Saturday, April 15, 2017

Album Review: Infinite, by Deep Purple



Deep Purple has been a household name in the world of hard rock, classic rock, and heavy metal for nearly five decades. Scoring hits like Smoke on the WaterHighway StarSpace Truckin'Perfect StrangersBurn, and scores more it's kind of easy to see why. They have gone through countless line-up changes as well as evolutions in sound over the years, but one thing that has remained constant is their fierce determination to bring the world some of the best rock n' roll possible. Just last week (April 7th, 2017) Deep Purple put out its 20th studio album: Infinite.

Infinite was put out through earMUSIC and produced by famed legendary Canadian rock and pop producer Bob Ezrin who has worked with Alice Cooper, Kiss, Aerosmith, Jane's Addiction, Peter Gabriel, and countless others. This is the second album of Purple's produced by Ezrin, as he also did the band's previous release Now What?! in 2013.

Infinite seems to be one of those records where past and present converge into one piece of art. You can hear a great deal of classic early-mid 70's Who Do We Think We Are? Deep Purple sound mixed in with some of the more recent experimental/pseudo-symphonic sounds they have taken on as well. With the order the tracks are put in, it flows quite nicely.

The downside of this is because of how similar many of the songs sounding similar to their old sound is that none of them seem to stick out and make themselves particularly memorable. What made Now What?! such a great record was that it limited how much of the past it drew from and pushed forward with the kinds of sounds the band could make as experienced musicians who always look ahead. The not so vintage style songs were pretty decent, but they aren't the kind that will get stuck in your head in only one or two listens.

That said, it was kind of refreshing in some ways to hear those kinds of sounds from the band again. They might not be Deep Purple's best, but they still rock. A fan of 70's Deep Purple might be able to latch onto newer Deep Purple a little easier by putting this album on and listening to the way the multiple styles of the band work and flow together seamlessly.

One of the things I noticed in terms of Steve Morse's guitar playing is it seems a great deal more restrained on this record than in other albums. A lot of what Morse is known for is being able to shred it up, but this time he seemed to hold back and put more emphasis on feeling and melody rather than flashy technique. In a way some of his lead parts sound a lot like his predecessor Ritchie Blackmore. It is still his own sound overall, but I couldn't help but notice a great deal of the similarities. That said, there are still a couple moments on Infinite where you hear that Morse signature shred.

I think one of the most fun moments on Infinite is the tail end of the record where they threw on a cover of Roadhouse Blues, by The Doors. They definitely Purpled it up, but it is still the hard rocking, beer swilling, swingy good time that it always has been. It might not be the best version of the tune, but it's still a great time and worth cranking at 11.

I think Infinite is going to be one of those records that requires time and multiple plays before it really sinks in. There is nothing wrong with that, though. Some of my favorite albums of all time are those kinds of records. If you're looking for an album that will have any flashy rock n' roll earworms though this more than likely is not the record for you. That said, I feel it's still worth picking up and getting to know the music on it. It has depth to it and over time has a chance of becoming a classic.

Infinite, by Deep Purple receives 3.25 out of 5 stars.

Track List:

1. Time For Bedlam
2. Hip Boots
3. All I Got is You
4. One Night in Vegas
5. Get Me Outta Here
6. The Surprising
7. Johnny's Band
8. On Top of the World
9. Birds of Prey
10. Roadhouse Blues

Buy the album on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Infinite-Explicit-Deep-Purple/dp/B06WGPMQVR/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1492232621&sr=8-1&keywords=Deep+Purple+Infinite

Writer's Moment:

I will be taking the entirety of the weekend off from writing in order to spend time with my loved ones during the Easter holiday. I hope you all have a wonderful time and have warm feelings regardless of whether you celebrate or not.

Also, don't forget that Young Ears, Fresh Perspective has a Facebook page now. You can stay more up to date with the blog and even interact with me and have input on content by following. I'll put the link below:

https://www.facebook.com/youngearsfreshperspective/

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