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Metal Talk reviews the Deep Purple’s appearance at Hellfest from June 18, 2026: Is Gillan’s voice what it used to be? Of course it is not. But the man is 80 and still sounds very good. Also, new recruit Simon McBride (well, not that new) shows why they got him. He slots in impeccably and […]

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And no religion too

Deep Purple appear on the cover of the Classic Rock magazine issue of Summer 26 a.k.a. #355: They’ve sold more than 120 million albums and had a revolving door of official members. But in 2026, almost 60 years after their original incarnation, Deep Purple (Mark IX, if anyone really is counting) are back and firing […]

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Bizarre, philosophical, and deeply satirical

First reviews of Splat! started appearing in the press, both virtual and otherwise. Record Collector: The primary impression here is one of tons of energy, enabled by Bob Ezrin’s glistening production and a widescreen mix that gives space to the various elements. Purple rarely let up on this album, switching between their trademark organ and […]

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Triumph of charismatic elegance

Chaoszine is reviewing the first Deep Purple gig in of the Mad in Europe tour in Espoo, Finland. The atmosphere inside Espoon Metro Areena on June 11, 2026, carried the heavy, unmistakable scent of nostalgia, but more importantly, it crackled with the ozone of high-voltage rock and roll. To witness Deep Purple in the current […]

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A Purple specter haunting Europe

Deep Purple’s record company Edel has posted a short clip assembled from the behind-the-scenes footage from the set of Arrogant Boy and Diablo.

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Cortland, Sioux City, and Fife

On this slow news weekend, we offer you a few documentaries that might be worth watching. First, a couple of them generated by what is being called AI. One is on Tommy Bolin, and another one on Elf. They are not without inaccuracies, but for the most part manage to get the facts right. Another […]

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All hail the harp

Deep Purple have started their 2026 tour in earnest on June 11 in Espoo, Finland. Both already released tracks from Splat! made a live debut. Spoilers ahead: full setlist.

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Vibrant Rainbow

Goldmine magazine promises an interview with Ritchie Blackmore done by Martin Popoff for their Summer 2026 issue (with Charley Crockett on the cover): Ritchie Blackmore explains how he combined his talent with vocalist Ronnie James Dio to produce a vibrant Rainbow. We have no further details at the moment. The issue can be purchased from […]

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Giving up the role of pretender

Another preview track from the upcoming tribute album Ride ​The Rainbow. It is an acoustic rendition of I Surrender by Candice Night with Marcus Nand on guitar.

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Favourite part is not singing

Ian Gillan has appeared on the Talkin’ Rock With Meltdown podcast. It is American classic rock radio at its finest, but here it is.

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Zero pressure

Simon Mcbride recently spoke to the Guitar Interactive Magazine, and it wasn’t as much of an interview as a monologue. As the host quipped at one point, “go on, nobody wants to hear me anyway”. Writing for Splat!, gear talk, early influences, plans for the future — it’s all here.

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From black-and-white TV to colour

Yet another rehash of the Classic Rock magazine material as Louder Sound reprints Made in Japan feature penned by Mick Wall that originally appeared in September 2012 issue. Osaka, August 15, 1972. In the Kosei Nenken Kaikan concert hall, Deep Purple are playing their first ever show in Japan. Over the past three years, the […]

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Never comfortable or established

Another Classic Rock magazine rehash: circa 2011 interview with Don Airey reprinted by Louder Sound: You’ve appeared on more than 250 albums between 1976 and 2011. Which are the ones of which you are most proud? Funnily enough, Roger Glover and I were talking about what an incredible time it was making Down To Earth […]

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Nine years worth of breaking my back

Rainbow In Concert 1976 — Live in Düsseldorf is slated to be released on vinyl as a 3LP. The show was just re-released as part of The Temple of The King 1975 – 1976 box set, but apparently it has never been previously available on vinyl. HMV has an orange vinyl special, while other retailers […]

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Rose bushes that need tending to

Don Airey spoke recently to TotalRock, generously dispensing wisdom he has in abundance. Enjoy!

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That’s the route she chose

Apparently a new single Diablo from the upcoming new album Splat! was released on June 5, 2026, without much fanfare. But probably because of the general enshittification of the web, it’s not available everywhere. So we’re posting two different copies in the hope that you can access at least one of them.

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Seventh Star remaster

Universal is releasing the 40th anniversary remaster of Black Sabbath’s Seventh Star. According to an online retailer, it will arrive on July 9, 2026 on CD and vinyl, and will contain just one bonus track: a single mix of No Stranger To Love. Track list: In For The Kill (2026 Remaster) No Stranger To Love […]

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The Gillan/Iommi awards

The music school in Armenia that Ian Gillan and Tony Iommi helped to reopen after the devastating 1988 earthquake now has a couple of awards named after them. The initiative aims to recognize the school’s best vocalists and qanun players each year. Ian Gillan and Tony Iommi warmly welcomed the idea, while IDBank undertook the […]

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The tour that fell apart like Jenga

Reb Beach gave several interviews over the last few months, in which he reminisces about his days in Whitesnake and their ill-fated last tour. In February 2026 he spoke to Blabbermouth: It was the worst ending that it could have been. It couldn’t have been any worse than it was. It’s just how the cookie […]

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It’s a simple song

Classic Rock magazine rehashes the story we’ve heard a million times by now — how Smoke came to being. This includes an undated quote from Blackmore (that was at some point subjected to a rather poor OCR, and had to be corrected by us): I was jamming with Ian Paice at a soundcheck, because we […]

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