DEEP PURPLE

What a comeback after an extensive touring for about 8 years! Hard rock giants Deep Purple shattered all the critics with Now What?!. It's an unique album with many facets. It's typical Deep Purple album, but on the other hand it's something else, as well. It's hard rock, it's symphonic prog, it's funky, it's jazzy, it's Perfect Strangers, it's Purpendicular, it's Yes, ELP and Pink Floyd, but most importantly - it's one of best and most balanced Deep Purple albums. The arrangements of the songs are precise. The songwriting is highly compressed and full of ideas, developed in accurate, direct manner. That means to create progressive rock album with hard rock means of expression! The "conversations" between rhythm section (Paice and Glover), organ solos (Airey), guitar solos (Morse) and The Voice (Gillan) are highly addictive. Highly recommended album by one of greatest bands ever! Deserved 4,5 stars would be rounded up! Another gloden page in Deep Purple's extensive and brilliant career!

what a surprise !!!! I think that nobody could think that Deep Purple in 2013 could made a great disc . for me Now What is the better DP album since 1976!!!! Great jam session between Hammond and guitar as the nice years,a good work of Paice and Glover, Ian Gillan has not the voice of 1972, but his work is very very good.

, we can notice the role of Bob Ezrin: i know his work with Pink Floyd and in primis with Kiss (one of my favourite band, also not progressive!!!): in 1992 (after the death of Eric Cass, Kiss' drummer) he produced one of the best Kiss ? record, Revenge, and the same thing happened with Deep Purple after the death of Jon Lord !!!

.Highlight of the cd is Uncomm man (and the most progressive song of the album). great tracks are also Simple song, Weirdistan, blood from a stone and Vincent Price.

at the age of 65 - 70 years DP are better than a lot of youger band !!!

Lordy!

Ah Deep Purple, the lead guitar magic of Ritchie, the majestic keyboards of Jon, the screams of Ian G.... that takes me back. Wait a minute, you say the band is still going, you say this is a new album? Surely not?! Alas, Ritchie Blackmore has long since gone back to the future with Blackmore's Night (new album coming soon) and John Lord is now entertaining his namesake, but Ian Gillan is still belting them out, driven on by the powerhouse duo of Ian Paice and Roger Glover. Steve Morse has actually been lead guitarist with Deep Purple for longer than Ritchie was and Don Airey's Purple credentials are enhanced through his time with Rainbow.

So what can we expect from the 2013 Deep Purple. Well 12 brand new songs for starters, featuring such Purple-esque titles as "Weirdistan", "Blood from a stone" and "Hell to pay". Fans may be a bit concerned by the first minute or two of the opening "A simple song", beginning as it does with acoustic and soft electric guitar introducing a reflective vocal from Gillan. Have the band gone soft?? Of course not! Before you can say "Child in time" the song burst forth in its "Perfect strangers" type, riff driven magnificence. Airey pays tribute to the late Jon Lord with his swirling Hammond sound, the track immediately reassuring us that this is most definitely a Deep Purple album.

While there is a definite feel of the band's classic years to "Now what?!", and I include in that the fine reunion album "Perfect strangers", things do not stand still by any means. The melodies are strong, the musicianship excellent (of course) and the production top notch. On the other hand, here there is a modern sound, swirling synths, and quasi- orchestration. The pace (Paice!) is relentless, the band are clearly intent on making a record to be heard standing up. Indeed, it is only when we get to "Blood from a stone", a title you might expect to bring with it a belting rock number, that we find not a ballad but a slow blues. The following "Uncommon man" has us checking that this is really still Deep Purple. This seven minute guitar led piece builds from a "Wish you were here" like intro through a mid- song fanfare to a "Knocking at your back door" style latter section. "Apres vous" continues the surprises, offering a well rehearsed instrumental jam with a brief concluding vocal.

The bonus track "It'll be me", written by Jack Clement, was originally a single B side by Jerry Lee Lewis, then a hit single for Cliff Richard (never though I'd mention his name here) and was more recently covered by Tom Jones. The version here mirrors Jones' interpretation.

Everyone will have their own favourite from this album of course and for me there are a couple of songs that make up the numbers. There is though a general consistency and every so often, songs such as "Above and beyond" or the delicious "Vincent Price" will jump out as being yet another highlight. Deep Purple fans will not be disappointed with "Now what?!" (although the title is about as good as "Bananas"). This is a first rate DP album.

Open this CD and the message is clear on the inside booklet with a white backdrop and purple lettering which reads(in caps): "THIS ALBUM IS DEDICATED TO JON LORD - Souls, having touched, are forever entwined."

Folks...and I say this without hype...this album is a classic Deep Purple album. Ian Gillan once said in an interview with Big Red on a Sarnia, Ontario rock radio station: "If the ladies are moving their bums to your rock record, you know you've made a great album!". There's some "boogie" and "groove" back in Deep Purple. They called it "Now What?!", but they should have called it "Don Airey UNLEASHED!" or "Steve Morse kicks your arse!".

This album is that good. Ian Gillan has never sounded better. Paice & Glover are at their swingy best. Without hesitation, this is Deep Purple taking risks and not boxed in like their previous albums with Morse and Airey. I liked those albums(shaky 3 stars at best), but I was irritated often enough and wished they'd stretch out and jam. There's evident jamming on this album and plenty of it sounds like it was recorded live like in the old days. Spontaneous is the word. There are things on this album you can't write - they just sort of happen. This a progressive hard rock album...not merely hard rock like the previous ones. There are solos and tradeoffs on organ and guitar like Lord and Blackmore in the '70s. "A Simple Song" is anything but. It starts off pastoral for the first 2 minutes with Ian Gillan in a contemplative vocal, then kicks in like nothing I've heard from this band since 1984. "Weirdistan" and "Out Of Hand" flow into one another and Don Airey is unleashed here. I will not reveal anything else on the album as it may be a spoiler. However, there is one more track on here that channels Deep Purple going into the Pink Floyd and Ozric Tentacles territory. There's hints of jazz fusion, as well. I imagine that had a lot to do with Bob Ezrin producing this (however unintentional). It's worth repeating that this is a progressive rock album with heavy hard rock overtones. Not the other way around. Perhaps a je ne c'est quoi feel to it. Someone's spirit was looking over this session. That someone was JON LORD. If the Purps are going to top off their studio output with "Now What?!", they've certainly ended it with a classic modern progressive rock album..

The battle rages on is the first album Deep Purple released in the '90s with original line up known as Mark I. I was really shocked to see how low rated is this album, what the hell... After Slaves and master who had almost an AOR sound, Deep Purple makes a good return to what they done in the 70's. THis hard rock with very nice pieces, I don't find any low points here. Ian Gillan is back in bussiness and his voice shine like in the glory days. I know this album since it was released 20 years ago and is still one of my fav DP albums. The album started with good solid hard rock tune the title track that shows that they are still in bussines, very strong rhythmic section and good vocals. Another highlight for me is Anya , Ian Gillan is one of the best vocalist ever and here is shown why. Time to kill is another worthy one and Solitaire, the rest are also good. The band plays with passion and is to be hered on every pieces. Richie Blackmore done some fantastic solos and combined with Lord's organ the rsult is quite enjoyble for sure. Better then predecesor wich I like it, on same level with House of blue light wich I also like a lot, so no complain for me here, 4 stars easy. One of the better DP albums, at least for me.

8/10

This is certainly a remarkable record, one of his best efforts.

It is clear that the addition of Steve Morse revitalized the sound of Deep Purple, and all the albums released so far have me captivated. It's no different with Rapture of Deep, his latest album to date (they will release a new next month, can not wait). The eleven tracks of this book (I heard the limited edition with a bonus track) prove that this band is not dated and still does to deserve its name.

I really like the way dark as the first track, Money Talks, begins. It reminds me a bit of 21st Century Schizoid Man It's been a long time since I hear it (long before I throw in the discography of the band), and is probably my favorite here. Other highlights for me are the title track, the ballad Clearly Quite Absurd, Back to Black (Please do not confuse with AC / DC) and the wonderful Junkyard Blues, which features an amazing interplay between the Morse's guitars and Ayrey's piano.

4 stars!

7.5/10

Keeping the direction of success of the two previous albums, Deep Purple shows a sound friendlier to its roots in Bananas, but without neglecting the freshness and novelty of entry of Steve Morse. On the last album I expressed my sadness about the fact that being the last with Master Jon Lord, but seeing Don Ayrey here, I can see that it is more appropriate to replace such a legend. Ayrey, who has played with countless bands and artists (Black Sabbath, Whitesnake, Ozzy Osbourne, Jethro Tull, Colosseum II, Rainbow, Judas Priest, Andrew Lloyd Webber are just some of the names with whom he has worked), and which is also listed here on the site as an artist prog-related, exudes talent and cohesion with the rest of the band, with several passages of organs and keyboards, owing nothing to the Lord - which, admittedly, is not an easy job.

My favorite songs here are Haunted (which despite its title, is a magnificent ballad with strings and female backing vocals), Silver Tongue (a title would be a reference to the nickname of Ian Gillian? Haha) Never a Word and the title track. In general this album is as good as its predecessors, and I'm glad to see that Deep Purple still has such energy after so many years on the road. 4 stars.

7.5/10

A sufficient accompaniment to the magnificent Purpendiulcar, Abandon is unfortunately the last album with the late Deep Purple Jon Lord.

But that's nothing that hinders the sound of band, thankfully. As I said in my review of the album prior to entry of Steve Morse brought a freshness to band, a musicality more enjoyable and captivating that I could not find from Here Comes Taste the Band (with exception to the great Masters and Slaves). These marks remain here, and it's no wonder the ability of these gentlemen (Even Morse was not as "new" at the time of this album - he was 44 years old). In particular, I would like to congratulate Ian Gillian for its ability to give strong treble even now passing fifty, as evidenced in the new version of Bloodsucker (and it is amazing that in the original version of the song, the famous Rock In, treble it gives even higher). Of all the musicians I've ever heard, Bobby Kimball of Toto only surpasses him in such capacity at such an advanced age. This song, as well as Seventh Heaven and Watching the Sky, here are my favorite.

4 stars.

Deep Purple's Made In Japan captures the Mark II lineup of the band on the Machine Head tour, and draws its songs mainly from that album - which is fine by me since I think that was the best that lineup had to offer. It's a decent one-stop "best of" for the In Rock-Fireball-Machine Head period - particularly with the addition of the encores in recent expanded editions - and fans of the group will delight in some of the extended soloing on offer, though if you're not bowled over by their studio albums from the period I don't think these live renditions are going to change your mind very much.

8.5/10

This is their best album in twenty-two years.

And once again Blackmore left for reasons of ego. In its place came Steve Morse (Dixie Dregs, Kansas, Steve Morse Band), and what can I say? This is one change that benefits everyone, the band's sound to the listener! Morse playing style is fresh and inventive, and hearing it is possible to notice here because it is considered one of the best guitarists in the rock world.

Imagine an album where while that is evoked the classic sound of the band are also presented new sounds. This is Purpendicular. Songs like The Aviator (my favorite here) are unprecedented in the band's discography. Even the blues rock (performed here in fantastic The Purpendicular Waltz) seems to be revisited here. Everything is going right here: even the voice of Gillian, with which I felt uncomfortable on previous albums, seems to work well here (he even gives some sharp as he did in the past, as the band Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming). But obviously all credit goes to Steve: it is he who renews band, in my opinion.

I am so charmed by this album that I can not hesitate to give it five stars. When I found that Deep Purple could never achieve its glory days, I am surprised with this fantastic work.