Nobody really knows how much of a spring Deep Purple are currently experiencing. But with their new album “=1” – pronounced “equals one” – the English band are seamlessly following on from their great last records. And “Now What?!”, “Infinite” and “Whoosh!” all reached number 1 in Germany.

Of course, the departure of guitar icon Steve Morse after almost 30 years in the band was a shock. But his successor Simon McBride cuts an excellent figure on the 13 new songs and masters the duels and duets typical of Deep Purple with keyboardist Don Airey with flying colors. The all-round musician proves to be an absolute stroke of luck and is already fully integrated with his new colleagues on his first studio album.

But they also make it easy for him. What Ian Gillan may have lost in vocal range due to his age, he easily makes up for with his expressiveness and charisma. And you will hardly find a richer foundation in hard rock than that of Roger Glover and Ian Paice. In addition, the production of “=1” is once again outstandingly good. The renewed collaboration with band intimus Bob Ezrin (Kiss, Alice Cooper, Pink Floyd, among others) has more than paid off.

Incidentally, the somewhat cryptic album title “=1” describes the idea that in an increasingly complex world, everything is ultimately reduced to a unified essence. Everything becomes one. A beautiful image, also for the new musical unity that Deep Purple demonstrate here.

 LP1
1. Show Me
2. A Bit On the Side
3. Sharp Shooter
4. Portable Door
5. Old-Fangled Thing
6. If I Were You
7. Pictures of You
8. I’m Saying Nothin’

LP2
1. Lazy Sod
2. Now You’re Talkin’
3. No Money To Burn
4. I’ll Catch You
5. Bleeding Obvious