This is a sterling effort from veterans who prove that class is permanent. The band’s Purple-patch continues – highly recommended!
As a long-time fan of Deep Purple, I have been absolutely delighted with the run of form they have been on. Ever since they brought in Bob Ezrin as a producer (and, in their words, almost a sixth member of the band due to his suggestions regarding arrangements), the band have sounded reinvigorated, and have made some of their best albums of recent years. After an eight-year gap from ‘Rapture Of The Deep’, 2013 saw the Ezrin produced ‘Now What ?!’ come out; a record that was superior to its predecessor in terms of material, sound and chart positions. 2017’s ‘inFinite’ and 2020’s ‘Whoosh!’ continued the rich vein, with fans and journalists alike wondering if each release was going to be their last album, and declaring, if it was, what a great way it would be to go out.
The band surprised everyone with a fun covers album ‘Turning To Crime’ in 2021, before guitarist Steve Morse had to step away to care for his ailing wife. Simon McBride was brought in to cover live dates, until Morse announced his departure would be permanent, and McBride was given the job full time. The new blood has given Purple another jolt, and here we are with another welcome studio album. ‘=1’ may have a curious title and cover, but the material leaves no room for doubt that Deep Purple still have a lot to offer.
One of the key words that came to me listening to this album was “energy”. Whether it’s the staccato album opener ‘Show Me’, the thundering ‘A Bit On The Side’, pounding ‘Sharp Shooter’, the upbeat ‘Old- Fangled Thing’ or boisterous ‘Now You’re Talking’, there’s a shedload of pristine Hard Rock to enjoy here. ‘If I Were You’ adds a lovely Blues-tinged texture to proceedings, and if you’ve heard the single ‘Portable Door’, you’ll know that Purple’s signature sound is intact.
Yes, some still bemoan there is no Ritchie Blackmore or Jon Lord these days, but Don Airey has ably carried the keyboard baton for two decades, and the introduction of McBride, replacing Morse’s twenty-eight-year stint as lead guitarist, is a revelation. The riffs and guitar work on this album are superb, and to this listener, McBride sounds like he’s been in the band for ages. This is a sterling effort from veterans who prove that class is permanent. The band’s Purple-patch continues – highly recommended!
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I was really looking forward to this new album, but honestly I can't listen to it, it sounds terrible. After the second song I stopped and searched online for reviews and am very surprised that most reviews don't mention the extremely heavy compression that robs the music of any and all life. Seriously, it's painful to listen to. Very sad.