Hard rock pioneers Deep Purple return with new album

The British group is releasing an opus, entitled, “=1”, a return to a very rock base which will be accompanied by a new big European tour.

Along with Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple is part of the holy trinity of hard rock and almost 60 years after their furious debut, the British are still roaring. Their 23rd studio album =1(equals one), comes at a time of great success for them. While they have sold over 100 million albums over the course of their long career, they still manage to stay at the top, with their latest records having smashed charts around the world.

For this one, the group relied on an authentic recipe, for the singer and leader, Ian Gillan. “I think we have found this simplicity again, he said. I did an album once with some guys from Nashville, fantastic musicians, who didn’t show off with complicated playing. That’s when I realized that virtuosity is born from simplicity.”

The stage remains the cherry on the cake for Deep Purple, even if the motivation is different. “I don’t really think about live when I write, but the more you mature and things change and you have to take on a new challenge, explains Ian Gillan. Musicians get better as they get older, they’ve lost their teenage drive and they’re looking for something that inspires and excites them. It’s an interesting process, but it takes years to get through.”

Although the members of Deep Purple entered museums a long time ago, notably in the exhibition on metal at the Philharmonie de Paris, until September 29, 2024, their music remains in direct contact with the current world.

The group was, in fact, synonymous with freedom on the other side of the Iron Curtain during the Cold War and =1 is also a wish for unity for a completely divided world. “I hear words like ‘hate’, which I never heard before, laments Ian Gillan. Today, the right and the left are getting tougher, but if you have a leak in your house, you’re not going to get together with your family and decide whether the plumber should be a socialist or a capitalist. Otherwise you’ll still be arguing a year later and nothing will be done.”

Deep Purple will be in concert on July 28 at the Ecaussystème festival, on July 30 at the Théâtre Antique d’Orange for the Positiv Festival and on November 1 at the Zénith in Paris.