Deep Purple SPLAT! Review Part 2 | Riffs, Energy & a Modern Purple Classic
Deep Purple – SPLAT! Track-by-Track Review
Deep Purple’s SPLAT! has arrived, and after looking inside the Super Deluxe Edition box set in Part 1 of my review, this second part is all about the music.
This is my full track-by-track review of the album, including the bonus track “Guinnesis” from the exclusive 7-inch single included in the box set.
Before I get into the album itself, one small but important note for anyone who watched the unboxing video or has picked up the vinyl version: make sure you play the album at 45 RPM. That is rather important, otherwise your first experience of the record may be very different from the one Deep Purple intended!
I have been genuinely excited about this album. Deep Purple albums always feel like events to me, but SPLAT! feels particularly special. I know I probably say that every time a new Deep Purple album arrives, but this one really does feel like one of their strongest in years.
It is modern, it is concise, it is full of riffs, and yet it also feels completely connected to the whole Deep Purple story.
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Deep Purple in 2026
One of the things I love about Deep Purple is that the band has always been a journey. Before they were Deep Purple, there was the idea of Roundabout, where musicians could get on and off, but the musical adventure would continue. In many ways, that is how I have always viewed Deep Purple.
Different musicians have come and gone, but it is still part of the same family, the same story, the same great ship sailing forward.
With SPLAT!, I feel that this album could have followed almost any era of Deep Purple. It could have followed Who Do We Think We Are, Perfect Strangers, Purpendicular, or one of the more recent Bob Ezrin-produced albums. Yet at the same time, it is very much a 2026 rock album.
That is one of its great strengths.
Arrogant Boy
Deep Purple have a habit of opening albums with fantastic tracks. I have often said that you could make a brilliant Deep Purple compilation simply called Side One, Track One, because they nearly always know how to start an album.
“Arrogant Boy” continues that tradition.
There is so much packed into just over three minutes. The riffs are everywhere, but it never feels cluttered. The way the riffs connect the verses, choruses and instrumental sections gives the song a real classic Purple feel, almost like the way the band used to stitch sections together on the early 70s albums.
But this is not nostalgia. This is Deep Purple in 2026.
The guitar solo is full of feel, the keyboard runs are exciting, and the whole thing jumps across different musical lanes without ever losing momentum. It is a brilliant opening track and sets the tone perfectly.
Diablo
“Diablo” was the second single, and I know some people did not warm to it straight away. I loved it more with each listen.
It is mid-paced Purple with a great swing in the rhythm section. Ian Gillan’s vocal melody is excellent, and his observational, slightly tongue-in-cheek lyrical style works beautifully here. The chorus seems to float across the room.
There is also a fantastic exchange between Don Airey and Simon McBride, and the instrumental section has real character. I also want to mention Keith Urban, who plays guitar on this track. Once you know that, it explains why there is a slightly different guitar voice weaving through the arrangement.
It sounds like Purple having fun, but also being very precise with the way the song is arranged.
The Rider
“The Rider” begins with a synth motif before the band comes in with a driving, chugging groove. This is one of those tracks that reminds me exactly why I still get excited about new Deep Purple music.
These are proper songs. They are not just riffs looking for a home. They have melodies, choruses, middle sections and instrumental moments that all work together.
Simon McBride’s solo has real bite. You can almost feel him pulling each note from the strings. The song drives forward, returns to the opening motif and then locks back into the riff. It is compact, but it feels complete.
The Lunatic
“The Lunatic” has a staccato riff and a real swing from Ian Paice. There are moments on this album where each musician steps forward in turn, and this is one of the tracks where Paice really shines.
There is a hint of menace here, with progressive rock-style runs and lots of twists and turns. Don Airey’s Hammond work is superb, and Simon’s heavier riffing sits beautifully underneath.
Again, what makes this feel like Deep Purple is the linking material: the way the riffs connect the different sections of the song. The band have said this album is all about riffs, and that is absolutely true. But it is not just riffs for the sake of it. These riffs are doing a job. They are moving the songs forward.
The Only Horse In Town
“The Only Horse In Town” is one of my favourite tracks on the album.
It starts with Hammond organ, but then the chord sequence arrives and the whole song lifts. This is punch-the-air Deep Purple. It is uplifting, hard rocking and very commercial in the best possible way.
I can imagine this being epic live.
This is also a good example of why Deep Purple can play to hard rock audiences, progressive rock audiences, classic rock audiences and even heavy metal festival crowds. Their music blurs those boundaries. It has weight, but it also has melody and musicianship.
Simon’s solo on this track soars. There is no overplaying; it serves the song completely.
Sacred Land
“Sacred Land” shows another side of the album.
It opens with a Scottish or Celtic pipe-like feel, then moves into something with an Eastern atmosphere before the heavy guitar and drum rhythm arrives. There is a real sense of drama here.
This is modern rock, but it feels like it has every period of Deep Purple somewhere in its DNA. Don Airey’s synth solo is excellent, and Simon McBride follows with an atmospheric guitar solo that shows just how strong his playing is across this album.
Every solo serves the song, but when Simon needs to reach for the stars, he does.
The Beating of Wings
“The Beating of Wings” has a bluesy feel. I can hear a little of “Born Under a Bad Sign” in the background, but it is very much filtered through the Deep Purple world.
There is lovely electric piano, bluesy guitar, another strong chorus and more of those connecting riffs that make the album feel so well constructed.
Ian Gillan sings extremely well on this album. He sounds engaged, expressive and full of character. More importantly, the whole band sounds like they are enjoying themselves, and that enjoyment comes through to the listener.
Guilt Trippin’
“Guilt Trippin’” has already been released as a single, and I covered it separately, but it deserves its place in the full album review.
It starts with classical piano before Simon joins the melody line, with Hammond underneath. Then it shifts into heavy rock, with almost shouted verses and a slower, melodic chorus.
The middle section has a kind of metal-funk feel, and the jazzy piano moments remind me of the spirit of “Woman from Tokyo” or “What’s Goin’ On Here” from Burn.
This is one of the tracks where the arrangement is particularly impressive. It moves through different sections, but it never feels disjointed. It begins and ends with classical piano, which gives it a satisfying circular structure.
Scriblin’ Gib’rish
I love Ian Gillan’s humour, and “Scriblin’ Gib’rish” is full of it.
It starts with a blues shuffle, but Ian Paice turns it into something much more driving. There is a little reminder here of “Silver Tongue” from Bananas, at least in spirit.
The lyrics are great, the riffs keep linking everything together, and the synth solo gives the song another colour. Simon’s solo is fluid, with some lovely bends, before the song returns to that chugging rhythm and fades out.
This is Deep Purple having fun, but again, it is so well arranged.
Jessica’s Bra
What a title.
“Jessica’s Bra” is an uplifting romp, and you can hear Ian Gillan having a great time with it. It is playful, observational and slightly progressive in places. There are some fabulous instrumental motifs, and lyrically it feels like a Gillan pub story — and we have all been in that pub.
Simon delivers another biting guitar solo, frantic but controlled, and Don’s piano solo brings in a jazzy flavour. There is a sense of humour running through the track, and we even get an Ian Gillan scream.
It is fun, but it is also musically sharp.
Third Call
“Third Call” starts with Hammond chords and has a moody, floating, jazzy feel. I can hear something of “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” weaving around in there, with a soulful, slightly metallic atmosphere.
Ian Paice is outstanding on this track. Roger Glover’s bass also comes forward, and the whole band locks into a groove that carries you with it.
This is one of those tracks where musicians simply connect. When that happens, you feel it as a listener, whether you are a musician or not. The chords are wonderful to solo over, and both the guitar and Hammond work are superb.
My New Movie
“My New Movie” is another of my favourite tracks on the album.
It is fast, high-energy, positive and life-affirming. This is classic Deep Purple rock music. The middle section, the riffs, the solos — everything works.
It sounds like the band are all in the same room having a brilliant time. I really hope this lands in the live set, because it has Friday night written all over it.
If someone is not sure about this album, I would point them to this song. If you like rock music, this should connect. If you do not like rock music, this might build a bridge towards it.
It is that good.
SPLAT!
The title track begins with drums and then Roger Glover comes in with a tremendous bass line. Every member of the band shines on this album, and this is one of the tracks where Roger really stands out.
There is a circular walking guitar riff, great melodies, funky keyboard touches and a guitar solo from Simon that again serves the song beautifully. I also hear a little hint of “Stormbringer” in the riff towards the end.
It is a strong way to close the main album.
Guinnesis
If you buy the Super Deluxe box set, you also get the bonus track “Guinnesis” on the 7-inch single.
This is an instrumental, and what an instrumental it is.
There are echoes of “Pictures of Home”, with some ELP-style keyboard sounds and fabulous progressive sections. Don Airey’s Hammond solo feels like a real homage to Jon Lord, with everything turned up to eleven.
Then Simon McBride lets rip on guitar, sailing very close to Mr Blackmore in spirit, but still very much within his own voice.
This track feels like a celebration of the whole Deep Purple family. It reminds me again of that original Roundabout idea — people may get on and off, but the journey continues.
I can imagine this entering the live set as a segue or instrumental passage, perhaps giving Ian Gillan a brief rest while the band stretches out. It would work beautifully.
I do not want to call SPLAT! a return to form, because Deep Purple have not been off form. The Bob Ezrin era has already given the band a remarkable late-career purple patch.
But this album feels different.
It is heavier, tighter and more immediate. The sequencing is excellent. It never drifts. Each track arrives, makes its point and moves on. Yet within those short running times, the songs often feel like little mini-concerts. There are so many ideas here that some bands would have held sections back to build other songs around them. Deep Purple just put them in and keep going.
That is part of what makes this album so exciting.
The arrangements are punchy, but there is still room for the songs to expand live. I can imagine several of these tracks taking on a completely different life on stage, with the band stretching sections, bouncing off the audience and letting the music go where it wants to go. That has always been part of the magic of Deep Purple.
What I love most is that SPLAT! does not sound like a band winding down. It sounds like a band full of energy, humour and purpose. Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Ian Paice, Don Airey and Simon McBride sound like they are still thrilled by the act of making music together.
For me, this is a highlight in my Deep Purple collection. It fits into every era of Purple, but it could only have been made now.
It is modern, it is alive, it is full of riffs, and it is absolutely full of spirit.
Deep Purple are not just preserving a legacy here. They are adding another genuinely exciting chapter to it.
Phil Aston | Now Spinning Magazine
