand on a much needed holiday with my family. I return mid January and Mike and I have arranged to meet up and make the important choice of studios we want to use. He has investigated this already and we have had discussions about this but we just have to find the right studio we feel will help us get the results we are looking for and then book it. So you can see there are exciting times ahead and I want to thank each and every one of you reading this for your continued support and faith that in the end we will have a new CD. Onwards and upwards ?Appy Days! Mick'.