Deep Purple’s first new studio project since 2005’s Rapture of the Deep remains untitled, something underscored by a new album teaser — which boasts only a question mark for an image.
Ian Gillan and Co. gathered in Europe for songwriting sessions before recording commenced in Nashville with producer Bob Ezrin of Pink Floyd fame. Song titles include “Hell to Pay,” “Out of Hands” and “Uncommon Man.”
The album is due on April 26, 2013 in Europe and April 30 in North America, via earMusic. Deep Purple will already be on the road by then, with stops scheduled in Dubai, New Zealand and Australia in February. The band continues with shows in Australia throughout March, and then travels to Singapore, Bulgaria, Iceland, Germany, Italy, Poland and Sweden into August.
[SOMETHING ELSE! REWIND: Jon Lord’s life’s-work project ‘Concerto for Group and Orchestra’ was completed just as the keyboardist succumbed after a lengthy battle with cancer – and it was worth the wait.]
Gillan, in pre-release comments, has said the album features a tribute to Deep Purple’s late keyboardist, Jon Lord, and you certainly hear that in the preview video.
At the same time, though, Gillan says the project brings Deep Purple into the modern age. “It’s fresh stuff,” he added.
Guitarist Steve Morse agrees, crediting Ezrin with helping meld all of the disparate ideas from a group that also includes stalwart members Roger Glover and Ian Paice on bass and drums, respectively. Don Airey (Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Whitesnake) has played keyboards since 2002, when Lord departed.
“This album stretches out in some new areas for us, instrumentally,” Morse says, in a new post on the Deep Purple web site. “Bob and (engineer Justin) ‘Corky’ (Cortelyou) really got fantastic sounds on everything from the very first day. Musically, there’s a little bit of each of our lives in this album. Bob did the most amazing job with our preproduction; he really got ideas out of us that wouldn’t have happened otherwise.”
Morse had previously worked with Ezrin on the 1988 In the Spirit of Things album with Kansas.
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Upcoming Deep Purple concert venues and dates …
02.21.13 – Dubai Jazz Festival
02.24.13 – Auckland, New Zealand
02.26.13 – Brisbane, Australia
03.01.13 – Melbourne, Australia
03.02.13 – Sydney, Australia
03.04.13 – Adelaide, Australia
03.07.13 – Perth, Australia
03.12.13 – Singapore, Singapore
06.02.13 – Kavarna, Bulgaria
07.12.13 – Reykjavik, Iceland
07.14.13 – Bonn, Germany
07.21.13 – Vigevano, Italy
07.22.13 – Rome, Italy
07.24.13 – Majano, Italy
07.30.13 – Wroclaw, Poland
08.03.13 – Szekesfehervar, Hungary
08.10.13 – Gavle, Sweden
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