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DEEP PURPLE “Splat!”
DEEP PURPLE “Splat!”
By Iron Sheik
“Splat!” is the new 2026 DEEP PURPLE, album and it hits with more than splotches! It's hard to believe the core three members are still at it being they are 80 and 78, respectively. Ian Gillan whose vocals have graced some of rock's greatest albums now at 80 has not sounded this great in the last ten or twenty years, his 60s and 70s. Ian Paice who has been pounding away on the drums, is the only member to appear on all 24 of Deep Purple's albums. Roger Glover on bass… that very distinct standout bass he plays, and what he plays sticks like glue. Don Airey, who replaced the incomparable Jon Lord, R.I.P., is the mastermind behind the greatest ever intro in rock music! His resume dates back to 1974 with a few standouts which he played on, which are many-a-great albums in his career: “Never Say Die” (1978) - the cold that cuts in “Johnny Blade” or the otherworldly “Junior's Eyes”; “Blizzard Of Ozz” (1980) - that crazy career defining “Mr Crowley” intro; “Bark At The Moon” (1983) - the nightmare inspired “Centre Of Eternity” intro; “Painkiller” (1990) - his distinct touch can be heard throughout “A Touch Of Evil”; and finally “Call To Arms” (2011),where he was a session player. Finally there is Simon McBride on guitar whose only other output is a solo album that leans into heavy metal. He is the youngster at 47 years old.
If their last album, “=1” (an album featuring a rejuvenated band) had stated how well the resurgence that would follow would be, it fell short because “Splat!” is something from an outside lane! DP has been on a rather slow upswing since 2005's lackluster “Rapture Of The Deep”, and over the course of these last twenty years with albums “Whoosh!” and “Infinite” that would have prepared the listener for what was about to be dropped upon thine ears in 2026!
Let's check out the sounds of DEEP PURPLE in 2026. I have blathered enough about ancient history! Let's look at the horse to see if he looks back at us!?
I could pick apart each song, but instead I will sum up the whole. “Splat!” is full of great up tempo retro sounding DEEP PURPLE music that these guys have not done in decades like opener “Arrogant Boy”. “Splat!”s songs rock with a swagger in a great interplanetary style that is found in “The Lunatic”. There are space truckin' sounding washes that lead into guitar solo passages which make Simon a standout, yet an excellent fit with the other four guys. He may be the youngster, but he sounds like he has traveled the highways with them through the decades. Great word play is on hand in all of “Splat!”. It is unlike I have heard from these guys with that now infamous line about a common cunning linguist back in the 80s! This album's songs (pick any track) showcase a hungry band like they are a new contender having something to prove. Yet they do in a way. They have a need to prove what is old can be new again and with the help of a young new guitarist they can rock with a long lost stunningly new abandon. Musically and lyrically “Splat!” is a great rocking time that does not fall flat.
I love the album as a whole which makes picking a favorite track or two hard. “The Only Horse In Town” or even “The Beating Of Wings” are contenders and yet there is “Scriblin' Gib'rish” being another for all its gobbledy gook. Light years away are definitely the tracks “The Rider” and “Splat!” which appeal to me more than any other tracks. These last two stand out for different reasons yet both share awesome lyrics. It's the lyrical wit of “The Rider”, and it's that great bass line in “Splat!” that makes it so hypnotic. This is the type of album I had been hoping for from these guys for many years. Yet what I had hoped for has been left in the dust by “Splat!” Grab a copy, it will not disappoint! “Splat!” is what modern classic DEEP PURPLE is all about. Stranger than ever you will find out how perfect “Splat!” is! After all, it's all there in “The Rider”!
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