DEEP PURPLE – Whoosh!

Deep Purple still Going Strong

With 50+ years making kick ass music and basically founding Heavy Metal in the 5 piece format it’s a pleasure to see that Deep Purple are still making music to please themselves, which means that we as fans are treated to more great music from our heroes. One could write and go on for hours about how important Deep Purple is as an influence to the heavy metal scene today, so when we get a new release from them we tend to look at things a bit differently than we might from a lesser known (not legendary) band.

When I heard their 21st album Whoosh! I was both surprised and happy that it sounded just like the Deep Purple I grew up with. With Ian Gillan on vocals, Steve Morse on guitars, Don Airey on keyboards, Roger Glover on bass and founding member Ian Paice on the drums we have a line up of legends with one thing being very clear, these guys still love making and playing music.

3rd Time’s a Charm

Legendary producer Bob Ezrin (Aerosmith – Get Your Wings, Kiss – Destroyer, Alice Cooper – Welcome to my Nightmare just to name a few) is along for the ride for the 3rd time, helping the band put together songs that all tell a story, and sound like they were crafted in the glory days of the early to mid 70s. I’ve never been a fan of older bands that try to sound modern by playing in a style that may be the sound fashion of the day, and in Bob Ezrin the band has found a kindred spirit to help them stay firmly in their wheelhouse of playing heavy blues based rock. Whoosh! is a collection of 12 new songs by the band + an instrumental written by former members Richie Blackmore and Jon Lord titled “And the Address”, and with the exception of the lack of the high screams from Gillan sounds as if the band hasn’t aged a bit.

Favorite Tracks

It’s hard to nail down favorite tracks on the album as they all have something great to offer, from the opening track “Throw My Bones” to “Drop the Weapon” and onward. The flow of the album has a real groove to it, and tracks “We’re all the Same in the Dark” and “No Need to Shout” showcase the sound and style that helped make this band what it is today. Songs “Step by Step” and “Power of the Moon” have a haunting quality that make them ear worms, digging deep into the brain and hanging out long after the album is done playing. The recording of “And the Address” could fool us into thinking it was the old mark II line up with Ritchie back on guitar as Steve and Don fill the roles of Ritchie and Jon perfectly.

Final Notes

If you are looking for Deep Purple to try to sound modern and current with popular music trends then this is not the album for you. If on the other hand you are wanting an album from Deep Purple that sounds just like the albums that made them the legend they are today, then this is a good album to add to your collection. The production is super clean, the keyboards and guitars sound vintage and perfect. Deep Purple could have retired a long time ago, but I for one am very glad that they are still doing what they love and what we love them for.

Note:

For review purposes we are only covering the standard CD but you can also get Whoosh! as a Digital Album, a Limited Edition CD+DVD Mediabook (including the 1 hour feature “Roger Glover and Bob Ezrin in conversation” and, for the first time, the full live performance at Hellfest 2017” video), and a Vinyl 2LP+DVD edition (earMUSIC).

Lineup

Ian Gillan – vocals
Steve Morse – guitars
Roger Glover – bass
Ian Paice – drums
Don Airey – keyboards

Whoosh! – Tracklist

1. “Throw My Bones”
2. “Drop the Weapon”
3. “We’re All the Same in the Dark”
4. “Nothing at All”
5. “No Need to Shout”
6. “Step by Step”
7. “What the What”
8. “The Long Way Round”
9. “The Power of the Moon”
10. “Remission Possible” (instrumental)
11. “Man Alive”
12. “And the Address” (instrumental)
13. “Dancing in My Sleep”

Running time: 51:29