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Deep Purple SPLAT! Album Review – Mike Nagoda
“Do I like this? I *think* I like this… I’m not sure I like this. Hmm. I think I need to listen to it more to see if I like it or not.”
Never before. Never, never before, to quote a familiar tune, have such words been uttered from my lips upon finishing a first listen to a new Deep Purple record. Yet, there I was, unsure if I liked what the boys had put out or not. It sounded wholly familiar and comforting, and, unlike anything in their entire catalogue.
There is no other record that sounds quite like SPLAT! – it is equal parts pop and prog rock, and is both Purple’s most accessible and poppy sounding album as well as their most challenging and progressive sounding.
For the first time in a long, long time, I felt I was being challenged on what I thought Deep Purple sounded like.
Something you should know about me is I love and relish a good challenge, so I was more than up for having my preconceptions of what I thought the band should sound like turned on their dainty little heads.
It took me three more consecutive listens – four in total – for this record to grow on me, and now I can absolutely say that I love and adore SPLAT! and that I think it might be Deep Purple’s most progressive sounding record to date – even more progressive than the peak of the Morse Years with Purpendicular and Abandon.
Those of you who know me well enough on The Highway Star will likely find that astounding coming from my mouth, given how much of a Steve Morse Fanboy I am, and yet, I think it holds true for me and is still going strong after repeat listens. Where Equals One was an instant love fest for me, SPLAT! took its time to warm/worm its way into my heart, and I’m so very glad it did.
This one’s definitely a grower, not a shower.
On my first listen, I hated the first seven tracks – they didn’t grab me at all. 80s arena rock? What is this?! I asked myself. And yet, something deep inside me loved it, I just want ready to admit it yet. The second half of the album from Guilt Trippin’ onward I loved, but it took me three more listens before I dug the first half of the record just as much.
That’s probably because the last time Purple tried 80s Arena Rock with The House of Blue Light and Slaves and Masters it came across as cheesy, forced, and trying to fit into a trend. In my opinion, those albums aren’t very good at all – in fact Slaves and Masters is, in my opinion, the worst record Deep Purple ever made because it doesn’t really sound like Deep Purple. There’s something very unnatural about that record – so I think when that all too familiar sound cropped up again at the start of The Rider, my psyche must have recoiled from the latent trauma that suddenly arose within me.
Oh no, I must have been thinking subconsciously to myself, not again…
And yet, the more I listened to SPLAT! the more accessible the 80s rock and pop leanings became, and upon my third listen of the record they actually felt more natural to me and began to make sense.
Where they felt forced in the 80s was no longer the case here, as Purple were no longer following a trend, but being themselves. And that is all thanks to Simon McBride, who is one of the standouts on this record – more on him in a bit.
The MVP of this record, in my reckoning, is none other than Ian Gillan, who to me is the star of this record.
I despise doing track by track reviews, so lets start with the contributions of Mr. Gillan who I firmly believe is the absolute standout on SPLAT!
On past Purple records of late, Ian’s age has been creeping into his voice. He’s nearly 81 now, so that’s no surprise, and yet on SPLAT! he sounds young, fresh and reinvigorated and full of energy once more.
And… he is screaming again! Screaming! At 80!
Just listen to those screams on Guilt Trippin’! Yes Ian, do start screaming again at 80 years of age! Let it out, man! Throughout this whole record, Gillan shines, giving a vocal master class that is equal parts restraint and hard driven, rock n roll energy. He has really mastered his baritone range now and his voice is full of confidence and control. He knows where to hold abck, and when to rip and let loose within the parameters of his lowered vocal range.
His real stand out to me, though, are his lyrics on this record.
I’ve never laughed so much when listening to a Purple album, and Ian’s wit and word play are at their finest here. The Rider has so many delightful Gillanisms – I simply must find out what a poddy-macologist is! – and it’s satire of the swollen headed lead rock vocalist is spot on. Who exactly Ian is poking fun at I can’t quite tell, but it’s bloody brilliant, whoever it’s talking about.
Other witty lyrics include the jaunty Jessica’s Bra which is full of tongue in cheek humour, the philosophical and humorous title track of SPLAT!, and my personal favourite, My New Movie which had me howling with laughter till the very end and reminded me of my days of youth and trying to convince my friends to be in my own terrible home made movies when I was a teenager. My partner is quite convinced Ian is singing of making a film of the more X rated nature, and given his history of bawdy lyrics, I certainly wouldn’t be surprised if this were the case. It’s a sure fire riot, and the riffs on that track alone are worth the price of admission.
The best lyric on the whole record for me, however, is to be found in Scriblin’ Gib’rish, a marvellous anti AI rant which contains this little nugget of pure gold – “I’m a sophisticated man, emphasis on fist.”
Pure genius. This record is Ian’s time to shine, and shine he most certainly does!
Now, to the rhythm section!
Ian Paice and Roger Glover are, of course, the most thunderous and best rhythm section in all of rock and roll, and boy, do they deliver on this record. Roger’s bass lines are fluid and adventurous, with Third Call and the title track being absolute standouts for the bass master to shine with his harder-than- they-appear-to-play bass lines. Simple they may seem, and as we know with Roger, they are anything but!
Paicey is playing far less flashy than he was on Equals One, but he’s thundering away like a monster on SPLAT! While I do find Bob Ezrin’s production to be a bit too compressed for my tastes, I actually think he’s done a great job at making Paicey’s drums sound driving and thunderous, and I feel this is the best drum sound of all the Ezrin produced records.
Ian Paice is laying down the thunder hard on this record, focusing more on monster grooves, and driving that train as always non stop. He doesn’t elt up for a second, and why would he? The standout moment for him and Roger is of course the intro for the title track, with the way Paicey just comes barrelling in and then Roger adds that fantastic bass line, is just a pure chef’s kiss, in my opinion.
If I had one small criticism of SPLAT! it’s that I wish Roger’s bass was turned up a bit more in the mix – I actually appreciate Bob’s contribution of turning him up more on past records, and I feel we could use a bit more of that here. If my only major complaint is that the record could use a bit more low end, you know the boys have made a damn fine record indeed!
Now, on to the other MVP of this new record, our fantastic resident banjo player, Simon McBride, who has really put his stamp on this album and is not afraid to display his influences and be himself, and thank goodness for that!
Simon comes from the world of 80s rock, I feel. It seems very natural to him – you can hear Gary Moore in his playing, yes, but listen closely and you can also hear a ton of Steve Lukather in his lead lines. What is more 80s pop rock than Toto, I ask you? Simon wears this influence on his sleeve very comfortably and naturally, and so, these influences have now become a natural part of the band’s sound. It is no longer forced or trendy like it was on Slaves and Masters, but rather it’s now become the band stretching out and daring to try something new again.
Simon has come into his own on this record – his tone is warm, direct and a complete force of nature. There are so many astounding guitar solos and lead lines on SPLAT! that are just too good, it’s really hard to pick a favourite, and that’s a high compliment. I think however, that if I had to pick just one, the solo in My New Movie takes the cake for me for its sheer take no prisoners quality.
SPLAT! Is not Purple’s heaviest sounding record, despite what the promo material may have you believe – I still feel that honour goes to Abandon – Steve Morse’s cold, aggressive, over driven snarling tone littered with pinch harmonics gives that record the heaviest sound in the Purple Catalogue for me.
SPLAT! does however come very close – listen to the main riff on Scriblin’ Gib‘rish and tell me to my face that ain’t bloody heavy metal! Second Heaviest Purple Record by a country mile? I’ll take it!
Speaking of Abandon, where that record failed with having too many mid tempo songs one after the other, SPLAT! attempts the same parlour trick and this time succeeds wildly – where Abandon’s songs felt a bit too plodding at times, the material on SPLAT! has enough drive and sheer power to make you not care that most of the first seven tunes sit in and around the same mid tempo range. That is no small feat, and that is in large part thanks to the dream team of Simon McBride and Don Airey.
Simon and Don have really fallen into their own groove with each other and seem to be thinking inside each other’s head. Their musical synchronicity is rivalled by only that of Jon and Ritchie. For some reason, I always felt Don and Steve never quite clicked the same way Steve and Jon Lord did, or Jon and Ritchie for that matter, and finally, finally we have the return of that most essential of Deep Purple elements, The Very Thing That Makes Deep Purple What It Is.
The Gorgan – Jon’s lovely made up word for that wonderful blended beast of distorted guitar and Hammond Organ where you can’t quite tell where one starts and the other ends – has returned at last, and thank goodness for that!
It’s been missing for quite some time – the last time I feel it appeared was very briefly on the title track of Rapture of the Deep and Money Talks – and now it has returned, albeit in a leaner and meaner form.
I shall readily admit, I’m not that big a fan of Don’s Hammond sound on this record – it’s not distorted and aggressive enough for me. He prefers an over driven Leslie 122, to my ears, with its more crackly hiss and pop tone when cranked all the way up, where as I vastly prefer the sound of Jon’s roaring Leslie 147, which has a meatier, heavier and more distorted sound when pushed to its utter limits.
That said, Don’s leaner sound blends perfectly with Simon’s guitar tone, which is infinitely more distorted than Ritchie’s tone ever was, thanks to those PRS humbuckers of his, so I guess it’s all about different ways of getting the balance of the Gorgan just right.
Different strokes I suppose, but the important thing is, this leaner and meaner Gorgan works beautifully on SPLAT! and the riffs and comping created by Simon and Don are to die for! This record has no shortage of great Purple riffs – The Rider, The Lunatic, The Only Horse In Town, Diablo, Arrogant Boy, Guilt Trippin’, Scriblin’ Gib’rish, Jessica’s Bra, My New Movie, SPLAT! – there is such an abundance of choice riffage that we are practically spoiled for choice here. Dare I say it, the last time this happened was on Machine Head, so that is high praise indeed!
Returning to Mr. Airey’s talents, Don does have some particularly lovely solos and moments on this record – the menacing intro and solo on Third Call is the Hammond highlight of the record for me, with that snarling solo being absolutely glorious to behold! My other favourite is his solo in My New Movie, with that wondrously cheeky little Bach quote at the beginning, which I absolutely adore.
Don’s synth sounds are more on the cheesy side, I will admit, and yet somehow being the Mad Professor that he is, he makes those sounds work and sound totally natural to the song in ways that Jon never quite could – that’s not a knock against the great Mr. Lord, but even he admitted synths weren’t quite his forte. And yet, Don is comfortable in both realms of Hammond and synthesizer, and so he’s the perfect man for the job. His synth intro and solo on Sacred Land is ethereal and otherworldly, creating a creepy blend of Celtic and Middle Eastern influences in his choices of scales and modes.
His songwriting contributions on this record are evident in all the little prog moments that get thrown in with Simon’s 80s pop influences – Guilt Trippin’ is the crown jewel of the album, and it’s a poppy, concise prog feast if there ever was one. That sounds like a contradiction in terms, to be sure, and yet I think that sums up the record quite nicely – prog in the sense of it’s original meaning of not being afraid to try new things.
Don sneaks in little complex lines hear and there, or he might throw in a strange chord change that somehow works – one need not look any further than the strange and stark contrast between the heavy metal style verse of Scriblin’ Gib’rish seguing into it’s bizarre, happy major sounding chorus, and yet this rather alarming and strange juxtaposition somehow works. Now, I can’t prove to you that that particular contribution is Don Airey’s, and yet somehow it feels like something the Mad Professor would do. The record also has I think the most key changes for a Purple record and it is constantly pushing new ground within the context of the three to four minute pop tune format.
If Bob Ezrin wants to try and contain the boys within those lines, they simply will not be contained and will cause an absolute riot within those three to four minutes!
I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Mr. Ezrin did not have song writing contributions on this record and that for the first time since Rapture of the Deep the band have found their footing once more and are leading the charge again and rediscovering their confidence. It really shows in the songwriting: I honestly think this is some of their best material they’ve ever written, and I’m beginning to agree with Ian Gillan that the material on SPLAT! is on par with or even better than their Mk. 2 seventies material.
On the whole, the band’s writing and playing on SPLAT! is decidedly focused, direct, confident and classic Purple while not being afraid to push boundaries and challenge our very concepts of what Deep Purple is or should sound like.
That, to me, is what makes a great record, and SPLAT! is a great record and a monumental achievement in the band’s history, full stop.
It’s going to take me some time to figure out where it lands for me, but I think I can easily say it’s now within my top five – not even Equals One managed that, and I love that record as well. SPLAT! is a monumental achievement for a band who are now pushing on sixty years, and yet, Deep Purple show no signs of stopping, nor should they. If this is the trajectory they are on and are already talking of making their third record with Simon McBride, I can’t wait to see what they pull out next.
With SPLAT! Deep Purple have given us their most progressive and their most accessible record to date, and that is nothing short of a Herculean achievement. It’s a damn fine record, a very special record, and there is nothing else like it in the history of the band.
It is, in a singular word, unique, and perhaps that is the highest praise of all that I can give it.
Endlessly creative, bold and challenging, yet familiar, comfortable and accessible all at the same time.
In sum, it’s a bloody masterpiece. If you haven’t heard it yet, you should.
To the guys in the band I just want to say this as a longtime fan: thank you for giving us your absolute best and most challenging record in decades. While I may have my gripes and quibbles over the years, when you put out music of this kind of calibre, all those things fall away and I remember why I fell in love with your music all those years ago when I was a nineteen year old kid.
If this is you guys as your best, then please don’t stop being your best, you deserve nothing less than that. I love you all, the music, and this version of the band.
Keep going, and please, don’t ever stop.
Mike Nagoda
Album Rating: 10/10
Standout Tracks – The Rider, Guilt Trippin’, My New Movie, Third Call and SPLAT!
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
I think the best thing abound the album is the sound as the studio in Nashville is the biggest plus. I was listening to equal one yesterday and I was wondering how that album might have sounded like if recorded in Nashville. ‘ Splat’ is an amazing musical journey and all the songs had something new to offer. Arrogant Boy is a truly classic Deep purple as everyone shines and Simon’s guitar playing on it is unmatched even by the man in black.
July 27th, 2026 at 17:02I truly hope that this is the final album as I can’t imagine topping it up but who am I to predict the future.
The future is Purple
Peace ✌️
Wow Mike , that was an epic ….Deep Purple meets War and Peace !
But thanks for taking the time to write it and I must admit , I basically agree
I think it’s an impossible task to compare Purple albums side by side , they all have their niche but I think Splat is a kind of Purple lounge music …more for the gentle , retired Purple fan .
I know one thing, I’m humming a different tune every day and there are no bad songs or album fillers here …lots of hooks and melodies ( I’d love to know who is responsible in the Purple camp for that ?)
July 27th, 2026 at 18:02Thanks to the team for posting this!
July 27th, 2026 at 18:39Mike I agree ““Do I like this? I *think* I like this… I’m not sure I like this”…
After several spins now I love it!
July 27th, 2026 at 20:08Great writing, great review.
July 27th, 2026 at 21:15as I said in the forum, excellent review Mike!
I’m very pleased to note that Splat is bringing Abandon back into the spotlight. The compositional and melodic grandeur of that magnificent album cannot be emphasized enough!
July 27th, 2026 at 22:12It’s a good disc, overall. I saw that music criticMartin Popoff didn’t like “Third Call,” but I think there’s some heavy, vintage Purple jamming on that tune. I think it may be Don Airey’s best DP work, so far. Popoff also said Gillan’s too in love with his lyrical cleverness but I disagree. I think it really adds something to the mix on songs like ‘The Only Horse in Town.’ But it’s cool to get different perspectives, for sure. However, Adell in the above post sounds like he might have never listened to Blackmore in his prime (or Steve Morse):
July 27th, 2026 at 23:12Don’t get carried away, Adell. You say the riff on Arrogant Boy is “Unmatched by the Man in Black?” Not in this universe.
A bit short Mike’s review is if you ask me, but it makes up in quality what it sacrifices for undue, even rushed conciseness.
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/d8/4f/8e/d84f8e0768dcceb005370cd6c639adb1.gif
My comprehensive take on Splash! is this: It’s a splendid feelgood album where everything fits. Sgt. Pepper it is (again!) not, but then it’s been a while since someone released something halfway as good. I have it on random in my car CD and it works as an album anywhichway sequence you play it. For Deep Purple in
RockGeriatricy that is plenty fine for me. Nuff said.PS: “in fact Slaves and Masters is, in my opinion, the worst record Deep Purple ever made” Mike, I think I have a twoheaded serious contender! 🤣
PPS: Jessica’s B(r)a(r) pushes all the right buttons with me, like conjuring pictures of “taking a nip in Jessica’s bra/bar“, I mean what’s not to like with either option?!
PPPS: If you think Don’s synth sounds are anywhere near cheesy, I recommend that you give Status Quo’s Andy Bown a good listen! 🤣
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tA4HXxS-nug
Afterwards you will dutifully apologize to Dr Fu Man-Airey (or Ailey)!
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSLNNvR-2OY0NdwZExIaftYh2ahBWNpejo7UZA4nAf0iA&s=10
July 28th, 2026 at 00:21It is uncanny that Mike’s eloquent discription of his experience listening to this album was similart to mine. My 1st reaction was that the 1st half was meh and the 2nd half was good. Then the album grew on me over the last couple of weeks – athough part of that is the album came out when I was travelling and listening to it on my laptop without my bluetooth speakers. Once I got home hearing it with a better speacker and also the CD in my car stereo made a big difference. I agree that Gillan is an MVP and your explanation of him finding his new voice. The rhythm section always finds a great goove, and the bass needs to be more louder. The guitar and keyboard solos are fantastic. Some of the songs that I thiught were meh at 1st have some of the best solo work There isn’t a song out of 13 that I want to skip and my only criticism is that at least 10 of them need to be at least a miniute or two longer. Overall, I think this is a top 5 Deep Purple album.
July 28th, 2026 at 07:11Thank you Mike, I agree Splat! could use a bit more bass sound and on most other views you displayed here as well. One good album it it. Certainly the one I enjoyed the most since I don’t know when … Still one or two longer tracks would not have been out of place on a DP album. Although I see the effort to get it all crammed in into 4 minutes. And they succeed, no doubt. But an epic number to indulge in … would have been nice. Never mind. Since Now what?” the band got better with every release as far as I am concerned.
July 28th, 2026 at 08:43@8
There’s more than a hint of Sgt. Pepper, as you can’t help but have noticed.
And after it was said that a track on =1 was a rip off of Pictures of Home, did Simon quote the original as a dig to the moaners?
@1
July 28th, 2026 at 10:19“I truly hope that this is the final album” – Have you really thought that through?
This mostly sums up my thoughts on Splat! It seems almost heretical to say it’s on par with classic Mark 2, but here we are…
It makes me emotional that my favorite band managed this monumental achievement in the twilight of one of the most remarkable bands in history.
I can’t wait to see the boys next month in New York…
July 28th, 2026 at 10:26very good Nagoda!
July 28th, 2026 at 10:35I love this album, I only needed a couple of listens to understand it.
Thanks to Mike for his considered and elegantly-written review. I was underwhelmed by Splat initially but have grown to love the album. Many years ago, I had a similar experience with Fireball, which remains my second favourite Purple album.
Perhaps Splat’s greatest achievement is that it’s both accessible and complex, with no filler. I’m not yet ready to rank Splat with Purple’s many other records but I suspect that it’s an album I’ll love forever and continue to play regularly.
July 28th, 2026 at 11:28My apologies to Mr. Airey, his synths sound downright respectable compared to the synthy drek in the Quo tune Uwe posted.
I was told Status Quo was a great example of Telecasters in Heavy Metal. This being my first exposure to Quo, I’m not sure I want to hear more.
Seriously, what the hell was that?!
If Cheez Whiz on toast had a sound, it’s probably whatever the hell it was I just listened to…
Thanks Uwe… I guess??
July 28th, 2026 at 11:41@11
July 28th, 2026 at 14:46Yes, it’s nice to end it with a splat! But maybe they will end it with a ‘Bang’ pending survival of mankind.
Peace ✌️
I feel duty-bound to correct your first impression of Quo, Mike, I can’t live with the guilt of having caused it inadvertently:
https://youtu.be/F-lwEANyI3I
https://youtu.be/sOvaMd5jbnM
https://youtu.be/dEKueUG3FfU
*********************************
Perhaps Splat’s greatest achievement is that it’s both accessible and complex, with no filler.
That’s a great way to put it, Chas @14! 👏
July 28th, 2026 at 16:10Listened to it a lot in the car but not so much on vinyl. I think that some of the riffs could be slowed down. Think Into the Fire, Smoke etc. “More power in the under arm” as Mr Gillan said once upon a time.
July 28th, 2026 at 16:36Also junk the synth n just use the hammond!
Mike, I loved your review.
July 28th, 2026 at 19:32I would agree about Abandon being heavy and dense, and I feel slightly exhausted at the end of every time I listen to it start to finish. I got the same ‘worn out at the end’ feeling to a lesser extent from House of Blue Light and =1 (and a ‘that’s enough of that for a while’ on the rare occasions I play Slaves and Masters). That’s not to say that I don’t like them, just not as much as other albums, and I do have favourite tracks on all of them and some that always make it onto a playlist, often because they stand out from the tracks that surround them.
I definitely found Splat more immediately accessible than you did, but we all have different ears. You have a good point that Bob Ezrin didn’t have a composition credit this time, and in one of Don’s interviews he implied that every time the band wanted to stretch out a tune Bob would bring the length back in (a negative composition credit?).
If I look at all the post-Blackmore DP albums, there were some that I could play back to back and hit the restart to listen again (Purpendicular, Bananas, and Whoosh). I would add Splat to that list.
For different reasons we both praised bits of Third Call and there’s a bit of that riff and those drums that immediately make my heart beat faster. I think it stands a chance of being my long term favourite track (in the way Mitzi Dupree is my HOBL favourite).
I’m looking forward to seeing if Splat continues to grow on me too.
Yo,
I’ve found that when you have to listen to a new CD a few times to decide whether you like it or not, usually means its a winner, big-time…
There’s often so-much good ear-candy delivered that it takes a few listens to enjoy, savour & digest it all.
And these are good signs that the music will stand the test-of-time too.
Ciao !
July 28th, 2026 at 23:50A nicely thought out review.
July 29th, 2026 at 05:46The drums do sound better, but I think Gillan is a little too loud and could do with a touch more reverb (same problem on =1), and Roger is a little too quiet in the mix.
One of the few bits I love and get irritated by is Don. Wonderful musician, but he has a habit of overplaying – perhaps, after years of being a session guy he now feels let off his leash? Also, he may still feel the spectre of Jon on his shoulder and feels the need to constantly prove himself. But whereas Jon always played for the song Don often goes for flash when it’s unnecessary. Still, it’s a minor point.
The album has had generally positive reviews, chart wise it seems to have done ok compared to previous efforts. Sales wise it will be pretty poor compared to pre 90’s figures . Is an album to be judged on immediate first week sales/positions or longevity i.e. steady sales over weeks/months(a grower) ? I think the latter is a better measure but is made harder through reduced airplay on Planet rock over the following weeks after release. Splat is in the top ten in the UK rock albums after 3 weeks, positioned 1,4 and now 7. So with Purple unlikely to get mainstream airplay the rock charts will be the best judgement of Splat’s success.
July 29th, 2026 at 06:33the more I listen to it the more I like it
July 29th, 2026 at 07:55It’s of no surprise to me that Bob is the one cutting back the jams – reel the boys in with promises of not trying to make them a pop band and promises of letting them stretch out and then slowly over the years he cuts the length of songs till they are exactly the length he promised they wouldn’t be.
Bloody hypocrisy if you ask me.
Also, Lieber Uwe:
I tried to get through a minute of each of those Quo tunes and just couldn’t. They all made me feel icky, I can’t stand the band and especially the singer – yuck. I tried, sorry!
July 29th, 2026 at 13:07But Quo have three (vastly) different lead singers, Mike! The nasal-folky-poppy Francis Rossi, the raunchy and husky, but still poppy Rick Parfitt and the bluesy-gruff Alan Lancaster (“who would have a hard time getting a job with Bachman Turner Overdrive” as an NME scribe once noted 😂). What you hear on the singles is mostly always Francis Rossi and only occasionally Rick Parfitt (they often do harmony though), Alan Lancaster, the bassist, is on the deep album cuts and was generally regarded as the heavy rocker of the band.
But I heard that in North America Quo’s lack of success was often attributed to the fact that they had three different lead voices which allegedly made group identity difficult. Not that the same thing ever harmed Three Dog Night, who were huge in the US, or Toto or Styx for that matter.
July 29th, 2026 at 17:52Nice review Mike, thank you!
I’ve already posted a short review after my initial feelings about the album before, but adding to it here now that I’ve had more time to listen to it.
July 29th, 2026 at 18:41First off, I do like it more than =1, and I think there are mostly very good, or good tracks here. But a few things bug me, I won’t get into every song and the mix, but it could have been improved on some tracks. I still find that “Third Call” is not up to par with the rest of the album, and it’s a strange arrangement of the song (which is mostly my main concern with several tracks)
I think a few tracks like Arrogant Boy for example – has a wonderful M8 part that you want to hear again, but you only get a verse at the end, and it’s abruptly finished. Somewhat disappointing, and that sort of runs through the album. I agree with others here, don’t cut the guys short! And comparing “My New Movie” to “Portable Door” tells me they should have left “My New Movie” off the album. I just can’t seem to agree with those 2 tracks – no more that I could with “Call Of The Wild” which I wish had never seen the light of day on a Deep Purple album. But hey, just my thoughts. 🙂
#22 Terry:
The only parameter that matters in judging an album is whether you like it or not. How much it sells is not a valid parameter in deciding whether an album is worthy or not.
your own ears are better than the charts.
#24 Mike:
July 29th, 2026 at 21:07It’s also worth considering that having shorter songs means they can fit more of them into live setlists!
Different opinion here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyJWSrZqqO4&t=2351s
July 29th, 2026 at 21:49Sorry Uwe, Quo is just not my cup of tea – even if they have different singers, I don’t like the sound of the band – it’s sounds like bad, shlocky garage rock to me. If I want Garage rock, I’ll listen to the Stones.
Now, regarding the arrangements on Splat:
I agree with some of the comments that the arrangements are a bit odd – I found it interesting that a lot of the songs don’t resolve on the tonic, and leave the harmonic motion hanging at the end. It’s a bold writing decision, certainly, and I don’t mind it.
I think the band has done a rather admirable job working within Bob’s imposed parameters – they certainly make the best of a short song, and Flavio is right, it does allow them to play more songs live, something I hadn’t considered.
But that’s just the thing – the parameters are imposed, and they don’t let the band stretch out and be themselves, and if recent interviews are to be believed, the guys don’t seem to like all the cutting Bob is doing on the editing room floor, so to speak. I honestly think if they have truly found their confidence again with this record, they should make one banger of a record for album #25, ditch Bob and have Roger produce and go all out for one more record and stretch out like they used to.
One can certainly dream, but I’d like DP to take everything they’ve learned about arranging from Bob and strike out on their own and let themselves be themselves again. Here’s hoping!
July 30th, 2026 at 05:46Homer @28
July 30th, 2026 at 07:34I watched that chat and I couldn’t stop laughing at their ignorance that DP is primarily an instrumental band and IG just makes the lyrics after with words that matches the melody and even on stage he makes up new lyrics as it suits memory.
I even at one point thought that the three guys chatting are DC, GH and the man in black dressed in disguise.
Peace ✌️
#27 I know, but the hard core always buy in the first week, I am talking about how an album hangs around . I think infinite,whoosh and =1 hung around for over 20 weeks in the top 100 rock charts. Now What stayed in the big chart for three weeks but spent about 12 weeks in the rock charts. I think infinite and whoosh got airplay on radio 2 in uk which is a big deal.
July 30th, 2026 at 07:35Homer, one of my more scathing British partners in my old law firm would have described these three “bros” discussing SPLAT! thus:
Three bearded men talking about something they have no idea about, one of them in shorts.
True Americans.
Of the worst kind.
It’s a fine line between having an opinion and letting your butt do the talking.
July 30th, 2026 at 07:44Uwe Hornung@32
July 30th, 2026 at 08:21It’s a fine line between having an opinion and letting your butt do the talking.
Love it 😁
May I have your permission to use your quote on my ex partners.
Would you demand royalties?
Peace ✌️
I was hesitant to approve that link to the three YouTube “experts”. Not because I knew most people here would be pissed off seeing it, but because it represents the worst of the Internet for me. People being rude and ignorant under the guise being “funny”. Bullies, basically. You can see it in the comments too, where they post smart replies to anyone pointing out they are wrong. They have few viewers, few subscribers and seems to be a club for mutual admiration. It hurts me to give these kind of people more attention and more viewers.
I am sure they will read this as well and chalk that up as yet another success on their road to their American dream, 15 milliseconds of fame.
(Plus, every time I don’t approve anything, someone will yell “censorship!”)
July 30th, 2026 at 08:24Thanks to the author of this text, or rather the pamphlet, for enlightening me and explaining to me that I am in fact a lucky person to have been born in 69 and that I didn’t have to struggle with that disgusting period of 68 – 75 and that my suffering only started from 85 and ended in 93 when that mediocre RICHIE-JON duo finally broke up. Now I can finally enjoy the hottest rock combination of all time DON-SIMON and the BEST DP ALBUM! And yes, am I being cynical? Of course I did!!! Because a cynic is a scoundrel who sees things as they are and not as they should be!!!
July 30th, 2026 at 12:50It’s the creeping-sweeping Joe Roganisation of social media. Halfarsed comments voiced by halfwits based on half-truths.
As we
all, well most of us know: 50% times 50% times 50% =12,5%, that is not a whole lotta thought left, but give these three stooges another 30 minutes and they’ll efficiently dilute it further.But I’m really all for putting something like it on this site, it may serve as a deterrent. Intense dumbness is refreshingly ugly. Like this lot.
PS: Adel, feel free!
PPS: Mike, it would have been in any case a little late to start the reconquest of the North American continent by Status Quo with you! So I don’t think it matters at all. 🤗
https://media3.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTZjMDliOTUydDA3dzJ2dnppcHp1MTV0NG9rZmJ3Y3dpZGUweWpnYnRzeTZ5ZzRiZyZlcD12MV9naWZzX3NlYXJjaCZjdD1n/3oz8xLEJU5n41fqcuc/200w.gif
July 30th, 2026 at 15:49Great Review! I feel the same! it was a grower and finally it is my menu on heavy rotation.
I love the drumming and production better than the =1.
@ 11 where does the hint of St pepper enlighten us in lyrics or music?
July 30th, 2026 at 15:55@ 8 Uwe no offense but why you have to be so convoluted and so literary in your reviews man? It is like you love to be better than anybody else in the reviews with such reviews? lol man keep it a little more simple lol
This place sometimes reminds me of a Hühnerstall where every feathered inhabitant wants to sit on the top rung crowing out his/her preferred Mk … (choose from I to IX).
That said, Mk IV undeniably had the best shoulder pads.
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRqov-VEKXtJbIhrXITkkkxeZpqq91KNhLNzOfPN2_54pAjoiUpQFdz9URf&s=10
A scarce commodity in Mk VII to VIII if I recall correctly.
July 30th, 2026 at 16:03@ 8 Uwe no offense but why you have to be so convoluted and so literary in your reviews man? It is like you love to be better than anybody else in the reviews with such reviews? lol man keep it a little more simple lol
🤣
My apologies AL, the dearth of detail in Mike’s original almost telegram-style terse review had me compelled to dig deeper. But you’re right, Mike’s liturgical brevity likely nagoaded me into overdoing the opposite! 🤗
PS: Mike, your review was beautiful, I’m just jesting. Are you by any chance related to J. R. R. Tolkien, you Lord of the SPLAT!?
https://thereelbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/letters-tolkien001f.jpg
https://media.tenor.com/swCu_N9txLcAAAAM/applause-hobbit.gif
PPS: Is there any truth to the rumor that NETFLIX wants to turn Mike’s review into a multi-season series, The Nagoda Diaries?
July 30th, 2026 at 17:11#35 dDejan:
Behind your irony, I have the feeling that you haven’t understood many things about Deep Purple, dear old fan…
July 30th, 2026 at 23:22Fla 76 : Maybe you don’t understand how managers work and how things spin, and I can explain it to you because I was a professional soccer player for 15 years. We started that Splat is the successor to In Rock, and now we’ve decided that prog Aor… And at the end, I just want to add that with such half-hearted articles and attitudes, we will contribute to making the next album even worse… if that’s even possible…
July 31st, 2026 at 10:28@35 Dejan
July 31st, 2026 at 12:27You have a ‘Cut runs deep’ and a ‘Fire in the basement’
My advice is to listen to those two tracks with a glass of whiskey and Enjoy.
Deep purple is a story and not a chapter.
Peace ✌️
#41 dDejan:
I’m a sucker for the cynicism of how managers work, and I don’t need you to lecture me about this by saying you were a professional footballer, and who cares?
Do you think Splat is an album that deserves your irony just because the press was touting it as the hardest rock album since Machine Head?
But don’t you think a true fan already knew that it wasn’t like that?
But in your opinion, shouldn’t a true Purple fan just appreciate their music by contextualizing it throughout the band’s history?
but in your opinion a true Splat fan will have listened to it at least 30 times before forming an opinion?
But does a true Deep Purple fan analyze the music first and understand the quality of the music he listens to?
or maybe everything that isn’t 1970-1974 (or maybe 1984) is shit?
Does the word evolution mean anything, or are we only living in memories of an unrepeatable era?
I don’t have anything against you in particular, but these are all food for thought for all fans, especially those tied to the past.
Is anyone irrevocably tied to the band’s past? Well, please don’t throw ironic shit about the present if there is no elasticity.
July 31st, 2026 at 14:15even Slave and Master is a good album if put into context.
How I hate irony and sarcasm! Terrible.
I don’t give a flying flamingo if SPLAT! sounds like In Rock or Prog AOR, at this point in time it is only relevant whether is is a credible product for where Deep Purple are now. I’ve answered that for myself in the affirmative after the first listen.
July 31st, 2026 at 14:28Fla76 @43
July 31st, 2026 at 14:40Very well said 👍
One of the most highly respectable moment in the history of DP is when IG listed every musician who joined DP including Joe Satriani during his R@RHOF acceptance speech. It was such a class act and a recognition of their contribution in the history of the band.
As Roger Glover always says an album is a snap shot of where band is in a particular moment of time.
I believe the true fans of DP appreciates every album and what it offers.
Peace ✌️
These days, the only thing that warrants the question “Is it hard enough?” for me is not really fit to print here.
As if “hardness” was ever a measurement for anything (tank armor perhaps). It strikes me as similarly incongruous as 20 adults running after a ball with two guys staying put and living in fear it might reach them. Never understood the charm of that either.
Whenever I read Fla76’s posts I get the uncanny feeling that the old Achse Berlin-Rom continues to thrive. 😎 –💪🤌👍
PS: Slaves & Masters wasn’t perhaps the most signature DP album, but it is by far the best Rainbow album thanks to featuring the best keyboarder and drummer of all Rainbow line-ups, never bettered.
July 31st, 2026 at 15:09@46 Hello Uwe:
July 31st, 2026 at 16:11“It strikes me as similarly incongruous as 20 adults running after a ball with two guys staying put and living in fear it might reach them. Never understood the charm of that either.” – same here!
for all of you who called me names here because I have a different opinion and I wrote you the definition of a cynic, I have the following to say: as someone who bought all official and unofficial releases and who since 1985 has not missed a single concert tour and especially AS A HONEST FAN =1 AND WITHOUT IRONY, I have the right to say that the more I listen to Splat, the more sick I get of him… So again: I sincerely love =1
July 31st, 2026 at 16:15Lieber dDejan, I hear you, no one called you names, roll over, lay down.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wr3JO0MhFTY
We have lots of opinions here, all of them claim to be right, so conversely most of them must be wrong.*** 😂 I’m a faithful old fan too (not of soccer!) and take an avid interest in all things Purple, yet some people – groundlessly so me thinks and I think a lot – say I hold controversial and antagonistic opinions that stray from conventional Purple dogma. I ignore them, in my solipsist universe I’m not even sure they exist, that makes it easy.
But =1 and SPLAT! are no more different from another than In Rock and Fireball or Perfect Strangers and The House of Blue Light were. One develops the other. =1 was promising, SPLAT! is a Gesellenstück.
Can we at least agree that it is an album in which a lot of work and thought went and where the DP seniors + the Irish kid attempted to develop things further from =1 (plus that MacGregor-nemesis Bob Ezrin of course!)? I don’t think SPLAT! is Machine Head, Burn or Come Taste The Band either, but if I’m honest: it fits how I listen to music today better than In Rock by now does, so stone me!
Between people thinking the album is utter junk and those heralding it as a return to 70s glory, I’m squarely in the middle. It is DP’s best album in 2026 and an enjoyable listen. What more do you guys want?
https://38.media.tumblr.com/1d5d9b44d27a9b9fb9f5ba77626c6a0f/tumblr_ncjnqaMDln1rp0vkjo1_500.gif
***Stolen from Mark Knopfler’s immortal “two men say they’re Jesus, one of them must be wrong” @03:24 …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTb0RnJTsRQ
July 31st, 2026 at 18:13# 39
Uwe, I read LOTR when I was 12 and fell in love with it, guilty as charged. I was always the one, and the only one of my classmates, asking for size extensions on my research papers in University. Brevity is simply a word I know the meaning of and wish to utterly ignore!
In the words of an infamous Swedish guitarist, more is more!
It may amuse you to learn that I actually have a very distant common ancestor with Tolkien who lived over two thousand years ago on my Dad’s side – I found out by taking a DNA test, and one of the site features was seeing if you’re distantly related to famous people. I guess my penchant for wordiness is in the blood.
Netflix series? Considering they’re on the rocks at the moment, I think I’d best find a studio that will outlast them. The Nagoda Diaries has to go on for at least eight seasons, if not twenty three…
July 31st, 2026 at 19:38dDejan:
You are absolutely allowed to have a difference of opinion – it’s your tone and how you’re going about expressing yourself that’s the issue. You come across as very lecturing and moralizing, and folks don’t like it.
You may not be aware that this is how you come across to people, and, you do. I can come across this way to people sometimes to, it’s something I actively work to change. I can understand that you feel attacked, and consider also that people here may feel attacked by you because of the harshness of your words.
Consider a gentler approach and less harsh language when responding, it may get you farther with folks in the end.
July 31st, 2026 at 19:46@48
July 31st, 2026 at 19:55Wine comes from grapes but no one likes all kinds of wine as it’s a matter of taste.
‘Splat’ has 13 songs and no two sounds the same and the album is diverse with lots of depth musically and lyrically and the production sounds the best in years thanks to the studio in Nashville.
My opinion and your opinion are irrelevant and nothing more than whistling in the wind because the music will proof itself with time just all the classics DP albums.
I hope you enjoyed the magical play of Blackmore and Lord on ‘The cut runs deep’ and ‘ Fire in the basement’
Peace ✌️
For Uwe: They don’t always run 20 for the ball…sometimes 18 or 19, depending on how many players the referee sent off. And as for tanks…you don’t think about them all the time, do you?🤣 And it’s not my complaint about AOR, but the fact that it was announced as In rock. But if you still want to convince yourself that Splat is worth something, then I recommend you to listen to a Gillan song from the album Magic: Living a lie
July 31st, 2026 at 20:28@35 You lost me at “mediocre Richie (sic) – Jon duo”. You are a troll, no doubt.
July 31st, 2026 at 20:31#46 Uwe:
at most the axis could be Monza county-“Uwe’s country” (which I don’t know which one)!
even if we don’t share Rainbow’s vision, but maybe because I’m younger and 80s/90s heavy metal is part of my musical background as much as hard rock which was my first love.
(or maybe we just have different views and tolerance)
Anyway, any reference to the Roman right, past and present, makes me feel worse than Splat does to Dejan! So, it’s better to specify this Italian-German “axis” that isn’t political.
#48 dDejan:
OK, you have a different opinion and you wanted to make an ironic comment that some people didn’t appreciate, so it’s fair to write and it’s fair to respond.
I sensed that you’re a MKII nostalgic with blinkers on, but maybe that’s not the case, and if you love =1 it would be nice if you told us why you love =1 and why Splat makes you want to throw up without needing to be ironic, since here – as demonstrated by the many user reviews – people analyze things in depth, any constructive opinion is always welcome!
I’m certainly surprised that someone who has bought all the official and unofficial releases (I myself own at most ten bootlegs and I don’t even have all the official DVDs) from 1968 to 2026 can call Splat disgusting.
July 31st, 2026 at 20:34Uwe #32 , Take it easy,we`re all not like those 3 Gen X idiots or whatever they are in the states,They would be lost without they`re phones and google.My 3 favorite quotes they made were…They`re the unknown cousins of Zepplin….Gillan isn`t a great lyricist and Highway star goes into Canterbury tales after the intro.Usually over here with guys like that,to really check they`re knowledge without Google.I would ask them something like,What`s the only MK2 song without a Blackmore Solo?Then you would have silence.Apologies to all the Euro fans.Start those A/C units up…lol
August 1st, 2026 at 00:14Yo,
My honest $00:02 is this…
Jon & Ritchie never-ever regained the engaging & innovating instrumental partnership that everyone enjoyed from the early-days when they reformed…Jon maybe had a few good nights on offer when he was enjoying himself & playing around with some fresh ideas etc, but the fact that he never ran his keyboards through a Marshall & always played clean, indicates that he’d likely had enough of all that, but was happy-enough to be there with the band & participate, especially since Ritchie decided that only his material was worth recording & playing, yadda, yadda, yadda. One can almost hear Jon sigh & say “Here we go again”…
Jon & Steve played really-well together with some inspired new & fresh results for sure, but once again, Jon I feel had had enough of it all even before the year 2000.
Things picked-up dramatically when Don joined…The creative forces between Don & Steve were ever-evolving, & never went stale.
Simon & Don are maintaining that freshness for sure. “=1” is a rock-solid effort. My copy of “Splat” is still-in-in-the-mail somewhere lol, but there’s no-need-to-rush, it was always going to be a winner…
Ciao !
August 1st, 2026 at 01:27Thank you, Mike for this review. Just like many other times, too took some words out of my thoughts!
Your thoughts about who should produce in the future are interesting – I think Bob cut their wings so to say. I prefer longer songs. I hope they will stretch out a lot when I will see them live in Frankfurt in November!
August 1st, 2026 at 10:02@ 48 Of course you should express your feelings about Splat! without being ridiculed. Myself, I’m divided about this album, really like 55-60% of it. But some of the tracks are almost forgettable. Can’t get into Diablo, The Lunatic and Third Call and some others are like lukewarm.
Really like Splat!, The Rider, Sacred Land, Guilt Trippin, The Only Horse in Town and Scriblin’ Gib’rish.
August 1st, 2026 at 10:48I don’t have a formal musical education, so I don’t want to try to explain what I think is not good on Splat. Just as =1 is among my 12 favorite studio DP albums, Splat is paler and paler after each listen. I doubt Don…I think his musical self-promotion is over the top… The second suspect is Bob for shortening the songs… I think my frustration came from the fact that I expected a better and not a worse album than the previous one, so maybe my tone was not the most appropriate, but I already said here somewhere that my criticism is just a cry for the next album to be worthy of the end of the GREATEST ROCK GROUP IN THE WORLD EVER!!! I sincerely apologize to everyone whose DP feelings I hurt, because at the end of the day, we are all DP TRIBES!
August 1st, 2026 at 12:45@56 Surely there’s two Mk.II songs without a Blackmore solo, and they’re both on the same album?
August 1st, 2026 at 13:33Dear Mike, just a quick note to thank you for your elaborate, passionate, and colorful album review. I enjoyed it.
August 1st, 2026 at 17:32John McK and Stathis: WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE asking that question?!!!!!!
As for some other points raised:
1. Beate, you NEVER say that to ME that I take words out of your mouth! How I adore your passionless cruelty and callousness … Who’s this Nagoda guy anyway, he only just admitted that half his ancestors were Orcs and the other half Uruk-Hais or somethin’. 😑
2. Gregster, this site’s prodigal son of scintillating perception, is perfectly right that Ritchie and Jon never regained the GORGAN intensity of yore after the reunion. And also that Don and the Irish kid have rejuvenated it no end. I never get enough of their sparring.
3. John McK: I know that those three stooges aren’t representative of the US of A, read my post @36, for every Joe Rogan there are countless others. I’ve met enough witty and well-educated Yanks in my lifetime and even went to school with them during a phase of my life that shaped me to this day.
4. Dear dDejan: One man‘s SPLAT! is another man‘s Rainbow Rising I would say! 😎 I welcome criticism even of things I like, that is how truth is eventually distilled. As for the press blurb “the new In Rock”, it was always nonsense and I don’t even see the point: Expecting DP at this stage of their career to record something even remotely akin to In Rock is like telling your wife on Valentine’s Day that you preferred her looks 50 years ago – and then see how that conversation goes …
(Please take note how that particular metaphor
https://youtu.be/-9TKXo4NOoE
painstakingly avoided any reference to German WWII Panzerkampfwagen, I’m really covering my tracks here …)
5. Statis, let’s not judge people on missing a “t” in a name … or, Zeus forbid, even an “h”? 😂😘
August 1st, 2026 at 17:48dDejan @60
There is no need to apologise. Opinions changes like the wind. I am interested to know about your least favourite DP albums and your most favourite ones.
Peace ✌️
August 1st, 2026 at 20:35for Adele: favorite albums chronologically as they were released and their places changed over the years Deep Purple 1969, In Rock, Fireball, Machine Head,WDWTWA,Burn, Perfect Strangers, Abandon, Now What, Infinite,=1…and the least favorite: Turning to crime, Slaves, Bananas, Whoosh and unfortunately this one… I would like you to write your lists for me
August 2nd, 2026 at 08:49To Uwe: You managed to make my wife laugh with your comment, so all is forgiven… you don’t have to sit in the corner on the corn…
August 2nd, 2026 at 08:55#56 John:
When I read your name I always think of the great Ted McKenna who left us a few years ago!
August 2nd, 2026 at 10:27Uwe #63 Thanks Uwe,that whole you tube got me aggravated, Good luck my friend.
August 2nd, 2026 at 14:32Stathis #61…I should’ve said 1st M2 song without Blackmore solo.Pretty sure all In Rock songs had one,check me.but you get the point I was makings…thx
August 2nd, 2026 at 14:40#65 dDejan:
my list of best albums in no particular order:
In Rock
Perfect Strangers
Abandon
Splat
adding the other MKs too:
August 2nd, 2026 at 23:23Deep Purple
Burn
Come taste the band
Fla76 #67….Yeah he was Gillan’s Drummer if I remember correctly, no relation though.I don’t think he was with all of Gillan’s solo bands.Have to check ,been a while.
August 3rd, 2026 at 00:52Uwe:
Excuse me sir, but I am descended from hobbits, not Orcs or Uruk hai or Olog hai, I shall have you know! That’s my Dad’s side!
On my Mom’s side I am descended from Flying Monkeys – my great Uncle Pat Walshe played Niko the head Flying Monkey in the Wizard of Oz – watch the film and you’ll see he’s at the bottom of the credits.
At least get my metaphysical heritage correct, for not God’s sake!
McKenna:
The song in question is Smooth Dancer, provided we’re not counting Ritchie’s lead lines in the final double chorus, is it not? Because Gillan is singing over top, I don’t consider those leads solos but fills. If you’re thinking of another tune, I can’t think of one, but that’s the one that comes to mind – wait, Fireball counts as well, no? So that’s two Mk II songs without a Ritchie solo then…
Beate:
I think Uwe is being sarcastic again in his reply to you. Best ignore him, or we’ll never hear the end of it 😉
August 3rd, 2026 at 01:06dDejan @65
August 3rd, 2026 at 07:09My top 5 DP albums
In Rock, Machine Head, Burn, Perfect Strangers and Perpendicular.
My bottom 5 DP albums
Now What, Abandon, The house of blue light, The Battle rages on and Rapture of the deep.
I always exclude ‘Slaves and masters’ as for me it’s a Rainbow album, and ‘Turing to crime’ as it’s a bit of fun covers to fill the boredom of COVID lockdown.
I have to say my selection is about the collective material of each album and not the selective sections which can be great
For example, I love the Spanish archer, and strange ways from THOBL and I love the MTV video of ‘call of the wild’
Now what has uncommon man and above and beyond which I like the most but overall it’s to fragmented in terms of quality and core direction.
The battle rages on has the title track, Anya and Ramshackle man but overall it has no MK2 solid quality feel.
Abandon has some good material ’69’ ‘Seventh heaven’ ‘Watching the sky’ but they were trying so hard to sound more heavy than harmonic.
Funny enough I highly rate ‘Bananas’ and it has some fun songs but the production is S**t to put it politely.
Peace ✌️
Rat Bat Blue, Our Lady and of course Fireball the song. Yes I agree with a couple of others off WDWTWA that only have little filler bits that could sort of be construed as a solo, but not in the typical solo guitar slot sense. WFT for sure and definitely Smooth Dancer. Cheers.
August 3rd, 2026 at 09:51I actually find the duelling call and response between Don and Simon a bit predicable at times, if you know what I mean. Ritchie and Jon were much more balls to the wall, and much more flaying it. I still smile when I hear McBride and Airey duelling, sparring or whatever people want to call it. But do they do it a little too much? Cheers.
August 3rd, 2026 at 09:57for Adele and Fla76 Dear DP friends, from everything you wrote that you like plus my list, we come to the conclusion that tastes are not discussed, and I would add that we are blessed because we have 24 albums, so everyone has something to choose for themselves 😎 And I hope that the 25th, and probably the last, will be to our liking✌
August 3rd, 2026 at 12:41Mike Nagoda #72….When I mentioned the A/C units starting,that meant Fireball.
August 3rd, 2026 at 15:15Mike, Beate certainly needs no encouragement from you of all people, clinging to your lips as she does, to ignore lowly ME, she already does that ample as I seethe here in a broth of rejection and jealousy!
Love the coming out with your heritage 👍👍👍, at this rate you will be Judy Garland next!
https://media1.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTZjMDliOTUyYm1wN3NnbjY5c25lNW5pNmtmdGV5eTIya3kzazJiZjEydXVqNWo2MSZlcD12MV9naWZzX3NlYXJjaCZjdD1n/euFhCxBGsVxoQ/source.gif
August 3rd, 2026 at 16:19McGregor 75 You gave the right definition about Simon and Don…predictable and often exaggerated….hats off for the explanation👍
August 3rd, 2026 at 17:51#76 dDejan:
absolutely.
There will also be some AoR fans who consider S&M to be Purple’s best album.
It’s actually a great AoR album, the best Rainbow could have done! (Uwe will be happy with this joke!)
Purple’s strong point is certainly the variety of albums they have made, they have certainly never been as monothematic as AC/DC or Iron Maiden,
August 3rd, 2026 at 19:53but it cannot be emphasized enough how much with Morse the Purple sound became modern and unique (even if the initial freshness eventually diminished)
You guys are unduly tough on Don’s and Simon’s dueling skills, I think they do fine. Sure it’s a bit adolescent fun and a circus trick of sorts, but in this day and age (where hardly anyone does it anymore) it has charm for just that. It’s like wearing flared jeans.
Blackmore’s and Jon’s legendary dueling contests were actually less dueling than Ritchie playing something first and then Jon parotting it with a smirk and a flourish of his own. Because Jon could replicate Ritchie but not really vice versa.
August 3rd, 2026 at 22:12#81 Uwe
In fact, I’ve only worn flared jeans since I was 14!
August 4th, 2026 at 07:05even at my wedding!
Uwe,
August 4th, 2026 at 08:21I do not agree at all with your observation that Ritchie starts and then Jon follows him with minor variations.. The only Speed king….
check Mandrake Root, Wring That Neck, Child in time, lazy, You fool no one…
@83: Without any deeper analysis at the moment, I’m with Uwe on this. I seem to remember both RB and JL saying that was what happened mostly. Of course there are exceptions.
August 4th, 2026 at 08:59In fact, I’ve only worn flared jeans since I was 14!
even at my wedding!
You ‘went commando’ even on your wedding day, Flavio? 🤯 (Uwe, visibly shaken, exits stage left, muttering to himself: “Diese Italiener …, it’s all true ….”)
************************************************************
dDejan, whether a solo appears first or second in a studio song says NOTHING about the true sequence of recording it. They might have done reverse engineering.
Ritchie says himself that he is not all that good in copying something more or less exactly on the spur of a momen, not even his own previous solos. It was Jon who offered the necessary musical flexibility (as well as a set of good ears) for that. I’m not saying it never happened, but I don’t really have a memory of a live lick exchange either in DP or Rainbow that was initiated by Lord/Carey/Stone/Airey/Rosenthal.
Also, much as I like them, those call & response exchanges are always rehearsed to a certain extent, it’s a crowd pleasing thing (nothing wrong with that). In one of his recent interviews, Tony Carey himself laid to rest the idea that his live dueling with Ritchie was truly improvisational: “It was all rehearsed, we just made it sound like it was improvised.” As my good mother used to say: “Die kochen auch nur mit Wasser.“
August 4th, 2026 at 10:28Flavio @80, in my humble view Steve Morse’s style – worship him or don’t – is not really replicable by anyone else. A lot of people can do Ritchie and Tommy Bolin impressions, but Steve’s idiosyncratic mix of his highly processed sound, his customized guitar, his right and left hand technique plus his manifold influences is damn hard to copy. I’ve never hear anyone do it convincingly. Steve’s style is all about control, but to achieve that control like him you have to be darn good (and disciplined + not lazy)
So his influence on DP was no doubt great – and not just by the complicated/sophisticated stuff he did, but also by the simple things, his rhythm guitar playing for instance has an immediately identifiable micro-groove. No, it doesn’t have Simon’s gung-ho’ness, but it has a style of its own.
And it is true: While Mk VII and VIII existed, no other band sounded like them. I’m happy that Simon joined and gave the band a fresh spark, but I see no reason to write Steve out of the DP’s history, his contribution was immense and long-lasting.
And I don’t just mean men’s fashion-wise! 😇
August 4th, 2026 at 11:37Splendid album 9,5/10. Ian Gillan is absolutely fantastic, but the unsong hero is Roger Glover who has produced inventive, varied, great basplaying especially since Steve Morse apperence in the band, where the songs became more complicated. .
August 4th, 2026 at 17:43#85 Uwe:
Forgive my lack of insight into the joke, but I want to reassure everyone that under my flared trousers I have always worn boxers every day of my life!
especially “that day”!
#86 Uwe:
exactly, Steve was simply a champion, a unique style and technique, a peyote that made the creativity of Purple explode.
If it had been a little harder, a little more “simpler” at times, maybe the story would have gone differently.
but his not being “simple and banal” paradoxically was also a big creative limitation for him and the band when the songs contained too much rehashed soup.
but then again, after more than 20 years together it was also physiological…
In any case, Simon is doing a different but equally excellent job given the musical result of the last two albums.
August 4th, 2026 at 20:46I think the only guitarist who would have a ghost of a chance at replicating Steve’s style of playing is John Petrucci – in fact, Steve believes John has improved upon and perfected his style and that no one can do it better than John, so there you go!
Do I agree with Steve? Not really – I think he’s the more soulful and therefore the better player, but that’s more about my own personal taste. I would agree John has more technical control to his alternate picking, but that doesn’t necessarily equal an improvement in my books.
August 4th, 2026 at 22:56Steve just admires Petrucci’s CNC***-like dexterity (left and right hand) as if he was the newest cyborg/android model leaving the assembly line. I wince every time I read about it and would prefer to read a quote from the hay farming aviator along the lines of I really like Adrian Belew’s choice of notes., but Belew is likely too leftfield for – much like Blackmore: inherently musically conservative – Steve, who instead worships a shredding machine like the Dream Theater guy.
(***computer numerical control)
I can’t help it, but still admiring sheer dexterity and technical accomplishment at an age that Steve is strikes me as a bit stunted development-adolescent. It’s that American 🇺🇸🏈 athletic achievement side of Steve (thankfully, he has others as well) that I was never entirely comfortable with. I don’t admire people climbing some Himalaya peak either, but always wonder what for? Not for science, not for some worthy cause justifying personal risk, but for sheer self-gratification in breaking or at least meeting some record. The higher the monkey climbs indeed …
https://youtu.be/4CimtissslM
I’m not saying that physical technique and control play no role, they of course do in playing an instrument, certainly with Purple as thinking man’s heavy rock, but Steve’s priorities are still very much shaped by that serial “Guitarist of the Year” thing. Is that what they taught him at the University of Miami School of Music, that you have to get faster and faster all your life?
August 5th, 2026 at 17:15I think Steve longs for those days when he could go faster and faster and now he is learning to live with a disability and accept his limitations. As a disabled guitarist myself, I know first hand how psychologically difficult that can be to accept. Steve is coming to terms with his disability, and it’s a process.
That message of you must be stronger and faster is so ingrained in various cultures, not just North America, that it really negatively affects disabled people when we realize we are living up to an impossible standard and it still gets pushed on us. It’s not any easy message to let go of, and I’m quite proud of Steve for doing it. He has my respect and understanding, and honestly, he just needs space to figure things out for himself. He’ll get there in the end, I think.
August 5th, 2026 at 22:26Uve, hats off to your comment #90. I’m still laughing and there’s so much truth in that comment 🤣🤣🤣👏👏👏
August 5th, 2026 at 22:30#90 Uwe:
I was a big listener of Petrucci, Dream Theater was one of my 3 favorite bands until Octavarium, then I lost interest in their self-indulgent prog-metal-heavy-thrash cage from which they can’t escape despite being monstrous musicians. You could say we’ve been doing the same things as AC/DC for 20 years, but only extremely more difficult.
I also have the discography of Liquid Tension and the famous G3, at the time they were things I had never heard, truly extreme prog… I appreciated them but I never loved them.
I’ve always preferred 73-year-old Billy Sheehan’s Niacin, for example…
However, Petrucci is perhaps the most technically skilled guitarist on the planet, he even plays acoustic guitar excellently, it’s a shame that he too is a slave to his technique and his style.
But what Steve did with the addition of his feeling and his unique touch is not repeatable by anyone, not even by Petrucci.
August 6th, 2026 at 19:26I am going to spin this DT prog metal topic over to the forum. It will be titled, ‘Metal and it’s boring off shoots’. Cheers.
August 7th, 2026 at 02:59@63+78
Hello Uwe, I’ll explain it in November when we meet for the DP gig in Frankfurt
@89-93 Well said, everybody! Steve himself said in interviews that his “Tumeni Notes” was a reaction to some people saying that he was playing to many notes. He just wanted to test (proove?) if it was possible to play that fast.
August 7th, 2026 at 07:22He always explains that his music has to be melodic, not boring with too long solos and keeping the listener interested what comes next.
Thats what he learned from his time in Miami when he/they played gigs in the streets for free.
#94 MacGregor:
hahahaha
August 7th, 2026 at 09:25You reminded me of my former bassist, he’s not very old, he was born in 1974, but he’s always ironic about all the prog metal, power metal and other genres younger than classic hard & heavy.
obviously Dream Theater are at the top of the list of bands he doesn’t like and they make him yawn
MacGregor
August 7th, 2026 at 16:46👏👏👏👏👏
Dream Theater’s music is heartless – that is my main gripe with them though James LaBrie’s vocals do nothing for me either. He’s no Geoff Tate as charisma goes.
August 9th, 2026 at 16:52#98 Uwe:
well any singer, even a very good one, could be very small one against Geoff!
For me, Labrie is (or was) technically very good, with an incredible vocal range, a seamless register transition, and incredible belting!
If he hadn’t been American and had been English he probably would have been much closer to BigIan’s vocals, because the characteristics (and also the limits of the timbre) are similar.
James’s flute playing is certainly remarkable:
https://youtu.be/hyOMgyw459k?si=KYXBIAMKxrl7QYAr
https://youtu.be/8I7EH_pGvkQ?si=acXMTc1NE5C0z1D0
two gems I’ve been listening to for years
August 9th, 2026 at 23:37esp@93
August 10th, 2026 at 06:31Well, John Petrucci CAN play with more “feeling”. Just listen to his interplay with Steve in “Triangulation”!
Perhaps only because it’s Steve’s composition ? 😉
Flavio, I find LaBrie’s vocals at the same time both anodyne and affected, sorry, that is not a “man” singing to me:
https://youtu.be/6NcdYjRGG90
Say what you will about the other four Dream Theater guys, but they are at least good at what they do. LaBrie is to me barely approaching mediocrity, I am surprised he has lasted as long with them as he has. His vocals are expressionless.
And that Made in Japan tribute album the Dreamies did with good ole Roger mixing it? That is an exercise in flatness and tepidity. DP so drawn by numbers, it has taken all the piss & vinegar out of it. Terrible.
https://youtu.be/BJ2UOgugCpY
August 10th, 2026 at 16:48@101
August 11th, 2026 at 06:49Hello Uwe,
IMO, Mike Portnoy is a very good drummer. Just listen to his work with Steve in Flying Colors: When he’s playing in a “melodical” context, even his ultra-fast technical drumming sounds melodic to me. Of course – he is no Ian Paice or Rod Morgenstein!
And no, that does not mean I am a “drummer-specialist”. But I know without the dummer and the bass, there is no “beating heart” of a rockband!
I like Portnoy probably best among the DT instrumentalists and Flying Colors was probably the best band Steve was ever involved in, eclipsing even his work with DP. It’s a loss to the Prog world they no longer seem to exist.
August 11th, 2026 at 08:02For a long time, I didn’t want to write anything about this album, because it’s far easier not to write about it at all than to find any positives in a band that continues to slowly sink with guitarist McBride.
August 11th, 2026 at 08:28Not a single memorable riff or melody. It feels like even Don Airey, who filled the void on the previous album, has been significantly diminished. As a result, the guitar is now heard slightly more (than it should be), which only exacerbates this otherwise lackluster work.
The crisis of musical ideas that suddenly emerged after Steve Morse’s departure has gone so far that even without being a die-hard Steve fan, you now begin to painfully understand his importance to the band as a creative element in that very “formula” the band’s musicians once loved to talk about. Although the only good parts of this formula right now are the rhythm section, which never lets you down, and Don Airey, who’s desperately trying not to turn every album in a row into his own solo album. Gillan’s voice is good again, but there’s a sense of equalization with “airy” saturation. Unfortunately, that’s not enough when creativity is stalled and the guitarist is the first one who comes along.
My personal rating for the album is 1/10.
Best guitar solo on this album (in Diablo track) recorded by guest guitarist Keith Urban. Just think about it – Deep Purple is inviting an outside guitarist to play guitar. And there was so much controversy back then about inviting someone outside to write songs for Slaves & Masters. Now the legendary band is looking for other guitarists to record guitar. WTF? I never even thought this would ever happen. It’s a disgrace.
August 11th, 2026 at 08:55Uwe Hornung says:
“I’m happy that Simon joined and gave the band a fresh spark, but I see no reason to write Steve out of the DP’s history, his contribution was immense and long-lasting.”
Fresh sparks? Seriously? The band today features a tinkerer with a mediocre skill level, no improvisational ability, and no charisma whatsoever. So much so that Ezrin had to relegate his solos to the background behind the keyboards, like in =1.
August 11th, 2026 at 11:03I don’t understand why you’re writing about Steve with such doubt about his place in history, if Steve essentially rebuilt the band from scratch, and Simon and Simon is trying to bury it.
@103
August 11th, 2026 at 14:36You are right! I have all theirs albums and DVDs and like all of them very much.
Mike Portnoy is back to DT and now he is the one whose time-schedule has no space for other projects (in the days back then it was Steve)
Neal Morse is doing his own stuff and Casey (although I never get friends with his voice) seems to have retired from music to find a cure for his daughter Rose.
Perhaps Steve could form a new Flying Colors with Neal, Dave and Rod Morgenstein, who seems to have time now that Winger ist not active. FC is good enough without a singer!
Dima, I welcome that you share your feelings with us!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j95kNwZw8YY&t=6s
I left the comparing and weighing of different Mks behind me long ago, it’s a thing that comes with adulthood. An exercise in futility.
Mk I had the best hairdos and fashion sense though!
https://i.redd.it/8ohb0e9q87t61.jpg
August 11th, 2026 at 16:40Steve is Steve and Simon is Simon….both are capable and fine banjo players…theay are different….for god`s sake…..personally i`d prefer if Steve was still on board….hence almost everything is taste…there is no absolute truth….only personal views
August 11th, 2026 at 16:45dima…Steve has his plave in the band’s history….I did not hear Uwe doubting that – in fact he stated that as a fact.
But I agree that Simon brought a new spark to DP that is very much appreciated.
Both can be true at the same time.
I like what I hear on the last two albums much more than what they delivered in the decade before that but it’s all down to taste.
August 11th, 2026 at 19:34#104 Dima:
hahahaha I can’t help but laugh at this biased point of view.
Do you feel the “creative” lack of Steve Morse?…yes, you’ve felt it since before Whoosh!
It had already been two albums since Purple had lost their immediacy, and the solos (including Steve’s) were recycled from the musicians’ repertoire (including Steve’s)
Not admitting that Simon was a breath of fresh air and simply loving anything Steve plays (even the usual recycled lyric) is not being objective to me.
i.e. being a famous “Steve’s widow”.
#103 Uwe:
August 11th, 2026 at 20:32do you know why you like Portnoy?
because he was sometimes wrong live, because in the hyper-technical nature of Dream Theater he has always been the most human (like Moore & Sherinian) and the wildest compared to the other glacial ones.
* recycled licks, not lyrics, sorry for the mistake
August 11th, 2026 at 23:25@ 108 – “I left the comparing and weighing of different Mks behind me long ago, it’s a thing that comes with adulthood. An exercise in futility.” Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. Except when dragging Rainbow and it’s individual members into the ‘equation’. Cheers.
August 11th, 2026 at 23:49With the exception of his lamentable T-shirt taste which Beate in a total dereliction of female duty has failed to correct (or at least ameliorate in its worst excesses) over the decades, I’ve never had issues with Steve as a player, composer or person (if you dislike Steve, then something is inherently wrong with you). He is what he is and that’s highly idiosyncratic. He never was a wild abandon player (something I like about a guitarist, a good guitar solo should be like rampant sex), but then neither was Ritchie, Tommy probably came closest to that, but then he didn’t appeal to everyone either.
Every darn guitarist who’s played with Purple has had strengths. And weaknesses, even – shudder the thought – almighty Blackers. Why you just can’t say that they were all fine musicians and each one contributed something others couldn’t, but have to establish some kind of weird ranking where denigrating one is supposed to elevate the other, is beyond me.
But then I’m for the abolishment of school grades too.
Simon still has that “Hey, look at me, Ma, I’m playing with Deep Purple!“-enthusiasm in him and I greatly enjoy that, his rags-to-riches story too. I’ve been to too many Blackmore gigs where I had the feeling that he would have preferred half the band off stage (including himself!), seeing someone who gives the impression of really loving to be there is inspiring. I’m sure Simon misses his kids when he is on tour, but he also knows that Dad is providing for their future in a way that was likely unfathomable for him a few years ago – once you’re past 40 chances of you still becoming an internationally touring and recording rock star guitarist are kinda slim.
With Steve in his later years, a certain workmanlike attitude had crept in, but that is forgivable considering how long his enthusiasm carried the band before and of course his personal worries. In the end, he simply didn’t like touring enough which you have to if you want to be a cog and a wheel in the Purple perpetuum mobile.
August 12th, 2026 at 02:11@111 Fla76
+1 about Portnoy, Moore and Sherinian
August 12th, 2026 at 05:41MacGregor hit the nail on the head again, and with just a few words… yet it seems no one notices that comment because THE TRUTH HURTS.
August 12th, 2026 at 07:59P.S. I’m not a Turner fan.
OMG, the harbinger of nightmares @113: Had the Rainbow Rising line-up at one point morphed into a further Deep Blurple line-up, lieber Herr MacGregor, I think I would have jumped off some Babylonian tower (without a parachute). 😂
Let’s not get carried away, just like “there are adults and there are children”, there is Deep Purple and there is Rainbow. Let’s not confuse those things all too much, shall we? Now go run with the wolf or play with the shadow of the wizard, while I’m bustin’ out for Rosey —> music for adults.
August 12th, 2026 at 09:06@106
Hi Dima 😊
Well, Purple, that’ll be Ian, has said the same, that SMcB has indeed been breathing new life to them all.
Oh, and talking about guitarists:
August 12th, 2026 at 09:55Blackmore is joining Purple tonight!
To be alive on a day like this 🤩
Wish so much there would be some luvestreaming
Dear dDjean, Herr MacGregor has hit his head several times over the years —> consecutive rim shots, it explains why he writes some of the things he writes. Best to not even ignore him.
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRqwXN37GdPC6IriKxI5_acVXLzWvJJcVWEABRJWrf7fA&s
August 12th, 2026 at 09:56Fla76 says:
#111
>Not admitting that Simon was a breath of fresh air and simply loving anything Steve plays (even the usual recycled lyric) is not being objective to me.
No one care, cause any opinion cant be “objective” includind your or mine.
>i.e. being a famous “Steve’s widow”.
It’s a stupid joke. It would probably be funnier if you started calling yourself Simon’s fiancée.
August 12th, 2026 at 11:36114 Uwe Hornung says:
> Simon still has that “Hey, look at me, Ma, I’m playing with Deep Purple!“-enthusiasm in him and I greatly enjoy that, his rags-to-riches story too.
Oh, yeah… When he closes his eyes during his solo, holds one note for a long time (“yes, baby, I have a gutar compressor!”), then opens one eye and looks at the audience – “so why aren’t you applauding me yet?” My ears are bleeding from such creativity.
August 12th, 2026 at 11:54But I have no complaints about him. The guitarist plays at the level of an amateur cover band. I don’t understand why they hired such a pathetic guy in the group. He can’t even properly repeat Blackmore’s solos (although he tries), which are easily played by students today. Average technique. The ability to improvise makes me laugh (then tears). But then – yes, mom, I play in Deep Purple. The latest album is like a collection of outtakes from =1, which, in turn, is a Don Airey solo album from beginning to end. Where you saw a “fresh breeze” or “sparks” from a guitarist whose parts Ezrin is forced to mask – I will never understand. And yes, this is just my subjective opinion, like any of yours.
#121 Dima:
several guitarists I know (including my ex-guitarist who especially loves Petrucci, Vai, Satriani, Malmsteen and all the Guitar heroes younger than Ritchie) say that Simon has good technique and taste, so I think what you say is simply meanness and has ZERO value.
I’m not Simon’s girlfriend, but as far as I’m concerned, after Steve, Purple could have made records without a guitarist, or even taken Wakeman, or they could have taken Angus, Yngwie, Clapton, Andy Summers, Timo Tolkki, or a factory worker, or a shop assistant, or a 14-year-old kid… I wouldn’t have cared who played that guitar.
The important thing is the music, and =1 and Splat’s music is really fresh and creative like it hasn’t been in years.
August 12th, 2026 at 15:05Here we go again … 🤯
https://media1.tenor.com/m/1WrGrYWJqvQAAAAC/xt.gif
August 12th, 2026 at 16:33I have an idea, why don‘t we all just agree that EVERY guitarist who has so far played with Purple was crap and inept and that the band only managed to mask this predicament through sheer fortitude? Wouldn‘t that be satisfactory for all? I mean look at them: one a tyrant who likes to cosplay and wear wigs, one a drug addict, the other guy of Italian descent (you can‘t have that unless you own a restaurant and are looking for a successor), the other guy from Tumeninotistan and a friggin‘ vegan to boot (those T-shirts he wore … 😑), let‘s not even talk of the guy “at the level of an amateur band“ who probably doesn‘t even know what offside is unlike some guitarist-referees offering their insights here …
Imagine there‘s no heaven … and no guitarists too … 🤗
August 12th, 2026 at 17:27#121 Dima:
Haters are unwelcome here, they can go vomit elsewhere
August 12th, 2026 at 20:12Fla76 says:
> after Steve, Purple could have made records without a guitarist
> I wouldn’t have cared who played that guitar.
This is proof about your ZERO understanding the kind of Deep Purple music.
August 18th, 2026 at 11:06Fla76 says:
> several guitarists I know (including my ex-guitarist who especially loves Petrucci
LOL OMG! Don’t forget to ask your neighbor, your ex-girlfriend, her cat, and your dog what they think of Simon. This will be very persuasive in any discussion.
August 18th, 2026 at 11:20