Deep Purple have returned to reign on Olympus of hard rock.

Magnificent, one of the best Deep Purple records ever.

It has everything inside: riffs, catchy melodies, groove, inspired solos, and guitar/keyboard duels. The BPM is generally high; the slow pace of many — too many — mid-tempo songs from the Morse era is a distant memory. And then there is the return to true hard rock with sounds that sometimes truly border on heavy metal. But that’s not all; there is still a bit of that kind of prog that Purple started playing from Purpendicular, but there is also blues, there is classical, there is folk, and even some funky and West Coast moments! All this with a welcome AOR component that makes everything more accessible.

The performance of all five is simply crazy.

Big Ian is superlative; he doesn’t give us a moment to breathe with lyrics and melodies worthy of a 10/10, but vocally, he still has incredible note jumps for his age, proving he has every right to be the one and only inimitable singer of Deep Purple.

For Simon, I won’t use many words, other than to say he proves once again that he is a complete guitarist with great taste and personality, and that for the others, he has been like an elixir of eternal youth.

Don, well, I can finally say that he gave the best performance, magnificent, omnipresent, but never too self-indulgent like in the past, and with a variety of sounds: Hammond, Clavinet, Moog, synth, a sonic compendium currently without equal in the world. I believe he gave his all and that his rapport with Simon was fundamental for the arrangements, as much as the work of Ezrin did in a team with Don to give us this keyboard goodness. I can say that perhaps I would have liked an even more iconic and memorable solo, but that is splitting hairs, and I can say that I finally no longer feel the absence of Jon Lord.

But guys, without Little Ian as an absolute protagonist, so far beyond the top, the record wouldn’t be this incredible! He plays throughout the album with the “devil” burning inside him! He hasn’t played like this since the Abandon days, with a high BPM and without taking a break, playing fills and variations constantly. At nearly 80 years old, it’s simply incredible. I have no words to say how much it makes my ears and heart enjoy hearing him so full of motivation and creativity after years of a slow pace!

Last but not least, our Roger, the common thread of everything, always precise and fundamental as only he can be for the Purple sound.

Arrogant Boy: We already know it, but it continues to grow with each listen — devilish rhythm, riffs, Hammond, a solo that makes the listener fly into the Purple sky. Simon and Don duelling and the subsequent break continue to amaze me a month after release!

Diablo: It didn’t thrill me at its release, and although there are more impressive songs on the album, it captured me little by little, thanks to Gillan’s performance, Roger’s hammer, and Paicey’s swing. Does Diablo resemble Apres Vous? The keyboard theme does, yes, but the song has more groove, slightly higher BPM, a better chorus, and a guitar solo that isn’t as boring as the one in Apres Vous.

The Rider: Here is one of the impressive songs on the album right away. My favourite, I would listen to it for hours. Don’s intro is splendid! Adventurous, severe, crystalline, an AOR melody that gets into your head in a second and never leaves. With my eyes closed, I would say it turns in A minor and E minor. A direct continuation of Pictures of You, from the masterpiece All The Time in the World, it builds a bridge towards the atmospheres of Perfect Strangers… How would I like more songs like this from Purple!

The Lunatic: A punch in the stomach that takes your breath away! There are Arabian atmospheres that recall Rapture of the Deep, we are probably in a Phrygian or Byzantine mode. There are prog passages, but Gillan’s chorus on the opening in major chords is a breath of fresh air that leads us to Don’s solo, making the Hammond roar like in the 70s!

The Only Horse in Town: Thanks for the gift! A splendid crescendo introduction that opens us to an easy-listening theme on which Big Ian can create a very melodic vocal line. Simon’s solo is West Coast, and it makes us all surf on his fretboard along with his fingers! Listen to Roger; his work is very precious for the song’s groove.

Sacred Land: Here we enter heavy metal territory! Here is the hardness everyone was talking about; it’s real! A mid-tempo in the style of Dio, but with Don inserting a wonderful intro on the Moog (or perhaps the Oberheim) that recalls that of Tarot Woman from Rising, and then another inspired solo. Here, even Simon somewhat recalls Ritchie in the solo, and that is gold for us fans! Gillan is suddenly rejuvenated to 1980, and not even with WhoCares was he this pissed off; he is the one who stamps the DP brand on this metal piece!

The Beating of Wings: Crazy! After the heavy metal, Don arrives and with the Clavinet takes us into a Soul song with Gillan completely at ease, majestic, polyvalent, rich in poetry, and with an absolutely catchy chorus. The feeling exudes from every single note from everyone. It’s been since Doing It Tonight that Purple haven’t surprised me like this! I am in ecstasy.

Guilt Trippin’: Crazy song, complicated but melodic, incredible. Don’s piano is incredible. Paicey’s drumming is incredible. Gillan’s angry and sweet singing is incredible. Gillan’s lyrics are incredible. The central break for a moment recalls Black or White, but then it develops into a dreamy instrumental part and a very spot-on piano solo. The piano/guitar duel and the exit progression are incredible. A drug.

Scriblin’ Gib’rish: Simon & Roger’s rhythm is similar to that of A Bit on the Side, but here the rhythm is a classic mid-tempo, and it also recalls something of Steve Morse’s Abandon. The protagonist is Big Ian and his melody, which in the verse reminds me of something from Silver Tongue, but the Naked Thunder-style chorus is a jewel. And Don, with the variety of sounds and his solo, makes the song explode. Simon’s solo is too short.

Jessica’s Bra: After the folk intro by our Irish guitarist and Don, Gillan immediately arrives to get excited over an absolutely hard rock rhythm.
The spoken part before the solo takes us back into the folk and Big Ian’s background, but the guitar solo is still hard rock, and then there is Don’s piano to enrich everything. At the end, a long note from Gillan with a final scream!

Third Call: A beautiful demonic Hammond sweeps us away because the track is another surprise like The Beating of Wings! Yes, because a soul theme arrives that recalls I Heard It Through the Grapevine by Norman Whitfield, obviously in the Purple style! Gillan is once again histrionic throughout the song; Don re-proposes his demonic theme before Simon’s solo brings us back to the West Coast! And with Don’s angry solo, the atmosphere changes again, and it changes again with the break where Big Ian returns to sing his melody. Pure orgasm, God bless Deep Purple!

My New Movies: 15 years ago it would have been a great piece, today among these songs it is the most normal piece, but the solos raise the climax. The unison break recalls something from MK II, and then Don adds a classical part that gives fuel to the final part of the song. To be highlighted is Big Ian’s high key and Little Ian’s swing.

Splat!: Ladies and gentlemen, Roger starts and makes things clear with a crazy groove! Paice plays “crooked” fills that are sensational! Gillan, super funky-nasty, tells us about Al’s sycamore and the last possible evolution of the human race with a line halfway between Any Fule and something from Toolbox. Don on synths is simply exaggerated; here he is overflowing, but that’s perfectly fine! Simon is the usual guarantee on the solo, it’s a pity it lasts too little!

Let’s reach the conclusions: Is Splat! a masterpiece?

Excluding the fact that there are no long songs, YES, for me, it is one of Deep Purple’s masterpieces alongside In Rock, Perfect Strangers, and Abandon.

It is because it is a monobloc without weak points: the level of interest does not drop from the first to the last song. Making an equation, I think Splat! is to =1 as Abandon is to Purpendicular.

If with Steve we had Deep Purple 2.0, now we officially have Deep Purple 3.0 because they are a band that is constantly evolving, perhaps the only band in the world that is constantly evolving while remaining true to itself.

What is missing on this record? The last great hard rock hit in the history of DP and the history of music, the one we have been missing since 1984 or the 70s if you prefer, the one that only they can perhaps still give us!

Reviewed by Flavio a.k.a. Fla76