Review Summary: Perhaps they won´t make another revolution, like in the seventies when they released one of the hard rock´s blueprint. Who cares. InFinite stands out as a great record with an honest take of life.
I don´t remember any other band (apart from the Stones) who managed to release new music through 6 decades. Think about it: that is an impressive milestone for anyone.
Telling the long story short, Deep Purple was created in 1968. The original idea was to have a purposely rotating band, where all new members would inject new blood to the mix. Funny enough, that is exactly what happened. 14 great musicians were official band members, with various degrees of success. Now is 2017, and those glorious seventies days are long gone. Enter InFinite, their 20th studio release to a very very different musical world. Why making another record? Do Deep Purple even have a chance to became relevant again?
I really don´t know the answer to the latter question. These guys are clearly from another era, that much is sure. They won´t rewrite rock as they did in 1970 and this won´t be that killer reunion from 1984. Their time is gone, and they know it. So, since they are not trying to be huge or blend in nowadays music wave, they chose to simply please themselves, do whatever they´ll like to do. And that answers the first question. They made this because that´s what they are. They needed to make something new. They wanted to have fun in the studio. And boy they did.
Now to the music. Spoiler alert: There will be no Highway Star´s heir here. The main writers from those days are gone. Blackmore is elsewhere doing his thing. And Lord, we deeply miss you. No, they are Mk 8, the longest running lineup in the history of the band. You can tell that by hearing InFinite. The music will grow on you i guarantee.
First things first. I appreciate that they made just 9 tracks plus a cover. It gets hard to remember all the songs in a twelve piece record. You can really take every track in one seat. Listening to InFinite i found myself doing something i wasn´t so compelled to do before: i payed more attention to the lyrics. That is because this record feels really personal. I mean, they are a bunch of guys, old an very interesting guys who want to tell you the way they see life at this stage of theirs. I never felt Ian Gillan´s vulnerability this close in any other DP record. The stories are broad on topics, and you can feel him angry and reflexive at the same time.
The musical ideas are somehow fresh, though there is nothing groundbreaking here. It just feels right. The chemistry is evident between everyone. The signature DP sound is present. Airey and Morse make strong arguments with their instruments of choice in every song. The rhythm section is very tight. Glover´s bass is always spot on, happy behind the song when needed and all present when the time is just right. Gillan´s mature voice never sounded better. There are several layers of Ian´s personality in every take. And Paice. Sorry but i have to give Paice´s drumming a separate paragraph.
Ian Paice is 69 years old by now. How in hell can he play this good? Well, perhaps it is because he is 69. His taste, his choices, his chops and technique are just flawless, impressive and interesting in every beat he does. From a "Bonhamesque" sound on Get me Outta Here to a tasteful ghost note filled drumming on All i Got is You and interesting time changes in The Surprising to always smooth and groovy chops all over the record. Ian Paice is one of the best drummers in rock and roll history and This records is a solid argument for that.
Perhaps InFinite won´t get all the praise it deserves. It doesn´t matter if you get a chance to listen to it and enjoy what they have to tell you. It is a very interesting and tasteful tale. Great music made. In fact, The 20th Deep Purple record fits like a perfect ending to a great trilogy: Rapture, Now What and InFinite. Try to listen all three records pretending that´s all they released. You´ll find a new band to fall in for.
Standout tracks: Every song has a particular charm, but i can´t forget All I Got is You and The Surprising.