IT is often said rock n roll is a young man’s game. Well nobody seemed to have informed Deep Purple as these septuagenarians have just released its 23rd album last month.
Titled =1, this no skip and hop in the park but a heavy beast that clocks in at almost an hour, packed full of tunes bearing all the hallmarks of great Deep Purple albums.
The album rocks and it rocks hard, with opener Show Me signalling its intent with a chugging riff and pounding rhythm courtesy of stalwarts Ian Paice (drums) and Roger Glover (bass).
Jon Lord may have passed on in 2012 but his influence on the band remains heavy as replacement ivory tinkler Don Airey colours many of the tracks with synth and organ flourishes, reminiscent of the original keyboardist’s style and sound.
There may be no “big name” guitar god in the shape of Ritchie Blackmore, Joe Satriani or even Steve Morse on duty but new boy Steve McBride does more than decent job on six–string duties.
Ian Gillan handles the vocals with aplomb, ageing gracefully into the role of one of rock’s enduring frontmen. Fully realising the limitations Father Time places on vocal chords, Gillan avoids the screeches and high pitch yelps that were his signature traits. Instead, he approaches it with a gruff demeanour that serves the many tracks well.
As a unit, Deep Purple swing with a panache expected of seasoned pros who have perfected their craft through the decades. Tracks such as Portable Door and Sharp Shooter groove along with a care-free attitude of a band fully enjoying the privilege of still being able to rock out at its collective age.
Some punters may argue this latest effort is not a patch on the band’s golden era of the 70s and 80s but how many artistes have conjured up a late career renaissance as well as this.
The album =1 is not a classic in the vein of Machine Head. or In Rock. That would be ludicrous expectations. Suffice to say, heavy rock fans should just enjoy the fact this pioneering outfit is still in active service and pumping out solid albums such as this.
Produced by Bob Ezrin, the band has delivered a rock solid effort that is a very worthy addition to its canon. At the very least, the album proves late career flourishes are possible and that old age is not always a sign of decrepitude.
