DEEP PURPLE's IAN GILLAN Explains Why 'Splat!' is Band's 'Heaviest' Album In Many Years

In a new interview with Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station, DEEP PURPLE singer Ian Gillan spoke about the band's upcoming studio album, "Splat!", which is due on July 3 via earMUSIC. Produced once again by Bob Ezrin (KISS, PINK FLOYD, Lou Reed, Alice Cooper),the effort has been described in a press release as "the heaviest DEEP PURPLE album in many years". Asked why he thinks "Splat!" turned out to be such a heavy record, Gillan said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): " Well, I think Simon [McBride, DEEP PURPLE guitarist of the past four years] settled in, so it's more relaxed as things come naturally. We find a good groove, and we tend to develop that, even if it's just a simple structure. If it feels good, we put it to one side and think, 'Well, this may be an idea that we can work on, develop that structure, without losing the feel.' And so his energy is really… He's an immaculate player — immaculate. And I think also you'll find the drums and bass are higher in the mix on this record than they have been previously — on any record, I think, DEEP PURPLE record. So it's got a lot of energy."

Ian also talked about the guitar-keyboards interplay in the first two singles from "Splat!", "Diablo" and "Arrogant Boy", saying: "Yeah. Well, we can't escape what we are. And so this happens every night — they're trading off in their playing. These guys play their instruments the same way as you and I use words in a conversation. We don't think ahead; you sort of respond and get on with it. And so they talk to each other instrumentally all night long. It's a joy to watch. But the other thing is they know when to back off and to be part of the rhythm section, too. My favorite part of the evening, actually, is when I'm not singing. I step back between the drums and the keyboards, and I've got the best seat in the house. The sound balance there is perfect. So, I just get off on that and forget to come back sometimes."

In July 2022, guitarist Steve Morse officially left DEEP PURPLE to care for his wife, Janine, who was battling cancer. He was replaced by McBride. Morse's announcement came four months after the guitarist said that he would be taking a hiatus from the band, in the hope of rejoining his bandmates once his wife's health improved.

"Diablo" followed "Arrogant Boy", the first single from "Splat!" and opened the door to one of DEEP PURPLE's surreal new story worlds: the most dangerous place on earth, where a heroine crosses a river, jumps into a fighting pit, celebrates with a bucket of wine, falls into the glitter pool and somehow makes it back home with a tale to tell. "Diablo" is a classic DEEP PURPLE rocker — the kind of hard rock track that lives from the riff, the groove and the band chemistry captured in the studio.

On the new single, DEEP PURPLE is joined by a special guest, global superstar and Grammy-winning guitarist, singer and songwriter Keith Urban on second guitar.

"Splat!" has already received enthusiastic first fan and media reactions, with early press praising the album's DEEP PURPLE spirit. Uncut calls "Splat!" "distilled, high-octane PURPLE at its finest". Classic Rock praises the album for delivering "everything that makes DEEP PURPLE one of the greatest acts in hard rock."

DEEP PURPLE is gearing up for a major run of European summer dates, starting in Finland, followed by shows in Norway, France, Germany, Spain, Switzerland and Italy before the "Splat!" world tour heads to North America.

The upcoming touring schedule includes 86 shows across 28 countries.

Tickets are available via DEEP PURPLE's official web site.

"Splat!" is available for pre-order in multiple formats including CD, vinyl, and limited editions. Further exclusive fan items are only available on the official "Splat!" shop.

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.

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.

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)