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A whopping slab of Purple enjoyment (review)
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!
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
A brief, concise and up to the point review ;p
July 2nd, 2026 at 18:13Nothing else to add…
I’ve played to through twice now, once on headphone and once on room speakers. To my mind it’s definitely a progression from =1 and I found it easy to put it straight back on (I felt a little worn out by =1 by the time I’d got to the end). I haven’t felt so willing to put a Purple album straight back since either Purpendicular or Now What ?!
July 2nd, 2026 at 18:55First impression is that it’s on a par with Now What but not quite Purpendicular, however if you ask me the same question next week I might have changed my mind.
Of the first three tracks that we have already heard I’ll perversely say Guilt Trippin might be most representative of how different this album is from =1. Beating of Wings definitely opens up with some welcome space within the song to let it breathe. Sacred Land is probably the track that hasn’t landed for me yet, but it’s nearly time to put the album on once more tonight.
I think the best things are that Simon has definitely settled in better on this one and the band feels more gelled than =1, similarly I feel Gillan is in better voice on this than =1 too, while the others are solidly dependable and imaginative (e.g. the drum pattern in Third Call).
All in all, much more than I hoped for. Excuse me as I just have to go and press Play on something again…
I would discuss some details but I share the general feel of the review. It’s great album with improved sound and mix from 1. Gillan sounds amazing. Reading like 10 reviews and hearing singles I was not prepared for that. I like but of 80 ties melodic approach of the Rider. Splat is great in its change of approach. The drums and bass recording is the best of Erin era. Even these short songs works much better then expected.
July 2nd, 2026 at 20:26Great review, I agree with most of your insights. Listened through twice and it’s only 9.30AM here in NZ. I don’t usually listen to rock in the morning. This is a special album. “A contender for one of the strongest points in their discography? Could be”. Yes, it could well be.
July 2nd, 2026 at 21:30Danke Marcin, a Königstiger tank of a review!
https://media.tenor.com/lVF2AbsrFLkAAAAC/tiger-ii-k%C3%B6nigstiger.gif
No spoilers from me, just one observation: The album is extremely spirited, even buoyant. Feel-good record.
And I love the variety Don brings playing pretty much any keyboard known to man – even a clavinet!
July 2nd, 2026 at 23:04I’ll keep it brief; I don’t feel like going on at length, even though I’d love to express just how passionate and thrilled I am about this album and this band.
July 3rd, 2026 at 06:26As far as I’m concerned,
this record blows Morse’s entire discography (PROBABLY even =1 ).
It is a pure HARD ROCK album. It might well be the best one since the Mark II era.
Thank you for that review, Thorsun!
July 3rd, 2026 at 08:44My New Movie remember me Mary Long 💜
July 3rd, 2026 at 08:46BRAVO THORSUN! 🍻🍺🍺
July 3rd, 2026 at 08:54Thanks Folks, proud and pleased to be the front runner and do the reviewing service for you all in this wonderful cave of freaks that THS is!
It will be immense excitement to see / read / discuss / fight over your thoughts and disses regarding “Splat!” ! I’m especially curious of if our dear Leslie is finally brought back to the fandom out of the spitting pit. 😛 Nobody hated “=1” as vehemently as he did! And this record does deserve some love, it’s sooo fine. It does seem to be really embraced by the public so far!
July 3rd, 2026 at 09:23Splat, the song, seems to be performed by MK4 💜
July 3rd, 2026 at 09:36@11 for me Splat! has an echo of Any fule kno that. Both the drum intro and the riff.
In general I enjoyed the first 2 listens of the album very much! It is early, but I like it much more than =1
Thankful that the band is still around and rocking!
July 3rd, 2026 at 10:03@ 12
July 3rd, 2026 at 10:35yes, you are right at all!
Oh sure, this album is better than =1, also Gillan: He has surprised me.
Afrer 2 listens, I think this is the best one since Purpendicular. Chapeau!
July 3rd, 2026 at 10:46@14
July 3rd, 2026 at 11:35I keep telling myself this, until I’m worn out.😁
For me, this album is the best since the last century—better even than Purpendicular.
I can’t find a single song I don’t like, which is something that happens with =1.
I haven’t felt this fired up in decades. Finally, a rousing record.💜
@15
Andrea – I’m happy for you! Quite honestly, days like these are really the best to live for, isn’t it? We love that fix of being fired up by our favorite musicians. I feel it too – I really wanted a proper Purple fix last week – and I got it… It kind of feels like finally all is good for them again, so what’s not to love?
While I type it, “Sacred Land” and “Beating Of Wings” just sound out in the back of my head, endlessly… In next few minutes – it might be dancing to “Jessica’s Bra”, not to mention that a slightest notion of a funny little fella sipping water through the straw / he’s completely motionless – what the hell is he waiting for? just makes me giggle. That has to be the most cinematic lyric Gillan has ever written, but I doubt anyone makes a music movie over it… 😛 it would have to be in completely different category, on other server than YT 😀
July 3rd, 2026 at 13:28For me it’s one of the best if not the best record by DP since Purpendicular.
The Lunatic, Sacred Land and Scriblin’ Gib’rish are instant DP classics. Phenomenal tracks.
But I also love The Rider (great intro, vibe and lyrics), The Beating of Wings (for its jazzy, swinging style) and Splat! (for this sick bass line from Roger).
What an album.
July 3rd, 2026 at 13:44@16
Oh yes!! Fantastic Days to live.
I’ ve just now bought the CD..👍
BUT WHERE IS KARIN ?! In the days of the split/Splat she misses by here…
July 3rd, 2026 at 14:20Very curious but strange..
May be she have fainted because of Gillan’s magnificent performance?
July 3rd, 2026 at 14:26Just couple of ideas…. Its great album and actually – thankfully the singles were misleading once again and quite frankly, I considered Arrogant Boy and Diablo as the weakest opening singles for all of Ezrin produced albums.
I do understand what they meant by “heaviest” album in years, but…. no, I dont think its heaviest and I even think that =1 is heavier. But its just subjective feeling about overall record. My favourites – Guilt Trippin, Sacred Land (PLEASE, make this concert opener for album tour!!!!), Third Call (anybody remembers Ultimate Groove from One Eye To Morrocco) and Lunatic! Those songs have BITE and they are so groovy! I mean – I never liked shuffles on DP albums, but oh my – shuffles on THIS album are excellent!
Overall? Its difficult to review it among full Ezrin “catalog”…. only time will tell, but first guess would be:
July 3rd, 2026 at 15:18NW?!, Whoosh, THIS, =1, Infinite…….. which is excellent result actually!
At 15. Ok. I was sub. Better than anything lately in half a century, Including PS. Purpendicular, we’ll see.
July 3rd, 2026 at 15:21The bass on SPLAT! (the song)!!! Proper.
Can Bob Ezrin please REMIX Rainbow’s Rising? I’ll chip in with crowd funding.
July 3rd, 2026 at 15:27Ian Gillan has absolutely no right to sound this good at this stage of his life.
July 3rd, 2026 at 15:57Thorsun, thank you for your tremendous review. Initially, I was going to wait for a quiet moment before listening to the new album, but – after reading what you wrote – I simply could not wait. So, I played SPLAT! while doing some yardwork and very much liked what I heard at first listen.
July 3rd, 2026 at 17:31The anticipation is increasing for the August show at Jones Beach, NY, and for the November one at RAH in London. With SLAT! out, hopefully the guys will play live a decent number of songs from the new album.
Thank you again for your superb review. I always enjoy reading your civilized, thoughtful, and well-crafted notes.
Thorsun!!!
Magnificent review, thanks!
An excellent album, no doubt, and to me their best since “Purpendicular” _!_
Excellent music, performances and production…but why, oh why wasn’t The Rider a single??!!
Also, what Gillan does on this record I think is astounding, he somehow found a way to work his current range into a myriad of vocal expressions and now we have both the “Travelogue Narrator” along the “Singer of Melodies” in one package. The clarity and intensity of his delivery…Out of mourning, Embracing euphoria…
And Don…leading the “Make DP Rock Again” campaign, aided by gunslinger McBride (astonishing work!!!)…no words.
Thank God they are now out of their “Grateful Dead” phase.
We have our band back.
Cheers, J.-
PS. Apparently Karin is in a state of perpetual bliss until further notice, I hope she’ll get Down To Earth eventually!
PPS. Mike Airey, eat your heart out 🙂
July 3rd, 2026 at 17:40I LOVE “Guilt Trippin'”! Arrogant Boy and Diablo are great live tracks. Beating of wings and sacred land are good. But overall “Infinite” IS MUCH BETTER THAN “SPLAT!”
July 3rd, 2026 at 17:42Don Airey injecting Bach’s “Jesu, Joy Of Man’s Desiring” into “My new movie” makes me think this piece is of general importance for purple people. Steve Morse used to play it in his live acoustic sets and also Ritchie Blackmore has mentioned it as one of his favourite classical pieces
July 3rd, 2026 at 20:19@24
Dear Albania, now you got me gushing and blushing – thank you for such nice words. I enjoy the fact that our place here has high standards of conversation and mutual respect, so it’s much easier and simply a treat to be articulate, in those sad times of BS crappy language everywhere else, really. I love writing here and easing my passion for a deeply felt purple opinion. And a fine task to hone the writing skills for 3rd decade now – for my own satisfaction and your pleasure.
So you will be in London as well? Maybe we should think of some THS bunch coffee on the day of the show? There will never be a better chance to meet. Just a loose thought.
July 3rd, 2026 at 20:32@25
Dear J, at last you’re chipping in with some joy!
One remark though, my friend, DP’s “Grateful Dead phase” was apparently some 57 years ago I think… When they had the shows containing both WTN and MR, each 30 minutes plus, on the ON nights. But that’s a solid while ago and things have changed quite a bit since then. So I’m not sure where you see this phase of late, mate! They became almost too concise but I admit that on the new album they used it to their advantage even more than on “=1”. But I’m clinging on I my thesis that at least 3-4 tracks from “Splat!” would greatly benefit from imaginative (even controlled) expanding. They are not Ramones – and I’ll keep on fixing your thinking on this, Folks!
Btw, Roger in his interview at the top of the page mentioned that they had a longer song that got dropped off, but he hopes they return to it next time to finish it properly. It will not really hurt anybody! Their talents deserve this sort of exposure. And Don’s “Pushed to the Edge” release is a sounding out proof of that.
July 3rd, 2026 at 20:50I’m going out on a limb, I know, but The Rider is to me the most swaggerish, immediate, catchy and infectious Purple romp outside of their 70s work since KAYBD!
July 3rd, 2026 at 21:17@29
And that’s how the joy should be Uwe! This is indeed maybe their catchiest one since KAYBD or “Call Of The Wild”.
Although if we think of a certain template – the PS opener will remain unmatched in it’s glory of the spoils. A perfect combination between catchy and solidly rocking. Perfected in 1991-93 to the peak of ability with variations of the middle impromptu sections. Stuttgart 1993 take as a top example – take down, semi acoustic guitar solo, call response with B3 and then a blast back to electric and taking the diabolicals out with the rousing outro phrase. Shivers and chills, every time I hear it.
July 3rd, 2026 at 21:37@ 27
MM, Ritchie not only mentioned this JSB tune as inspiration, he pretty frequently used his in his own impromptu runs as well! Quickest and most accessible example of this is in “Catch The Rainbow” introductory solo from the WDR videotaped Munich gig by Dio fronted Rainbow, 20th October 1977 in Olympiahalle.
July 3rd, 2026 at 21:43Thorsun great review, thank you!
#30 Uwe:
absolutely!
July 4th, 2026 at 01:41It’s in the vein of Pictures of You, adventurous, austere, crystalline like the songs on Perfect Strangers were!
It’s my favorite on the album!
Finally someone acknowledged Blood from a stone. I thought it was the best number on Now What
July 4th, 2026 at 07:10That JSB piece is on LIVE IN LONDON, intro of You Fool No One by Dear Mr Lord.
July 4th, 2026 at 08:45I guess that for every “love and embrace” fiesta that we currently have going over Splat! there has to be some counterbalance – as it usually is in the logic of the universe.
Just went through Mr Popoff’s review video of the new album and I have to say… – I’m stunned, in a most negative way. I mean, over the decades I was accused of being “over-analyzing” in my own reviews. But what MP does in his – it’s just absolute different level of it, bonkers. He doesn’t like most of the songs musically, totally mis-interprets the clues and ideas behind the lyrics (probably didn’t bother to listen to the interviews with Gillan at all) – and overall sounds totally anti- and turned off by this new outing. Combine it with his despisive attitude towards the live albums… It just got me to wonder – why, on earth, bother at all with Deep Purple Family then? What’s the use of being critic for the sake of just being critic if the music doesn’t inspire you at all (or hardly mildly ever does) ?
This was like a bit of bucket of cold water onto my head – it shows how much some individuals can be set up inwards into centeristic minds of their own. Duh! I’m happy I didn’t give a penny for his books so far. Now I’d be too scared to even to try to read them, as they would twist my head to the point of annoyance if THIS is a style of the man.
On the bright side – it just tells me that I’m such a lucky guy to be actually more like in Phil Aston mode here – commited primarily to listening to the music first, taking it in and really feeling enjoyment of it, first and foremost. It’s been such a joy over last few days. Cold, technical analyzing of things can totally destroy an experience of a listener – as MP’s example amply shows.
July 4th, 2026 at 11:20There is a band member I’ve looked up to as a second father, because of his charisma and music have been a part of my life for over 40 years and until now. Well, when that day comes, I’ll feel like an orphan; at times, I’ve held him in higher regard—for what he’s given me—than my own dad. It’s not a nice thing to say, but it’s the truth. He has given me—and continues to give me, with *this* beautiful album—so many positive emotions; more than anyone else. God bless you; I love you. 💜
July 4th, 2026 at 14:00Who is Martin Popoff? 😂 But more importantly, who gives a shit about him? 💩
July 4th, 2026 at 14:04Well MP maybe liked the singles that are not album representative. People all are different and even DP fans very unlikely usually agree on anything. That’s the beauty of it…
July 4th, 2026 at 14:15I like Phil (Aston), but he is too reverential and adoring for me, he’s like a marriage counselor. Popoff OTOH can be either mesmerizingly spot-on or totally off the mark, he’s a bit scattershot in that AND he can be grumpy and dig himself contrarian holes to sink in. (Some people could probably rightfully say that about my unabashed love for Rainbow’s master
piecemess Rising too! ☝️😂)Anyway, I bought lots of albums I love on the basis of really bad reviews which piqued my curiosity – Runaways, Judas Priest, Doctors of Madness, Rush, KISS, UK, ASIA, Nickelback – I can’t really say that I’m influenced by critiques at all.
July 4th, 2026 at 15:43Ah yes yes yes, after spinning Splat on vinyl todays for three times i am astonished about….everything , first up Ian`s voice , his lyrics , then the massive sonic attack that Don and Simon are capable of and yes , there hooklines that go round and round in my head ….this is by far the best work since…..Abandon ( for me )…..i love it….and i don`t care about technical reviews at all, that Poppoff-guy should go on scribblin his stuff….
July 4th, 2026 at 16:01From
https://metalitalia.com/intervista/deep-purple-la-porta-e-ancora-aperta/
Simon, a question for you: this is the second time you’ve entered the studio as Deep Purple’s guitarist. What was it like recording *=1* and now the new album? Have you changed your approach at all in the meantime? Simon: – I haven’t really changed my approach much. This record was simply much easier to make, and I think a lot of that comes down to the studio you use. The one we used for *=1* was in Toronto—a great studio—but the Nashville studio where we recorded *SPLAT!* is perfect. Bob (Ezrin, the producer) did an incredible job: basically, we walked in and everything already sounded magnificent; we didn’t have to do anything but play. Maybe the sounds weren’t 100% right on the last record—and when that happens, you don’t play the same way—but when you’re completely relaxed, you just do what you do best. And what I do best is play guitar: the solos, everything—it was mostly recorded live, in one or two takes at most. That’s the beauty of having a really good studio; it allows you to do what you do best.
@@@@@@@@@@@@
UWEEEE!!
Do you understand that, dear Uwe?! The problem with “=1” wasn’t our hi-fi system, but the disc itself 😂😂😂 You owe us an apology now—especially after insisting so much! 😅😅🍺🍺
CIAOO
July 4th, 2026 at 16:30#36 Thorsun:
I heard Popoff’s review.
I was shocked by the hidden shit he throws on Splat, maybe BigIan denied him an interview?
He massacred the best songs on the album!
I seriously don’t understand how certain strong points (the melodies, Gillan’s lyrics, Simon’s “mixed and complete” technique, Don’s countless sounds, the variety of compositions and styles of the songs but at the same time the sound continuum that starts with Arrogant and ends with Splat) become, to his ears, the album’s weak points!…and then where does he hear all this orientalism?…you can only hear it in The Lunatic!
that is, he is saying the opposite of the evidence, truly inexplicable
Luckily, I’ve never bought one of his books, and I’ll definitely avoid doing so!
July 4th, 2026 at 20:08@42
Dear Flavio, I think your spot on here. He missed shots on almost everything that is good on that album, just as you listed it. At all these moments MP made me go You can’t be serious about it, are you?😨oh yes, you are… At some point it just culminates to the point where it’s not the album with a problem, it’s a listener with a problem and that needs completely different way of fixing it, outside. Not to mention the fact that we have some listeners with a problem in our commentators’ circles here; they sound like they would like a different band to bear the name of Deep Purple. Can’t be done up to your wish, folks. It’s either we live with Mk9 the way it goes or we have only the past to live with. This choice, set up to be seen from this perspective – makes it, at least for me, easier to decide – what I accept.
And this conclusion segues me to @41 Andrea’s post. I really need to see if I can deconstruct the “wall of sound” on “=1” the way I marginally could on “Splat!” (3 slight, minimal filters applied over the tracks and the music gains a bit of spectrum and breathe). Of course very little can be done when you’re working the mixed and complied sound. But I did that to a primary mix of “Rapture of the Deep” giving it an effect of aural relief and now I need that fix for “=1”, a record that is great in content (to me) but over two years it became tiring to listen to because of useless, wearing on the ears production mix.
July 5th, 2026 at 06:57I knew that moment would come….
I mentioned in my review that there is a risk that a riff from “Third Call” is nicked from somewhere else and with a very little modification, I just couldn’t grab it from where, there and then. It hit me now… I don’t think Simon or Don were listening to late Rainbow extensively, but even if completely subconsciously – they nicked their lick. Looks to me like Ritchie will have to be added to the credits for the track on the further pressings of an album. Which, the more I think about it now, starts to feel actually a little bit funny.
It’s hard rock, most of the catchy ideas were written already, and with this one – everything stays in the family….
Happy searching, see if it gets to you, too.
July 5th, 2026 at 08:16Dear Editorial Team, I suggest pinning this news item to the top—above the others—for at least a while, given that the topic is THE NEW ALBUM and it will therefore be the main subject going forward. Does that work for you? Do you agree?
July 5th, 2026 at 10:18Ciao
🍻
@46: Good idea, but unfortunately that isn’t possible with our setup, as far as I know.
July 5th, 2026 at 17:07Popoff‘s loves DP and has contributed endlessly to research on the band and its branches, his bio is a seminal piece of work and a treasure trove of insights on the inner workings of the band. He is as entitled to not like the new album as anyone here is. No mass psychosis please, I love the album too, but I dread the day when we all HAVE TO like it, that is when I need a portable door subito!
But there‘s one other thing, and I find that worrisome. Based on what people write here about Popoff‘s views on the album I checked his pertinent YouTube vid, not because I consider his thoughts the gospel, but because I wanted to know what all the buzz is about. And now imagine my surprise that after having heard what he thinks, I consider his review a measured one of someone who is not totally over the moon with the album, but is far from panning it. He says he liked =1 better, but admits it’s varied and that there are enough songs on it he likes even if there are some he doesn‘t (and rock blues and shuffle rhythms have never been high on his agenda, he for instance HATES Dr Feelgood and the J Geils Band, I know this from an email exchange we once had). By gosh, but does that make him a heretic well-poisoner? Are we now the MAGA movement and only 100% commitment and devotion to the cause as well as unquestioning loyalty counts?
I have a hard time grasping why what someone else feels about the music should diminish my enjoyment of same. But then I don’t cheer at football games either, tribalism is a pest.
Finally, the “orientalism” that has crept into DP as MP observes (but he doesn’t use that term) – yes, it has, and that’s a good thing! It’s a trend of the late 20th and the 21st century that Eastern popular music oozes into Western popular one (Ritchie and Jon were both early proponents in rock for it). And I think it’s a natural progression because as you mature as a musician you will feel the boundaries of Western music more strongly and Eastern ingredients offer a respite from that (same is true vice versa, Eastern music has taken in Western music influences too). That’s all good, and I prefer an “ethno” DP that mixes Blues and Eastern music into its recipes to a white wonder bread one. I’m an absolute fan of melting pots.
https://youtu.be/AdcUDErLzM8
July 5th, 2026 at 22:48the song “splat” remember me also Back To Back..
July 6th, 2026 at 06:19#48 Uwe:
you’re right that everyone is free to express their own opinions and like or dislike anything about Purple,
But as a lawyer like you, haven’t you noticed that there are things that jar in Martin’s words?
He actually doesn’t like the songs that we consider the best, that is, he praises Diablo or My New Movie which are all in all the most normal songs on the album, while he trashes other songs with brilliant passages!
and where do you see all this orientalism apart from in Sacred Land?
and how can he ignore certain funky or soul things?
and again, if he liked it =1 I sincerely don’t see all that much difference with the previous album but instead the ideal continuation expanded into new musical territories.
Of course, if he was expecting Purple to make Machine Head’s successor in 2026, then he’s completely wrong, and he’s better off sticking with the MKII records.
There is a thin thread that links the evolution of Purple from Purpendicular to Splat, they have demonstrated in 30 years that musically for them the clichés of hard rock do not exist and the boundaries are always wider than those of any other band in the world.
what matters is whether the songs flow well, whether they work or not, and in Splat the songs all flow well, a journey, an interrupted fluctuation rich in details and nuances.
Well, Martin surprises me because he absolutely didn’t hear this fluctuation and these thousand nuances, except when he says that the level of the record is constant, but while for him it is clear that this is a defect, for me it is the main quality!
I honestly think I wrote this review just for the sake of being different from all the other reviews, because a great DP expert without blinkers can’t help but appreciate Splat!
July 6th, 2026 at 12:46@30 Uwe
I also consider “The Rider” as a highlight but I get the feeling you describe for “The Only Horse in Town”. It is excellent in every way and this small keyboard part in the chorus, reminding a bit (to my ears) of Jean Michelle Jarre’s “Rendez-Vous”, could have been cringey, but somehow it is catchy as hell. Magnificent!
July 6th, 2026 at 13:00I like this one even better than the previous one not to mention that the fans were yearning for a good art cover! If make it to the concert in Clearwater I hope they have some merchandise so I can get a couple of shirts
July 6th, 2026 at 16:14#50 Fla76:
“I honestly think HE (Martin) wrote etc…”
July 6th, 2026 at 16:18sorry for my terrible mistakes today
Flavio, Martin Popoff has always a been moody diva and opinionated as hell, there is something Woody Allenish about him, a Candian neurotic! But that’s ok, I like the guy. 😂
From an email he sent out a while ago (it wasn’t a private one, so it’s ok to quote from it):
But yes, the phone’s stopped ringing. I’m old. No one cares about what I know anymore. Book sales are dead and I’ve only got one new book deal in the last about three months. Still, there are about eight to come out, but they are long turned in. So that job has gone down from 85% to maybe 20%. Running a mail-order record store has gone from 0% to 30%.
I think he’s finding it hard to handle – retirement grates on a lot of people, not being found really relevant anymore too – and that might color his judgement, he’s always been the emotional type.
To be fair, he is also known to have changed his views on pieces of music over time, so he might still grow into it more.
It would be unbearable for me if everyone loved the new album! 😂 Being part of a trend & the mainstream is highly disconcerting to me, please make it stop!
July 6th, 2026 at 17:11Dear Thorsun @ 44, 36 & 28
July 6th, 2026 at 18:29If MP’s take on SPLAT! stunned you in the most negative way, I suggest you check out his YT video on what he considers the worst song from every MKII album. I simply could not believe what I heard. But, at the end of the day, I respect his right to his opinion. At least MP does not seem to come across as someone who has himself convinced that his opinion is the absolute truth and, therefore, the rest of us – mere mortals – must agree with him. It is one thing to think differently than others, and quite another to try to force your thinking on others. Over and over. Stubbornly. Ad nauseam.
Art can be very subjective. We each observe, access, and digest it differently. Many factors, such as upbringing circumstances, social conditions, etc., might have an impact on the way we approach art. And the way we approach art might, in turn, impact the way we experience it. The way we react to it. The kind of emotions it elicits in us. It is not supposed to be science. To a large degree, it is subjective, abstract, and relative – not necessarily objective, concrete, and absolute. At the end of the day, as the saying goes, one man’s artistic treasure is another man’s artistic trash. And vice versa. I hope you get a chance to check out MP’s YT video on what he considers the worst song from every MKII album. It might help to put his review of SPLAT! into better perspective.
Now, on to more fun and less philosophical stuff 😉 Yes, we will be in London in November. This trip will be more truncated than usual as we are flying there just for the RAH show. Thank you for floating the idea of a get-together for members of THS family. It would be great to grab a couple of pre-show pints somewhere near the venue. Stay well and best wishes.
Thanks for the review. I dare say Splat!sounds a little bit how the story would have gone if the music won that time after Perfect Strangers. Simon had caught All good spirits before. A, wonderful surprise for me. Thanks to DP. And,yes, I am too young to provide a good review. The first album I heard was Perfect strangers,somewhere in 90’s, perhaps 10 years after It was released. Being 46, I still do love DP. Thanks for Splat and many nice ideas.
July 6th, 2026 at 19:52Don has such a wide musical vocabulary, he borrows from everywhere and is unafraid/unashamed to do so. I first noticed that on the intro of Eyes of the World (which sounded like Jean-Michel Jarre meets Tangerine Dream)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTrNtrIQVdo
and then his piano/synth interlude (after Blackmore’s solo) on the same song which to me in 1979 sounded like pure ABBA, I was gobsmacked, but I also kinda liked it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlb4FlDUxvs (@ 04:43)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlM9ESFL2nQ (@ 05:01)
Benny Andersson is not the worst source to turn to if you are looking for good pop piano with a neo-classical background.
And didn’t early ABBA have their Purple influences too?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qO2eEScFYU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QeJF_eEBEo
July 7th, 2026 at 00:53@57
July 8th, 2026 at 20:53Uwe, I wonder if you would hear this – the tones in the intro of “Sacred Land” do twinkle a bit with movement of Mike Oldfield “Tubular Bells”. This bolero-like section introducing subsequently instruments one after another. So yes, a Don pallete is wide and well splatted (sic!) with colors one.
But isn’t that intro to Eyes of the World just taken from Holst’s Planets?
July 9th, 2026 at 10:05Thorsun, former Deep Purple and Ian Gillan Band opener STRAPPS better not here that intro to Sacred Land!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFYl14fMAo4
Sure it’s Oldfield’ish, but if you were a keyboarder in the 70s and not listening to Mike Oldfield’s works, then something was wrong with you.
July 9th, 2026 at 21:54Sure, the meldoy is Holst’s, but the bubbling sequencer behind it and the synth sounds are pure “Jarre meets Tangerine Dream”!
Max hat im Musikunterricht immer gut aufgepasst.
https://cdnb.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/019/584/803/large/damien-mahieux-s-teacher-3.jpg?1564142246
July 10th, 2026 at 00:07One week has passed and while I liked all their recent albums, Splat! is for me on a different level. It’s the DP record I listen to the most since Bananas/Rapture of the Deep. Artistically and production-wise though it is superior to those albums and imo it’s their best record since Purpendicular/Abandon.
I think the reason why I like it so much is its pure energy, but also the fact that there is no week/boring song on this album. I have always favored albums that were consistent, without fillers. And Splat! is this kind of album.
The Lunatic, Secret Land, Arrogant Boy, Jessica’s Bra, Guilt Trippin and Scriblin Gib’rish are for me instant classics, but my favorite is the one that is often mentioned – The Rider. But they key is as I mentioned no weak songs on this record.
July 10th, 2026 at 09:19My music teacher looked nothing like that … He was the size of RJD but twice the weight and sported a beard … but I am forever grateful to him to playing CiT to 13 year old Max …
July 10th, 2026 at 17:19#62 zentaur77:
I’m glad you say things similar to mine, it means my ears aren’t full of wax yet!
July 11th, 2026 at 00:27