by Prog Nick
With a generous helping of no less than thirteen original new tracks, Deep Purple’s new studio album ‘Splat’ (the band’s 24th) certainly does make a statement about Purple’s ongoing relevance. In fact it might be the album that ushers in yet another renaissance for the band.
Even on the first run-through of ‘Splat’, there is a sense of re-invigoration that permeates the album, off-set by the regularity of familiar sounds that any self-respecting classic Purple fan would demand. And yes, I would include in that description the sounds of the classic Mark II era that produced such albums as ‘Machine Head’, ‘Fireball’ and ‘In Rock’.
The album is jubilant, energetic and, especially with Ian Gillan’s wry delivery, quite joyful. I guess that this energy and joyfulness might be contextual, bearing in mind that several of the band’s more recent studio albums were borne out of the ashes of important line-up changes caused by death or family responsibility. At this point, though, the line-up is very settled, and what an accomplished line-up it is.
With the holy grail rhythm section of Ian Paice and Roger Glover sounding as tight as ever and with Ian Gillan in finer voice than we have heard him in years, a significant foundation for the album is set. But not to be left in their wake in any way are Don Airey, who has by now established himself as the worthiest possible replacement for the great Jon Lord, and the eminently talented Simon McBride, who consistently impresses. These days, it is McBride’s fluid and brilliant guitar stylings, combined with Airey’s thunderous keyboards, that underpin the band’s sound. This line-up has existed since 2022, but to my ears there is an overall polish and aplomb to the album that sounds new-found. While retaining many of its classic sounds and still introducing new ones, Deep Purple, in its Mark IX iteration, is sounding great.
Gillan’s droll, often sarcastic but always clever lyrics are a hall-mark that permeate the album and are an important reason why ‘Splat’ succeeds. Song titles like ‘Scriblin’ Gib’rish’, ‘Jessica’s Bra’ and ‘The Rider’ (describing rock star peccadillos rather than anything equestrian), give just a hint of Gillan’s lyrical wit and inventiveness. There might not be express lyrics about racing cars or groupies any more, but the themes and innuendos that one expects from Purple are still there, just couched in a slightly more sophisticated way. Apparently there is a loose quasi-apocalyptic theme to the album, but frankly this is hard to hear. Either way, the lyrics are just great.
And Gillan’s vocal delivery of these lyrics absolutely keeps pace. While no-one could expect him to emulate the insane wailing of ‘Child In Time’ at the age of 80, there is nonetheless a precision, maturity and polish to his singing on this album that is one of the main drivers of the spark of invigoration that I described. Gillan is clearly having fun again, and you can hear it.
As for the rest of the band, they sound remarkably tight and cohesive. There is no going through the motions here – Deep Purple obviously entered the studio with a clear intent and vision for ‘Splat’. The album sports an enviable symmetry between elaborate virtuosity on the one hand and effective simplicity on the other. Airey’s often Lord-inspired but always varied keyboard textures (from Hammond to Moog and everything in between) form an important part of this symmetry. His prowess is often on show, but always in the most tasteful and appropriate way. The same might be said of McBride, who counterpoints Airey’s varied keyboard parts extremely well throughout the album. McBride has more than entrenched himself in the important role of Deep Purple’s Lead Guitarist by playing with flash that is never excessive but taste that is never boring. Together, Airey and McBride have become a melodic powerhouse that is as important to Deep Purple as the igneous rock that is Paice and Glover.
‘Arrogant Boy’ opens the album quite brilliantly by harkening back to the fast-paced pulse of songs like ‘Highway Star’ and ‘Fireball’, now with a 2026 polish conferred in large part by McBride. Airey creates the underlying groove on madcap songs ‘Diablo’ and ‘The Lunatic’, while Gillan consistently provides memorable imagery in tracks like ‘The Rider’ and ‘The Only Horse In Town.’ The band gets quite bluesy and groovy in songs like ‘The Beating Of Wings’ (one of my favorites) and the powerful ‘Scriblin’ Gib’rish’, and then quite jazzy in ‘Guilt Trippin’. ‘Jessica’s Bra’ brings back the Boogie that was last heard in songs like ‘Lazy’, while ‘Third Call’ and title track ‘Splat’ allow Mr Paice to illustrate why he is still one of the greatest groove-meisters in all of Rock. ‘Sacred Land’ is weirdly Celtic in a heavy sort of way, but it generally works, despite Gillan’s slightly pompous delivery. There is the odd rare filler moment in tracks like ‘My New Movie’, but with thirteen new Purple songs of this general calibre on offer, who can complain?
Over its 51 minutes, ‘Splat’ traverses various diverse universes, from Rock to Blues, Pop to Celtic, Classical to AOR, and yes, there is even a little Prog sprinkled in here and there. Despite the conciseness of the songs, there are some really elaborate moments on the album, and this is one of the techniques that makes Deep Purple Mark IX unique. The band has a talent for leading the listener into expanded musical territories that are often a little unexpected, in spite of the self-imposed constraints of brevity.
The album sounds fierce, melodic, heavy and diverse, just as Deep Purple should sound, and the legendary Bob Ezrin’s production is powerful and sophisticated. All in all, you can look forward to a healthy chunk of Deep Purple nostalgia coupled with much innovation from ‘Splat’.
Bearing in mind the seniority of the band-members and the fact that they have been in the top tier of rock for over six decades now, this achievement is a notable one. The music is as weighty and unbridled as classic Deep Purple, yet somehow surprisingly novel and modern. It is at very least lively and full of energy. Don’t expect any ‘Child In Time’ epics, but comfortably settle in for some good, rousing, boisterous short rock songs of the good kind.
Never a band to rest on their laurels, Deep Purple continue to prove that they still have much to offer. ‘Splat’ is thoroughly enjoyable.
Released on June 3rd, 2026
Track listing (CD/2LP):
Side A
Arrogant Boy
Diablo
The Rider
The Lunatic
Side B
The Only Horse In Town
Sacred Land
The Beating Of Wings
Side C
Guilt Trippin’
Scriblin’ Gib’rish
Jessica’s Bra
Side D
Third Call
My New Movie
Splat!
Order here: https://deeppurple.lnk.to/SPLAT
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