DEEP PURPLE Announces 'Heaviest' Studio Album In Many Years, 'Splat!'

Hard rock legends DEEP PURPLE will release their new studio album, "Splat!" , on July 3 via earMUSIC.

With more than 120 million albums sold since forming in 1968, DEEP PURPLE have long secured their place in rock history. Rather than simply preserving their legacy, they continue to extend it, driven by the same spirit that defined their earliest work.

Says frontman Ian Gillan: "Where we are now with this incarnation of DEEP PURPLE feels very much like a very 'now' version of DEEP PURPLE as it was in the '70s."

Once again, the band has teamed up with renowned producer Bob Ezrin (KISS, PINK FLOYD, Lou Reed, Alice Cooper). Together, they have crafted an album that draws on the sound and attitude that has always set DEEP PURPLE apart from the rest.

"Splat!" is the heaviest DEEP PURPLE album in many years, with the band playing together in the studio — the way DEEP PURPLE have always recorded.

Gillan comments: "I have to say, now we are very much back in with material that is compatible with 'Highway Star', 'Smoke On The Water', 'Lazy' — the dynamics, the balance, and the fun of the music we made from '69 to '73."

At the heart of "Splat!" is an idea conceived by Gillan. Rather than treating the end as destruction, the album imagines it as transformation: "Splat!" explores the end of humanity not in any crude apocalyptic sense but as a metamorphosis beyond physical existence.

The album concept will be revealed further in the weeks leading up to its release on July 3.

To celebrate the release, DEEP PURPLE will continue their extensive 2026 touring schedule with no fewer than 86 shows across 28 countries on three continents.

New music from "Splat!" is already on the way. DEEP PURPLE invite fans to follow the journey in the weeks ahead.

Gillan sums it up: "DEEP PURPLE is in a great place right now."

"Splat!" formats:

* CD (Digisleeve)
* 2LP (black, 180g, Gtf.)
* Ltd. Purple 2LP (180g, Gtf.)
* Ltd. Transparent Yellow 2LP (180g, Gtf.)
* Ltd. Box Set
* Digital

Box Set Content

* 2LP Gatefold (180g)
* 12-page vinyl-sized booklet
* CD Digisleeve
* 3 exclusive 10-inch vinyl records featuring live recordings from the DEEP PURPLE tour 2024
* Exclusive 7-inch single featuring bonus track "Guinnesis" (not included on the studio album!)

Track listing (CD/2LP):

Side A

01. Arrogant Boy
02. Diablo
03. The Rider
04. The Lunatic

Side B

05. The Only Horse In Town
06. Sacred Land
07. The Beating Of Wings

Side C

08. Guilt Trippin'
09. Scriblin' Gib'rish
10. Jessica's Bra

Side D

11. Third Call
12. My New Movie
13. Splat!

"Splat!" will be available on July 3 in multiple formats:

Limited Box Set, containing:

- 2LP Gatefold (180g)
- 12-page vinyl-sized booklet
- CD Digisleeve
- 3 exclusive 10-inch vinyl records featuring live recordings from the DEEP PURPLE tour 2024
- Exclusive 7-inch single featuring the bonus track "Guinnesis" (not included on the studio album and available exclusively in the box set!)
* CD (Digisleeve)
* 2LP Gatefold (black, 180g) + 12-page vinyl-sized booklet
* Limited Purple 2LP Gatefold (180g) + 12-page vinyl-sized booklet
* Limited Transparent Yellow 2LP (180g) + 12-page vinyl-sized booklet

All LP editions include a rich 12-page LP-sized booklet with illustrations and all song lyrics – available exclusively with the first pressing.

Further exclusive items are available via the official artist store, including:

* Limited 2LP Picture Disc + 12-page vinyl-sized booklet
* Limited Cassette
* A strictly limited canvas signed by all band members and limited to just 199 copies worldwide

There simply aren't enough superlatives to properly acknowledge the contribution DEEP PURPLE has made to rock music. Having sold more than 120 million albums and filled global arenas for decades, there's little wonder that the respected British radio station Planet Rock named the group the "Fifth Most Influential Band Ever". The band were also presented the "Legend Award" at the 2008 World Music Awards and were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2016. DEEP PURPLE truly are "rock royalty".

With a body of work spanning seven decades, DEEP PURPLE have helped pioneer and define the hard rock genre while progressively moving into new areas, both keeping their sound fresh and attracting new fans to the legions who have remained loyal since the band's inception. The celebrated MKII line-up of Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Ian Paice, Jon Lord and Ritchie Blackmore was responsible for creating many of the defining rock albums of the early '70s, including "Made In Japan", universally accepted as one of the most important and influential live albums of all time.

Known as one of the hardest-working bands ever, DEEP PURPLE have continued to release No. 1 albums and tour globally since forming in 1968, with little rest.

DEEP PURPLE have stayed true to their musical roots, drawing from an eclectic mix of styles to create a distinctive sound that defines the band today and, in turn, has created a legacy that very few bands could ever hope to replicate. The band has written and produced so many "classic", well-known songs that its audience ranges widely in age and background — something the band has readily embraced.

DEEP PURPLE's recent studio album "=1" (2024) followed their worldwide chart-topping albums "Whoosh!" (2020),"inFinite" (2017) and "NOW What?!" (2013). 2026 sees the release of their brand-new album "Splat!". On these albums, DEEP PURPLE joined forces with producer Bob Ezrin, who has worked with the likes of KISS, PINK FLOYD, Lou Reed and Alice Cooper.

Furthering their collaboration with Ezrin, in 2021 and during the pandemic the band recorded a collection of cover songs from their own homes (normal for most bands nowadays, revolutionary for a band that records everything together in the studio),creating an eclectic and celebratory history of their roots in music, in the shape of "Turning To Crime".

Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Ian Paice, Don Airey and Simon McBride continue with renewed vitality, pushing the boundaries of hard rock to audiences around the globe, proving that DEEP PURPLE are very much here to stay.

Photo credit: Olaf Heine (courtesy of The Outside Organisation)