Deep Purple the band are credited as one of the key players of heavy rock music from the 1970's and have constantly progressed their boundaries of music. The band is fronted by Ian Gillan, whose vocals have been ringing in my ears since 1971 so I am excited to see how the new album released on July 19th will be received by their fans and a new younger rock generation.

This is the band’s first album with guitarist Simon McBride, who seamlessly slotted in when long-time member Steve Morse left due to personal circumstances. Since 2022, Simon has already played to Deep Purple audiences around the globe and has been received well. I had the privilege of interviewing Ian Gillan back in April this year for my new book and was given an amazing opportunity to be one of the first people to hear the new album =one in full. It is amazing and took me right back to early deep purple vibes and feels. You can truly hear the old sound mixed with new vigour and clear messages without relying on any nostalgia.

The album title ‘=1’ symbolises the idea that in more complex world, everything eventually simplifies down to a single, unified essence. Everything equals one. This is an album to buy even if you are not a DP fan because it has something to fresh say.