Editing Uriah Heep (band) (section)

===Peter Goalby era (1981–1986)===
Box remembered: "I locked myself in my flat for two days and drank myself senseless in complete self-pity. But I somehow managed to pull myself together and consider my options."<ref name="blows_10"/> First he rang Lee Kerslake (who in the meanwhile had co-founded [[Blizzard of Ozz]] with [[Ozzy Osbourne]]) and the drummer brought along with him bassist [[Bob Daisley]]. Then [[John Sinclair (musician)|John Sinclair]] came in, whom Box knew from the times he was a member of [[Heavy Metal Kids]], and who currently played with a Los Angeles band called Lion. The band's new vocalist became [[Trapeze (band)|Trapeze]]'s [[Peter Goalby]]. The latter had once auditioned for Uriah Heep and failed, ironically Hensley being the only band member who had supported him as a choice. "With us all contributing to the writing we forged our new direction", Box recalled.<ref name="blows_10"/>

Produced by Ashley Howe, the ''[[Abominog]]'' album  (according to Blows) was "important&nbsp;... in the way it pulled Heep out of the Seventies and thrust them into the Eighties with determination muscle", even if it sounded a bit too American.<ref name="blows_11"/> Released in March 1982 (and preceded in February by the ''Abominog Junior'' EP), it won favour with the critics. Sounds gave it a five star review, the newly established rock magazine ''[[Kerrang!]]'' declared it "the most mature and perhaps best album of their career", and in retrospect it is still seen as "one of the most consistent and engaging albums in the group's lengthy catalog".<ref name="abominog_allmusic">{{cite web |author=Donald A. Guarisco |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/abominog-r20903/review |title=Abominog review |website=AllMusic |access-date=1 January 2011}}</ref> The album did relatively well in the American charts (No.&nbsp;56) after its US release in September 1982, and the band successfully performed at the [[Castle Donington]] [[Monsters of Rock]] event a few weeks prior to this, on 21 August.

''[[Head First (Uriah Heep album)|Head First]]'' (May 1983), produced again by Ashley Howe (who, according to Goalby, became "like the sixth member of the band"),<ref name="blows_11"/> followed much in the same vein, pursuing (according to AllMusic) "a similar combination of heavy metal firepower and AOR sleekness".<ref name="headfirst_allmusic">{{cite web |author=Donald A. Guarisco |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/head-first-bonus-track-edition-r20904/review |title=Head First review |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=1 January 2011}}</ref> Not long before its release Daisley left the band to return to Ozzy Osbourne, and Trevor Bolder re-joined Uriah Heep.<ref name="blows_11">{{cite web |url=http://www.uriah-heep.com/newa/heepstory11.php |title=Uriah Heep Story p.11 |author=Kirk Blows |website=Uriah Heep |access-date=15 March 2011}}</ref> Both albums, ''Abominog'' and ''Head First'', updated the band's sound and generated a brief, newfound interest in Uriah Heep among younger heavy metal fans.

Uriah Heep toured the US supporting [[Rush (band)|Rush]], [[Judas Priest]] and [[Def Leppard]], whose vocalist [[Joe Elliott]] remembered: "They were the best band that we've ever toured with either as a headline or support, because there was no ego, no pretentious kind of stuff. They were good in as much that we learnt a lot from them."

By this time Gerry Bron was Uriah Heep manager no longer (they were looked after by Neil Warnock in Europe and Blue Öyster Cult's management team in the US) and then, finally, Bronze Records collapsed under the weight of debts, which, according to Box, "cost Heep a lot of money".<ref name="blows_12"/> Massive Asian and South American tours followed before the band returned to the studio with producer Tony Platt and a new deal with CBS's Portrait label secured by new manager [[Harry Maloney]]. Meanwhile, [[David Byron]] died of a heart attack and liver disease on 28 February 1985 at the age of 38.<ref name="blows_6"/>

''[[Equator (Uriah Heep album)|Equator]]'' (March 1985) sold poorly, due to the fact that "CBS just did a terrible job getting it into the shops", as Box saw it.<ref name="blows_12"/> On the other hand, what Kirk Blows described as "a solid piece of product that had the potential to do extremely well" was regarded less favourably by later reviewers. Jason Anderson, for one, argues that with this "lackluster" album, high only "in high-schmaltz rating", the band squandered the chance that Portrait gave it.<ref name="equator_allmusic">{{cite web |author=Jason Anderson |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/equator-r51834 |title=Equator review |website=AllMusic |access-date=1 January 2011}}</ref>

Totally exhausted and having serious voice problems, Goalby left in November 1985 after an Australian tour. "I loved and believed in Uriah Heep but it kicked the shit out of me in the end", were his parting words.<ref name="blows_12">{{cite web| url=http://www.uriah-heep.com/newa/heepstory12.php |title= Uriah Heep Story p.12 |author=Kirk Blows |website=Uriah Heep |access-date=15 March 2011}}</ref> Then John Sinclair quit, deciding to join Ozzy Osbourne, and keyboardist Phil Lanzon (Grand Prix, [[Sad Café (band)|Sad Café]]) came in, fitting in immediately into the Box-envisaged scheme of things.<ref name="Larkin"/>

American singer Steff Fontaine, formerly of [[Christian metal]] band [[Joshua (band)|Joshua]], joined in July 1986 but was criticised for being totally "unprofessional" (he missed, for some reason, a San Francisco gig) and was sacked in September 1986 after just one American tour.<ref name="blows_13">{{cite web |url=http://www.uriah-heep.com/newa/heepstory13.php |title=Uriah Heep Story p.13 |author=Kirk Blows |website=Uriah Heep |access-date=15 March 2011}}</ref> Fontaine's position was offered then to ex-Grand Prix, [[Praying Mantis (band)|Praying Mantis]] and [[Stratus (English band)|Stratus]] vocalist [[Bernie Shaw]], and that in retrospect was a winning move. Shaw "felt honoured at being invited to join such a legendary band", while for Box "it was like everything falling into place".<ref name="blows_14">{{cite web |url=http://www.uriah-heep.com/newa/heepstory14.php |title=Uriah Heep Story p.14 |author=Kirk Blows |website=Uriah Heep |access-date=15 March 2011}}</ref>