Purple and Blue Don't Mix

“Perfect Strangers” was a stellar comeback album for Deep Purple. The return of the famed Mark II lineup did not disappoint as Ritchie Blackmore’s familiar leads and Ian Gillan’s vocals were back together and it just felt “right.” The album would be a huge success for the band commercially and critically, but now they had the challenge of trying to match the greatness of “Perfect Strangers.”

Ultimately, the songwriting is not as strong and the songs are less memorable in the blue house. There are also a couple instances of bad moments like the lame lyrics and uninspiring chorus of “The Unwritten Law” and the biggest offender in the poppy “Call of the Wild.” During the track, Ian Gillan sings “operator, this is the call of the wild.” I don’t know how Gillan could manage a straight face singing that cheesy line, but I give him credit for doing so. Thankfully, those are the only painful moments lyrically.

On the musical side, there are a couple stellar tracks to be found. The opener, “Bad Attitude” has all the ingredients of great song. The epic keyboard opening by Jon Lord, a pounding rhythm of drums and bass by Ian Paice and Roger Glover, a strong vocal performance, and of course a memorable solo by the esteemed Blackmore. The keyboard ending by Lord too is very catchy and all in all a grade A song. “Mad Dog” is a riff driven song with a riff that will stick in your head for days and showcases some more theatrics from Lord and an awesome Blackmore solo to close it. The other two great songs are “The Spanish Archer” and the closer “Dead or Alive.” The former features an adventurous desperation in the guitar and showcases Blackmore at his finest as he just wails and bends the notes at the perfect times. The clarity in Gillan’s voice almost serves as a calming presence due to the nature of the song. The latter ups the tempo with the characteristics being similar to “Burn” as the musicians keep going at it with the solos and do not let it up.

However, the quality drops with some tunes that are different from what listeners expect from Deep Purple. “Black and White” utilizes the harmonica and the song sounds like something you would hear in a movie during a bar brawl. I like the bass line by Glover, but overall the track does not have that purple charm one would expect. “Mitzi Dupree” has a lounge band type feel with a strong vocal performance by Gillan to keep me interested. The song has a certain charm, but it may turn others off. A track that could have been great, but fails in a couple areas is “Strangeways.” The tickling of the piano creates a mysterious atmosphere, but is thrown out when the chorus comes in and breaks the mood of the song. It does not help that the song runs too long either.

What made “Perfect Strangers” great is that the band was on a mission to rock and show they still got it. The songs kept coming at you and provided an experience you wanted to return to. “The House of Blue Light” wavers between its sounds and it does not help when the second and third songs are stinkers in “The Unwritten Law” and “Call of the Wild.” The guys find their legs in the best song on the album “Bad Attitude”, “Mad Dog”, and “Dead or Alive.” While the stay at the house might not be the most comfortable, it certainly will not leave you feeling cold.

This Is a Comeback

When Deep Purple lost its shade after “Come Taste the Band”; it was the perfect time for the band to end. The Mark IV lineup with new guitarist Tommy Bolin provided an album that didn’t live up to the Deep Purple name with the simplified songs and a huge blues influence. By 1984, the stars had aligned for the famed Mark II lineup to comeback. Ian Gillan had just finished his stint with Black Sabbath and Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow had reached the end of the spectrum. Bassist Roger Glover, master of the ivories Jon Lord, and drummer Ian Paice were all back on board to give the fans what they craved; the Mark II lineup back in action.

The boys do not disappoint either delivering a great dose of hard rocking tunes and Blackmore once again regaining his edge after some poppy Rainbow albums. Songs like “Knockin’ at Your Back Door” and the well-known title track will stick in your head for days. Blackmore shows his knack for writing memorable riffs and to highlight a solo with the former and the title track is a great piece of songwriting with an awesome keyboard intro and a soulful vocal performance by Gillen.

There are no tricks or venturing of the purple mark on this record as any listener can tell how the guys were rejuvenated and genuinely happy being back together again. The neoclassical meanderings of “Hungry Daze” and the up-tempo, keyboard driven “Gypsy’s Kiss” are reminders of just how good these musicians are and the music they create. My version also has “Not Responsible” which reminds me of “A Light in the Black” from the famed Rainbow “Rising” album and that certainly is not a bad thing.

The only misstep is the ballad “Wasted Sunsets.” While I adore Blackmore’s guitar performance, the songs does not fit in with the rest of the album and breaks up the rocking, no-holds-barred pacing that was carrying on. The song is also not that good and the least memorable. Some flack is also given to “Mean Streak” for the lame chorus, but that is more of a minor quip than anything.

“Perfect Strangers” is the definitive example of a comeback album not being a failure. In fact, this is one of the best Purple releases. The songs are full of inspiring writing, memorable songs, and the formidable tandem of Lord and Blackmore dueling with the keyboard and guitar. “Knockin’ at Your Back Door” and the title track will keep you coming back for more because this is how a comeback  should be.

A Bitter Taste

It is very easy to believe that this album would be a failure. Arguably, the main cog of Deep Purple, Ritchie Blackmore left because of his unhappiness towards the more funky, blues based sound the band was beginning to develop on “Stormbringer.” The band was just about done after this happened, but vocalist David Coverdale and bassist Glenn Hughes wanted to push on and push on they did when they found guitarist Tommy Bolin to fill in Blackmore’s big shoes. Bolin’s style is more straightforward and has a funky edge to it than the classical leanings of Blackmore. Adding on to that, the cover art is very seventies. I’m sure some people thought it looked “happenin’” and “groovy”, but seeing the band’s faces plastered in a glass of wine creeps me out a bit.

It's evidently clear that Coverdale, Hughes, and Bolin had the biggest imprint on this album because it is a lot more bluesy and funky. Songs like “Lady Luck”, “I Need Love”, “Gettin’ Tighter” have the funky edge and lyrics trying to court the ladies. There is no “Child in Time” or the emotional outreach of “Soldier of Fortune” found on here. In all honesty, I would have reacted better to this album if it was a Whitesnake release rather than a Deep Purple record. It makes sense too because Ian Paice and Jon Lord would join Coverdale in Whitesnake after this.

Amidst all the mid-tempo rockers are some great tracks. The opener, “Comin’ Home”, has an upbeat tempo, driving keyboards and guitar, with an energetic performance by Coverdale. The true highlights occur with “This Time Around” and “Owed to G” as Lord is allowed to show his keyboard skill with an array of notes dancing as Hughes channels his inner Stevie Wonder and busts out an awesome vocal performance. It’s a perfect tune to go strolling through the city streets with. At least, that’s the images that go through my head while listening to it. Another stellar tune is “You Keep on Moving” with a cool bass line and another inspiring vocal performance by Hughes. The somber tone by Hughes and the keyboards work effectively and the middle part where the music picks up and Coverdale joins in makes for a memorable moment. Bolin closes with a great solo and it makes for a perfect song.

It’s unfortunate the songs did not become as adventurous as this as “Drifter” and “Dealer” meander in mediocrity and fail to conjure anything memorable. However, I have to give an honorable mention to “Love Child.” Besides the goofy title, the opening riff is very catchy and manages to hold my attention throughout the song.

“Come Taste the Band” ends up leaving the listener with a bitter taste. If the band had concentrated their efforts on creating more songs like “Comin” Home” and “This Time Around” it could have been truly special, but unfortunately it fails to live up to its potential. However, it is by no means a bad record. If you are going to purchase this, I highly recommend the 35th Anniversary Edition which features remixes by Glenn Hughes and two studio outtakes where you can hear a Bolin and Paice jam where Bolin wails on the guitar more than he did on the rest of the album and “Same in LA” is a neat keyboard driven rocker. You also get the story of how this lineup was formed, how the songs were put together, and what led to their breakup. Even though as a whole, the taste is sour, there are some fine sips inbetween.

The Electric Age Dawns in Columbus

Venue: Screamin' Willies
Date: April 23, 2012

Thrash metal titans Overkill charged into Ohio’s capital city firing on all cylinders in support of their new opus “The Electric Age.” Overkill scorched an unrelenting 90 minute set full of some classics and some recent cookers to whet the appetites of those in attendance.

The set started with the first track from the new album in “Come and Get It” and the crowd responded favorably followed by “Bring Me the Night” which sounded fiercer in the live setting than it did in the studio. However, when the ‘Kill belted out “Elimination”; it whipped the crowed into a frenzy.

Even though his voice has been wrecking necks for nearly 30 years, vocalist Bobby Blitz still retains his whisky fueled pipes sounded great. He greeted the crowd by stating that we smelled bad, but we looked good. I must also add to that I liked that during the solos of the songs, he would crouch in the corner and then coming running back out when it was time to sing again.

The band ripped into “Electric Rattlesnake” which came off really well live and the middle part where the song slows down a bit was awesome. Guitarists Dave Linsk and Derek Tailer were tearing it up and were on target. They played “Save Yourself” from the new album as well and I thought that track was not that good, but found the extra intensity live more enjoyable.
 

The 90s catalogue was not left out either as they pulled out a couple groovier tracks in “Gasoline Dream” and “Necroshine.” I have never been that big fan of the latter or the album itself, but the way the stage lit up when Blitz did the short screams was awesome as the lights flashed quickly which it seem like Blitz was bursting out of the dark.

“Old School” received great crowd support and sing along opportunities and then “Wrecking Crew” almost turned into a wreck as Ron Lipnicki was bashing the drums like there was no tomorrow and he knocked over one of his cymbals.
 

Bassist D.D Verni may be greying around the edges a bit, but he still performs with the vigor and energy required at a thrash show. It was done successfully because someone was carried out of the club for reckless behavior. Overkill rounded out the performance with “Deny the Cross”, arguably their best song ever “Rotten to the Core” and the classy “Fuck You.”

One minor complaint I have is they did not play anything from “Horrorscope.” Other than that, it was a great show, full of energy and intensity. There is no room for fancy guitar solos, or elongated drum mashing as Overkill kicked ass from beginning until the end. After all these years, they still got it and will deliver a spark with “The Electric Age.”

March to Stalingrad

After Accept regrouped and finally realized their longtime vocalist Udo Dirkschneider was not coming back, they enlisted vocalist Mark Tornillo from little known eighties band T.T Quick. Tornillo’s ruff and gruff attitude and vocal style combined with Wolf Hoffman’s meaty guitar riffs rounded out an impressive comeback album talking about nations’ bloodied histories. The German heavy metal stalwarts have now focused their efforts on a single nation and put a stamp on the city named by the tyrant in honor of himself, Stalingrad.

The first salvo, “Hung, Drawn, and Quartered” starts the proceedings off with a bang with a great guitar intro followed by an aggressive riff. The boys pick up where “Blood of the Nations” left off with a strong, thick guitar tone and Tornillo sounds more aggressive in his vocal delivery. He even has some resemblance to the little man with the mighty voice who preceded him. The chorus in the up-tempo “Flash to Bang Time” and “The Quick and the Dead” showcase the Udo-side of Tornillo.

Hoffman is one the most underrated guitar players to wield the axe. The riffs he writes and the melodic solos he delivers are some of the best one could write. The solo in the title track sounds like the red army taking its march to its national anthem and the outro to “The Galley” provides some serenity to a furious album. He comes back with a biting riff in “Hellfire” which has stuck with since first giving it a listen. This is definitely one of the highlights of the album.

The best song is the fist-pumping “Shadow Soldiers.” It has a great, prideful riff and an inspiring vocal performance by Tornillo. The chorus is remarkable and I can see this going over very well in the live setting. The aforementioned “The Quick and the Dead” has a riff similar to Motley Crue’s “Livewire”, but it works and the drum performance by Stefan Schwarzmann is a highlight.

All the tracks flow at a steady pace, but the only ones that failed to grab me are the drab “Against the World” and “Twist of Fate.” The former is basically a standard metal cooker, but there is nothing of note that stands out. The latter is a slow burner which features some nice bass work courtesy of Peter Baltes, but it never reaches its full potential as it tries to strike an emotional chord, but it doesn’t happen.

When it’s all said and done, you cannot go wrong with this album. If you liked “Blood of the Nations”; then this will not disappoint and it does not overstay its welcome as the last one clocked in at long time while “Stalingrad” finishes at just under an hour. The German boys have hit their stride since regrouping with Tornillo as any listener will have no problem head-banging through the streets of Stalingrad.

The Age Has Begun

Overkill is back and they must have felt a jolt in their system. The New Jersey boys now have 17 albums under their belt and they sound better than ever. It was going to be tough to top their last output in “Ironbound”, but they have found a way to meet expectations.

The two main men, vocalist Bobby Blitz and bassist D.D Verni have cooked up ten monsters that doesn’t let up until after the last note is played. “Come and Get It” storms through with crushing riffs and a shredding solo from Dave Linsk. The first single in “Electric Rattlesnake” has some Black Sabbath moments and the ascending rhythm part with a slicing bass and pumping drums near the end combined with the final solo is memorable and drives a great song.

The production is again outstanding on this album. Overkill has, with a couple exceptions, always brought the best sound out of their instruments from “The Years of Decay” to “The Killing Kind” to “Ironbound.” The drums by Ron Lipnicki and the riffing by Derek Tailer are in your face just as they were on “Ironbound.” The top-notch production puts other heavyweights such as Slayer and Metallica to shame.

The thrashing continues with “Drop the Hammer Down” which would make the mighty Thor proud. It features a nice melodic solo and Blitz delivers an awesome chorus as if he’s about to bring the pain with his weapon. The verse also has a beautiful transition to that chorus and another one of the standouts. “All Over but The Shouting” has a title that wouldn’t look strange on a Cannibal Corpse album. The backing guitar theatrics with Blitz delivering the narrative is a nice touch.

However, there are a couple instances where the songwriting is not as strong. “Save Yourself” is a generic thrasher with not much going for it. The riff is bland and it fails to develop into something great. The other track that does not deliver is “Old Wounds, New Scars.” The song is homage to their New Jersey background, but the chorus is awkward and when it seems like the song is going to pick-up steam, it doesn’t.

With that being said, “The Electric Age” is a winner. Even though his voice has been through a lot, Blitz’s vocals are as charismatic as ever and Verni is still delivering bass lines that make him one of the best in the business. The fellas have really hit their stride after the disappointment that was “Immortalis” back in 2007. Blitz ends the proceedings in a fitting way uttering “Good night.” Thank you Blitz and the rest of the ‘Kill; I will have a good night’s rest after taking in the shock of “The Electric Age.”

Blues Taking Over

If one were to expect an album simliar to "Burn" then that person is going to be thrown in for a loop. The remarkable thing is that both "Burn" and the album being reviewed, "Stormbringer", were released the same year yet both have significantly different sound and style to them. It may have something to do with the amount of drugs being taken by Glenn Hughes and David Coverdale, but that is a discussion for another day. The one aspect that is evident is the amount of blues and soul infused into the songs and it is understandable why master axe man Ritchie Blackmore would be upset.

The songs that shine on here are the ones Ritchie goes full force with his famous Fender Stratocaster and when his riff playing is the main component featured. His catchy, intricate up-tempo riffing is the main highlight found here. This also brings out the brilliance of Jon Lord because the double team of his keyboards and Ritchie's guitar playing is unmatched by any other band.

The dueling vocals of David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes return and again they are very impressive to hear. Hughes shows his soulful vocal chords on "Holy Man" and "Hold On" and Coverdale's screeching, bluesy voice complements it perfectly. The way they play off each other is impressive and unique to this version of Deep Purple.

However, where "Burn" succeeded is where "Stormbringer" failed. For one, the drumming of Ian Paice is severely toned down, mostly doing a simple, blues type of beat and is not the wild, frantic kind we all know and love from him. The guy is a great musician, but you would not know it from this album. Another is the prevalence of the funky bass playing by Glenn Hughes. It just sounds annoying and is not enjoyable. "Love Don't Mean a Thing", and "Hold On" just drag the album down with no awesome riffing and having an overload of blues in them. Then "You Can't Do It Right" is a pure funk song and it is embarrassingly bad especially with the trippy chorus.

While a listener of this album maybe frustrated on what is going on, the last song will cure a lot of it. "Soldier of Fortune" is an acoustic track song sung by Coverdale and it is very melodic and beautifully done and might bring on a few tears. It is very melancholic and the inclusion of the violin in the background furthur adds to it and is one of the best Deep Purple songs.

"Stormbringer" is an album that will frustrate listeners as it is rather hit-and-miss. There are some very enjoyable moments found on here though and is worth the purchase. Some may like the bigger inclusion of blues and funk, but it just does not fit Deep Purple. With that being said, this still gets a good score and is still a good Purple record. This would be Ritchie's swansong as he would go on to form Rainbow because he did not like the direction of the band. Don't let that fact deter you from buying this though as it is certainly something to listen to.