Deep Purple Announce SPLAT! — A New Heavy Chapter Begins
- The Riff Collective
- May 27
- 3 min read
There are legendary bands who survive on nostalgia — and then there are Deep Purple.
More than 55 years after helping invent hard rock itself, the British icons have announced SPLAT!, their brand new studio album arriving July 3rd via earMUSIC. And rather than sounding like a band protecting a legacy, Deep Purple sound determined to push it forward once again.
With over 120 million albums sold worldwide since forming in 1968, Deep Purple remain one of the most influential names in rock history. Yet according to frontman Ian Gillan, this current incarnation of the band feels less like a celebration of the past and more like a rebirth.
“Where we are now with this incarnation of Deep Purple feels very much like a very ‘now’ version of Deep Purple as it was in the seventies”, says Gillan.
That statement alone says everything fans need to know.
Once again working alongside legendary producer Bob Ezrin — known for his work with KISS, Pink Floyd, Alice Cooper and Lou Reed — the band have crafted what is being described as their heaviest album in many years. More importantly, SPLAT! was created the old-school way: all five musicians playing together live in the studio, capturing the chemistry, unpredictability and electricity that defined classic Deep Purple records.
And for longtime fans, Gillan’s own comparison is impossible to ignore.
“I have to say, now we are very much back in with material that is compatible with ‘Highway Star’, ‘Smoke on the Water’, ‘Lazy’ — the dynamics, the balance, and the fun of the music we made from ‘69 to ‘73.”
It’s a striking claim — but one that becomes easier to believe when hearing the renewed fire within this lineup, especially thanks to guitarist Simon McBride. Since stepping into the band permanently, McBride has brought a sharper, heavier edge that feels less like a replacement and more like the beginning of a completely new chapter for Deep Purple.
If 2024’s =1 introduced this era, SPLAT! feels like the moment the band truly embraces it.
But beyond the riffs and classic groove, SPLAT! also carries an ambitious conceptual core. The album explores the end of humanity not through destruction or apocalypse, but through transformation — imagining existence beyond physical form. It’s a surprisingly philosophical and imaginative direction from a band still capable of sounding thunderous after all these decades.
The first taste of SPLAT! arrives in the form of “Arrogant Boy”, a powerful opening statement that immediately showcases the album’s heavier edge and classic Deep Purple swagger. The track also comes accompanied by a brand new video that fans will soon be able to experience alongside Ian Gillan’s own reflections on the song.
“This is the story of Billy who couldn’t read or write. He is unhappy with things, so he speaks up, and finds a way of irritating, one way or another, the elite. And I can’t think of anything more fun than irritating the elite. It would be a joyous exercise for me every morning after coffee.” Gillan explains.
To support the release, the band will continue their massive 2026 world tour with an astonishing 86 shows across 28 countries and three continents. Among the major festival appearances are Hellfest in France, Tollwood Festival in Germany, Starlite in Málaga and Músicos en la Naturaleza in Gredos, Spain.
Spain Dates
July 4 — Gredos, Músicos en la Naturaleza
July 5 — Pamplona, Navarra Arena
July 9 — Málaga, Starlite Festival
July 10 — Cádiz, Tío Pepe Festival
October 19 — Barcelona, Sant Jordi Club
UK Dates
November 18 — Newcastle, Utilita Arena
November 19 — Glasgow, OVO Hydro
November 21 — Birmingham, bp pulse LIVE
November 22 — Manchester, AO Arena
November 24 — London, Eventim Apollo
November 25 — London, Royal Albert Hall
Those final London dates feel especially meaningful.
The Royal Albert Hall is deeply woven into Deep Purple’s history ever since the groundbreaking Concerto for Group and Orchestra performance in 1969. Hearing Ian Gillan reflect in interview on what it means to return there today only reinforces the feeling surrounding this new era of the band: this is not a farewell tour built on memories.
This is Deep Purple sounding alive, inspired and dangerous once again.
As Gillan himself puts it:
“Deep Purple is in a great place right now.”
The Riff Collective
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