Equals One! A much anticipated 23rd full-length from the legendary rock band, still putting those less than half their collective age to shame, and even after the impressive Whoosh! still proving themselves more than capable of a pleasant surprise. The pastoral prog indulges of that (terrific!) album are all but gone here, the band choosing instead to revert back towards to their classic sound, which on first listens makes =1 seem slightly forgettable. Yet spend a little time with Deep Purple and a plateau of riches unfolds before you. They're certainly feeling heavier, opener Show Me building to a pounding quickly and, whilst certainly not hiding that Ian Gillan's voice has aged, refusing to allow that or the ages of any other members to diminish their essential love for life. The production here, as before by Bob Ezrein, is terrific, warm and inviting, enveloping you with sound in the best of ways without forgetting the bass. It's a joy to listen to this album just for that, if you're the right kind of rock nerd, and that's even before you start to consider the songs...

...Which, much like Whoosh! are the kind of anthemic rock staples that encapsulate Deep Purple perfectly. The likes of Lazy Sod and Bleeding Obvious here are remarkably good, propulsive and infectious songs packed full of instrumental pageantry to please any fan, the latter even approaching classic Dream Theater vibes at points! You can tell in multiple places that Gillan is pushing himself and his voice, not content to rest on his deserved laurels but knowing his strengths and applying them well. He even throws in some classic yelps here and there, on Old-Fangled Thing and Now You're Talkin' especially. And the band aren't far behind, shredding solos and keyboard flourishes aplenty to make them sound less than half their age. Drummer Ian Paice, who has remarkably been with the band since the beginning, especially sounds terrific, technical and sure-handed as he blasts through songs such as A Bit on the Side like a man possessed.

Sharp Shooter is the heaviest thing that the band have made in a while, pushing new guitarist Simon McBride (replacing Steve Morse, who left in 2022 to care for his wife) into the limelight and making it obvious that he has more than earned his place if the multiple bursts of melodic soloing (If I Were You, for instance) throughout the album weren't enough. And the likes of Portable Door and Pictures of You are infectious little eargasms with plenty of keyboard boogies and solos thanks to Don Airey, not quite the MVP of this album as before but still definitely a vital part of the Deep Purple machine, coming into his own on psychedelic highlight No Money to Burn. There really isn't a bad song present, even slower pieces like ballad I'll Catch You having heaps of personality and memorability. Iain Paice was telling interviewers as long ago as 2016 that their touring days may soon be over, and yet (touch wood) here your reviewer is, with tickets to see the band live this November! Deep Purple are clearly ageing yet are having a good time and intend to keep going for as long as they can. And why not? Long may they reign - they have nothing to prove to anyone, and albums like =1 are much better than they need to be, almost as much fun to listen to as they must have been to make.