DEEP PURPLE – SPLAT! – review by Marcin Karski (Thorsun)

„The sum of the parts is bigger and more significant, than the parts themselves.” It’s an old saying we most know, but that does apply mightily to the new Deep Purple album. As it always is with new records, we fall in love with only some songs on them, dismiss or stay distanced to others. But the listening experience of “Splat!” as a whole is, indeed, immense.

My first reaction after 1st run through it was of “Wow! We’re back somewhere to … ‘Now What!?’ maybe?” This is the same relentless level of determination on the display here, albeit the reasons for it are entirely different. While in 2013, the band was desperately clutching at any straws to float to a solid ground, both at the throes of loss of our dear Jon Lord and an 8 year break since releasing the previous album. They needed a solid fix of safety for secure soldiering on and they pulled it off admirably with the help of Bob Ezrin. This time – it’s not a loss that’s powering their motivation, it’s a joy of a find. A jackpot scored in having Simon McBride in their brigade – as admitted in all the interviews – finally shines and really has their mojo working. The band is now tight, powerful and even more creative than they were on the (already thumping) “=1”.

As usual, there are few tidbits that really could finish on the cutting room floor, as they are formulaic, generic and not really imaginative. “Diablo” and “Scribbling Gibberish” bear these “honors”; while the first does have a bit of the spark in the melodic bridge and the solos, the later indeed is a gibberish not only in the lyrical layer, but a spark lacking, by-numbers composition. The obligatory IG’s tongue-in-cheek in check does not save it. Having these two out of equation would tighten and harden the substance of “Splat!” even more than it already is. “The Beating of Wings” also seems to stand outside the general album sonic and lyric agenda, albeit in a good and surprising way. It’s kind of “off” – but on it’s own – it’s beautiful and haunting, carrying vibe echoes of “Blood From A Stone” from way back. I also hear a bit of Ten Years After’s “Love Like A Man” verses in it. Almost (human) a ballad, a bit of breath in otherwise pretty much relentless assault of the rest of the set.

Few tracks surprisingly carry out an interesting “almost AOR” feel to them – which made me sense that Steve Morse would simply love to play them and they would fit his era records. I’m speaking of a much lauded “The Only Horse In Town” (with great, yearning lyrics to boot) and “The Rider”, that to my ears, with its chords and sonic execution, would lay perfectly on any album from the 1980s trilogy of the Dio albums that Ronnie recorded with Vivian Campbell. Extremely melodic and catchy, almost to the point of thinking – that must have been used in some melodic rock stab before!. This poppy appeal also glides through “My New Movie”, although to a worse effect. The track derails from energized start rather quickly, and the quotation of J. S. Bach in the middle sounds rather like a desperation gasp to keep the track going, then a masterful execution of the classical insert. For a prime example of how glorious it can be when done properly – please see “Nothing At All” from 2020, where it shines, brittles and makes a track an instant Purple classic. Hearing “Third Call” leading riff made me think that there is no way this time Deep Purple escapes a copyright infringement trial in the process. That must have been used by someone, somewhere! The traps of the already exploited mines of hard rock cliches are rearing their heads here big time.

Once we’re out of meanders of the slightly lesser tracks, the album just soars, and that’s where the endless abundance of listening joy kicks in. “Arrogant Boy” still sounds as brilliant as it did when it initially dropped on our heads and ears in May. Spread sonically somewhere between “Highway Star” and Ozzy’s (and Don’s) “Bark At The Moon” – it’s as effective as a proper razor cut – both in music as it is in lyrics. The only quibble is that it’s definitely too short. Just begs for Simon to go off at the end over the bridge chords and wail his way out with some epic solo, on pair with the middle Don-Simon bonanza.

“Sacred Land” – now what a beauty that is! There’s something epic and positively pompous about it, it’s breathtaking! Almost Stargazer-esque, I’d say. Celtic pipe sounding Moog haunts at the start – thumping march like meancing rhythm and it only gets better from there. But why (again?) does it have to end so soon? With a properly executed build up to 6-7 minutes this would be an epoch. The same quibble goes to “Guilt Trippin’”. These two (and actually “Beating of the Wings” as well) could really easily be the beautiful long ones without losing or compromising the cohesiveness of the album. Let everything else be short, punchy and concise, but do expand some too!

Deep Purple barely ever failed on their long songs (sure they did on clumsy “Walk On”, but that’s a rare exception). It’s nothing to be ashamed of and doesn’t really need to be ditched. Cohesive might be a proper formula for your average hard rock band, as Don Airey presses it in the interviews – BUT DEEP PURPLE IS NOT THE AVERAGE HARD ROCK BAND! It’s so MUCH MORE and for last 56 years one of their top powers was to blend a concise with expanding things in a most unique way. The ability to smartly stretch out and take the listener into the unknown, to marvel and to savor their unified abilities. Morse’s era proved that they are able to embrace it much better than most of their peers.

“Jessica’s Bra” is such a joy as well. Just as “Sacred Land” feels celtic, when this starts – I can see the Welsh or Irish barn and the couples dancing happily inside to the folky hop of this shuffle (a smudge of a little cousin of “Lazy Sod”, too). And if you pair it with the most exhilaratingly hilarious lyrics about a typo-ed bra bar… Or an underground swingers / SM pleasures sort of club… Isn’t it amazing? No songs about fast cars and easy girls anymore (or is it really, Ian?), but the sex (and some of it quite perverted in fact) is still there! Splendid, you at-80, old, life loving tarts! (sorry Simon, but you’re on that boat too, despite being MY age – and far younger than them!).

“The Lunatic” – hard, brooding, dark and meancing – with an eastern flavor tinge (echoes of “Now You’re Talking”) is such a joy to take in! And to close the album in such a bombast fashion as “Splat!” track is – my, oh my! An immense H-bomb, and totally hanging on Roger Glover’s bass! Hell darn bloody YEAH! Such late, but also so deserved victory lap for our beloved bass geezer. I wish it was a vehicle for his live solo spot from now on – to remind the generations on what a monster of a bass player he is. Matched with the insanely gillanesque lyrics (my beloved quote: “I set my rocket in reverse – it blasted a hole in the centre of the universe”) it is an instant classic. Moreover, it could as well open the album in a gusto manifesto fashion as well, setting a proper tone for everything else. A tone of “We take no prisoners, folks – hit us, should you risk a chance”.

Overall? The fierceness, abundance of diversity and the breadth of the material, while keeping most of it tight and hard on this album – is mind boggling. Hats off, hands down.

And THE BAND. My, oh my, do they pull it off there. Ian Gillan is a hero of this record. His singing at last is let go of any rigors, he sounds really like he’s having a time of his life again. The concept and the lyrics – it’s been said many times already – he surpassed his own gillanesque self a few notches up. Ian Paice and Roger Glover are an engine pushing the machine heads simply unmatched in the business, as of now. They just seem to pour out of the speakers in such an joyful and overwhelming way.

And while Ezrin’s production is still way removed from the standards of Martin Birch’s sonic sophistication – the record sounds very good, at least on the headphones (not so much on living room speakers). From audio editor point of view the audiographs of tracks look like a wall of sound, with barely a sectors of quiet and nuance, but if that’s what they wish to go for now? Who am I to point the finger… And finally the core of the Purple sound – courtesy of Don Airey and Simon McBride. Both of them are simply spot on for most of the time.

Their tightness as an unit is undeniable – they have a good slew of albums recorded together and their last outing “Pushed To The Edge” from 2025 is one of their finest, blending influences and melding in their instinctive rapport as a players duo. A few of this album more epic tracks would fit superbly on a Deep Purple record too, especially if the proggy side of music would still be welcome instead of being denied. Their balance of swaying between effectiveness and bits and pieces of showing off on their respective instrument prowess is stunning. Mad Professor is very diverse in keyboards use, maybe a couple of times falling into show-off mode when the more melodic and articulated phrase eludes him, but that’s became his signature style.

Being all over it and holding much of the music with his textures – from growling Hammond, through jazzy piano to biting and swirling Moog. Still, really, I think we need to point out how well Simon has grown into his own in this institution. Guitar meat is again the muscles of Deep Purple. He sounds great. Flashes generously with most everything he steps after (there are nuances reminding the listener of both Blackmore and Morse) and what he loves to play by his mojo (moments of Satriani and Lukather are audible also, but never at the level of useless excess). Gary Moore is audibly and surprisingly absent from the soundscape, but it serves the overall picture a service in case of this band, too.

The album is a whopping slab of a Purple enjoyment that’s going to be cherished for a long time. A contender for one of the strongest points in their discography? Could be. Given the fact that the core of the band is approaching their 60th year in the music business – this is a feat that should be hailed and celebrated – and deservedly so. All their peers would like to be on a such creative roll, but very unlikely – any of them will.

Get it and enjoy!