We could fill pages and pages talking about the legacy of Deep Purple, a British band that came to shake the world of Rock, introducing sounds that evoked the psychodelic era, combined with the hardness of Hard Rock. Their sound is unmistakable… for many, the band is responsible for contributing to the creation of the Heavy Metal sound, while for others, they influenced many bands that later solidified in Progressive Rock. Their importance in the history of music is undeniable, and it is even more admirable that the band continues to make music and tour.
By 1993, their iconic guitarist Ritchie Blackmore had left the band due to musical differences, being replaced by Steve Morse, who not only managed to fit into the band to cover Blackmore’s legacy but also established the new era of the group, modernizing it and standing out in the lineup for his virtuous technique. Today, we discuss “Purpendicular,” their fifteenth studio album and the first of the “new” era of Deep Purple.
What can we hear?
We hear the roots of Deep Purple’s new style, which persists to this day. Jon Lord’s organ, keyboards, and synthesizers take a back seat, making way for Steve Morse’s polished guitar technique, which shines throughout the entire album with very fast yet clean solos, as heard in “Cascades: I’m Not Your Lover.” We also hear melodic and memorable guitar riffs in tracks like “Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming” and powerful riffs in “Vavoom: Ted The Mechanic.”
The album focuses on Morse’s guitar, introducing new techniques that we hadn’t heard from the band before. For example, the use of harmonics in his solos and riffs, as heard in the main riff of “Somebody Stole My Guitar” a technique quite different from Ritchie Blackmore’s more classical style, which had worked well for Purple throughout their career until 1995. However, this change in direction forced the band to experiment with a new sound.
The rest of the band delivers as expected, with a tremendous performance from Ian Paice on drums, showcasing his rock/blues/jazz style with surprising, technically rich fills. Roger Glover on bass exhibits a very solid tone in tracks like “Loosen My Strings” or “Rosa’s Cantina.” Jon Lord on the organ and keyboards welcomes Steve Morse, occasionally stepping back from his starring role but, when he does play, reminding us of Classic Deep Purple. Lord maintains the essence of the band. Lastly, Ian Gillan’s vocals begin to show signs of wear, but he still fulfills his role perfectly, contributing to the instrumentation with harmonica solos, as heard in “Rosa’s Cantina.”
Steve Morse´s tone
And it’s that Steve Morse made Deep Purple’s songs on ‘Purpendicular‘ sound gigantic thanks to his technique, but also to his guitar tone, very well crafted, using heavy distortions that don’t become dirty, clean tones with effects that make his instrument sound extremely glorious, and delays in his solos that give them a very special presence. We can even perceive some similarities between Dream Theater’s Jon Petrucci and Morse, especially in the “Speed Picking” of their solos.
The progressive influence in the band is noticeable in songs like “A Castle Full Of Rascals,” a track with very interesting time cuts that open up space for instrumental passages with nuances that gradually lead the listener to enjoy “explosions” of sound in all instruments. These elements make the album very entertaining to listen to, as despite always using the same instruments, the collective dynamics of the band surprises with very rock-oriented sections and others that are very calm, as heard in “A Touch Away,” a song that lowers the album’s decibels and serves as an enjoyable break.
Undoubtedly, the production of ‘Purpendicular’ contributes to the auditory magic of the album, especially in Deep Purple, which experienced firsthand the transition from analog to digital. This transition also significantly contributes to this new style of the band, as every detail is faithfully perceptible
Purpendicular: A turning point in the career of Deep Purple
The album effectively separates the Blackmore era from the Morse era, and personally, we prefer this second stage, although the first one left an indelible mark on the history of music with releases like ‘Deep Purple In Rock,’ ‘Fireball,’ ‘Machine Head,’ among others. We believe that ‘Purpendicular’ came to give the band a very good second wind, similar to what happened with Marillion with the arrival of Steve Hogarth.
We absolutely love this album! It’s very fresh and technical at the same time. What about you? What’s your opinion? Leave us your comments!
