DEEP PURPLE — Deep Purple In Rock (review)

DEEP PURPLE — Deep Purple In Rock album cover

Album · 1970 · Hard Rock

5/5 · 2010-04-15
1967/ 1976

If you are a Metal fan and you don't have "Deep Purple In Rock" you aren't a serious Metal fan!!!

This is the 2nd Deep Purple MkII (Blackmore, Gillan, Glover, Lord, Paice) line-up album and the 1st Heavy Metal album because Blackmore is the new leader of this band (previously the Purple's leader was Lord and themusic is a sort of Prog). This album is a turbulent torrent, a volcano in eruption, a tornado... Sure for 1970 "deep Purple In Rock" was one of the more extreme Rock album (Rock in general sense). Today "Deep Purple In Rock" is not so extreme but in comparison to Power Metal... This is Power Metal!

As comparison with contemporary Power Metal listen to "Speed King", an Hell of a song. Extreme for 1970 and extreme also today, this song is based on electric guitar/ organ riffs and pure Rock rhythms, so that is impossible to assign a genre. "Bloodsucker" is a Progressive Rock song in Heavy Metal... So, for me, this is the more pure example of Prog Metal. In a certain sense Purple invent: Traditional Heavy Metal, Power Metal and Prog Metal!!! Guitar and organ soli duel anticipates Judas Priest and all Heavy Metal guitar soli duels!!! "Child In Time" start as Blues/ Folk ballad but in truth this emotional song is the summary of "Speed King" and "Bloodsucker"!!! I've listen at least 1 million of times "Child In Time" but each time excites me like the first time. This song is perfect for Ian Gillan, never as in this occasion able to be here a minstrel of Rock and Metal. Blackmore played by God in a perfect Blues solo (which then turns into pure madness). Lord plays organ textures that seem to escape from the hands of a skilled weaver of carpets, Paice plays with a precision That I never hear nevermore and Glover... Attention, here it plays like it was possessed by the devil, as is clear in the simplicity of the accompaniment. In a word "Child In Time" is a perfect song. A song for a generation. "Flight Of The Rat" is a simple song (if simple is the correct definition for this song...), a song that serves to release tension and emotions born with "Child in Time". Only that, at the end, this song is a pure Rock song with Organ and guitar in first line and a good Gillan. From Hell is Lord organ solo and Paice solo. "Into The Fire" is a Blues Rock song, similar to Black Sabbath's songs but with organ for atmospheres. "Living Wreck" is in the same way of "Into The Fire" but this song is more airy, colorful, without reminiscent of Blues and Black Sabbath. But the style, at the end, is only more Proggy and Metal respect to "Into The Fire". This is also the song less technical of the album. "Hard Lovin' Woman" is a pure piece of innovation in Rock, Prog and Metal fields. In a sentence: "Hard Lovin' Woman" is a pure piece of feeling, emotion and technique dominated by Gillan and Lord.

In a sentence: the Heavy Metal has evolved into dozens of forms but the spirit remained the basic track from "Deep Purple In Rock". An album that is still current and if written today by a contemporary band sounds in the same manner that in 1970!

Immortal Masterpiece!!!