An Irishman and four Englishmen walk into Jessica’s Bra. Boom! Boom! It is an uplifting experience! This may sound bizarre but it’s true as their mission to rock does continue. Paice, Gillan, Glover, Airey and McBride are on a remorseless quest. Together they have nothing to prove they know they are the best. Then Splat!

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A new album, with the help of producer Bob Ezrin is created. For a band that has been around, in one form or another for six decades, Splat! is a remarkable statement of intent, power and inventiveness. ‘Jessica’s Bra’ is one of the thirteen new songs, it came into existence when lyricist Ian Gillan made a boob, writing bra instead of bar! Let’s start there! A song that came about accidentally on purpose. Simon McBride delivers a nice Irish jig of a riff before launching into a hi octane solo. It is a fun place to be. Humour is at the heart of it.

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‘Arrogant Boy’ is the opening number and first single. Deep Purple clearly mean business as McBride deals out some frantic guitar with some tasty organ from Airey. Gillan sounds energised and vital. Next up is second single ‘Diablo’ that is a pounding number. The interplay between Airey and McBride is insane. The sound can only be that of Deep Purple, one that nobody comes close to. At the end of the song Gillan sounds exuberant stating, “I love that”!

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Let’s move forward to the third single ‘Guilt Trippin’. Airey provides a gentle piano intro which is followed by powerful guitar then the drums of Paice before our vocalist explodes with intensity, booming bass from Glover adds heaviness before the song transitions into the flight of the fly with epic instrumental battles.

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Splat! is Guitarist,McBride’s second album with these legends, following his debut, '=1' and he delivers with purpose. It is claimed that this record is a return to the likes and heavier sounds of Machine Head and In Rock. I don’t hear that! What I do hear is a band that continues to metamorphous and change utilizing their vast experience and musical genius. It is simply another remarkable chapter in the history of Deep Purple.

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‘Sacred Land’ tells a story about two Scottish Clans who fight over a piece of rock for generations called Craig-an-Turc. Both Clans see it as their spiritual home. Many lives are brutally lost highlighting the pointlessness of war. Eventually the two leaders decide it is time to lay down their weapons and share the rock. Only for marauders and intruders to force them to raise their swords again. It is the eternal battle of man, only through war can you gain peace.

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'The Beating Of Wings' gets funky. Glover’s bass imitate the beat of the wings, laid back with a unique groove. ‘Guilt Trippin’ sees Gillan pumped and angry, Airey tinkles the ivories while McBride responds in accordance. The balance between grace and power is sublime. Ian Gillan’s writing is eloquent. He is something of a cunning linguist and has unique style of its own. His voice retains a youthful quality without quite reaching the range and high points of ‘Child in Time’.

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For a band with such a huge legacy which goes back to the origins and of Hard Rock, I think it is pointless to try to compare eras. What you need to know is that they continue to evolve, adjusting their dynamics and sound with each release. Deep Purple are resurgent. As this release hits the streets another album is planned to be recorded in 2027, which is astonishing!

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Purple will be embarking on their biggest world tour for decades in support of Splat! If you have never seen them live now is the opportunity, they can’t go on forever, although ‘The Long Goodbye Tour’ appeared to do just that. With a further album promised next year may I suggest they call it ‘The Last Hurrah’. As for Splat! to me Don Airey steals the show as he really Lord’s it up!

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The title track closes proceedings, throughout the album Paice has added a lightness of touch with roll and feel, creating the structure and scaffold that all the songs are built upon. The title track itself sees Paice hit heavier as he and Glover find a rhythm that is dynamic in purpose and delivery. I hope this all makes sense and I have not written gibberish.

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I will just finish by saying Splat! My final thought as my arse smashes through my head! Superb, it’s going to be hard to beat this as album of the year.