Editing Uriah Heep (band) (section)

=== ''Sea of Light'' and ''Sonic Origami'' (1994–2006) ===
In late March and early April 1995, the band's former singer John Lawton briefly rejoined Uriah Heep for two weeks to tour South Africa and Austria with [[Deep Purple]], filling in for Bernie Shaw, who was suffering from voice problems at the time.<ref name="Larkin">{{cite book |title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music]] |editor=Colin Larkin |editor-link=Colin Larkin (writer) |publisher=[[Virgin Books]] |date=1997 |edition=Concise |isbn=1-85227-745-9 |pages=125–126}}</ref>

The album ''[[Sea of Light (album)|Sea of Light]]'' (released in April 1995) produced by the band along with [[Kalle Trapp]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/sea-of-light-r220406/credits |title=Sea of Light album credits |work=AllMusic }}</ref> was well received and in retrospect is seen as the band's return to form,<ref name="Larkin"/> the key to success being (according to critic Donald A.&nbsp;Guarisco) the way it "forsook the ill-judged pop metal stylings of albums like ''Equator'' for a return to the gothic-tinged old-school metal style that highlighted classic Uriah Heep albums like ''Look at Yourself''".<ref name= "sea_allmusic">{{cite web |author=Donald A. Guarisco |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/sea-of-light-r220406/review |title=Sea of Light review |website=AllMusic |access-date=1 January 2011}}</ref>

Produced by Pip Williams, ''[[Sonic Origami]]'', originally issued in Europe and Japan in the fall of 1998, then, a year later, in the U.S., had "a grand, epic tone throughout" that, according to rock critic Steve Huey, "doesn't always match Uriah Heep's journeyman-sounding prog-tinged hard rock, still being a solid entry in its chosen genre".<ref name="sonic origami allmusic">{{cite web |author=Steve Huey |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/sonic-origami-r425454 |title=Sonic Origami review |website=AllMusic |access-date=1 January 2011}}</ref> The release was followed by a successful European tour, which continued through 1999.<ref name="blows_14"/>

The band released ''The Legend Continues'' DVD and then toured the UK. A reunion gig with Ken Hensley and John Lawton took place in London on 7 December 2001 in the course of the ''Magicians Birthday Party'', which since then became a tradition, even though Hensley never actually joined again.

Earlier in 2001, during the summer, the group embarked on its first US tour in seven years and returned the following year to headline both nights of Classic Rock Productions Classic Rock Festival at the Patriots Theater at the [[Trenton War Memorial]] in [[Trenton, New Jersey]], on 5 and 6 October 2002, alongside [[Mostly Autumn]], [[Asia (band)|Asia]], [[Karnataka (band)|Karnataka]], [[Focus (band)|Focus]] and [[Nektar]]. Uriah Heep played an electric show the first night and an all acoustic show the second.

For most of the years that followed Uriah Heep have returned to Britain for a tour or just their annual showcase concert, the ''Magicians Birthday Party'', which in 2003 was held at the now demolished [[London Astoria]].<ref name="blows_14"/> All the while [[Mick Box]] acted as a [[Talent manager|manager]] for the band until, on 5 April 2005, they retained Simon Porter as their manager.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://uriah-heep.com/newa/specialstatement.php |title=A Special Statement |first=Mick |last=Box |website=Uriah Heep |date=5 April 2005 |access-date=4 July 2011}}</ref>