Ultimate Classic Rock is pleased to present the exclusive premiere of “Look at Yourself,” the latest single from Nuclear Messiah’s forthcoming Black Flame album, which lands on Friday (April 24).
You can watch a video for the track below, which is of course, a blistering cover of the ’70s classic by Uriah Heep. Nuclear Messiah features former Megadeth guitarist Chris Poland, who is joined on the updated version of the song by former Skid Row vocalist Sebastian Bach.
Additional guests include former Ozzy Osbourne bassist Bob Daisley (who also spent time playing with Uriah Heep in the early ’80s alongside Ozzy bandmate Lee Kerslake. “‘Look at Yourself,’ for me, has always been a great song. The proof of the pudding is in the eating, as the saying goes, and this song still holds up so well,” he tells UCR. “When I was with the Heep we didn’t include this in the live set, but it was a buzz for me to play on this now; I’ve always loved the Heep and I am proud to have been a part of that Heep family!”
Nuclear Messiah – Look at Yourself
“Uriah Heep is a band that my dad listened to a lot…that was my introduction to Uriah Heep. Of course the song ‘Easy Livin’’ was a big hit song, but ‘Look At Yourself’ was a deep cut and it also reminds me of Deep Purple a little bit, the sound of it,” Bach said in a press release. “I love ‘70s rock n’ roll and the fact that Mick Box from Uriah Heep is on this track is incredible. Bob Daisley from Ozzy’s band – I never thought I would record with him so it’s unbelievable.”
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“I’m adding the tone of my voice to the song ‘Look At Yourself’ and I’ve added some high harmonies that are not on the original. I’m trying to make it different, but the same,” he shared. “So I hope Mick Box can hear that it’s honoring the original version, but then I throw in a couple of harmonies and screams and what have you!”
Watch Nuclear Messiah’s ‘Look at Yourself’ Feat. Sebastian Bach and Chris Poland
Chris Poland loved what the legendary metal screamer brought to the new version of “Look at Yourself,” which also features keyboardist Derek Sherinian and drummer Carmine Appice. He was blown away when he heard what Bach had done.
“I had a chance to go to Las Vegas when he recorded that, and I just couldn’t make it. And I wish I did, But when I heard it, it was already, like, the most progressive song on the record. But man, his vocal on that, it is so him,” he tells UCR. “It just makes that song. Especially when his harmonies come in in the second verse, chorus area? Oh, my God. I was just like, ‘You gotta be kidding me!’ Man, he was singing like he was when he was 20 years old. Again!”
What Fans Can Expect From the ‘Black Flame’ Album
“‘Look at Yourself’ was the hardest song for me on the record, to tell you the truth. I had done an extended solo on it, but they went with the solo from Mick Box because it was just so good.”
“Everything on the record, a little bit of magic happens on every song. That’s what makes records [really work],” he continues. “This is the kind of record you can play over and over again and then go back to it a couple months later and play it over and over again, because it has magic,”
The project was helmed by Brian Perera, Derek Hughes, and Jürgen Engler for Cleopatra Records. The trio selected and recruited all of the guests who play with Poland on the Black Flame album and the guitarist is thrilled with how everything turned out. “Black Flame a really good record, and it had a lot against it,” he concludes. “To have 37 guys, and to get them together and have them all give 110% which everybody did. I mean, it’s really miraculous, man, that it came out this good.”
Black Flame arrives April 24 and is available for preorder now. It features a dizzying lineup of talent from the world of rock and metal. Poland acts as the musical nucleus, joined by numerous Megadeth alumni, including Marty Friedman and David Ellefson, plus numerous legendary players including Journey’s Jonathan Cain, Yes keyboard legend Rick Wakeman, drummer Vinny Appice, former Blue Oyster Cult member Joe Bouchard, Vinnie Moore of UFO, vocalist Joe Lynn Turner, Tim “Ripper” Owens and numerous others.
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Gallery Credit: Ultimate Classic Rock Staff
