Deep Purple\u2019s ninth studio album, Stormbringer<\/i>, is a borderline obscure release from the band, coming during a time of great internal instability. Unfortunately inconsistency reigns rather than inspiration through adversity.<\/p>\n
When the classic line-up imploded in 1973 with the sudden departure of both frontman Ian Gillan and bassist Roger Glover, their capable replacements David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes brought with them new musical influences that caused tension and ultimately another major rift. While their previous album, Burn<\/i>, was a much stronger effort than most expected, it introduced subtle funk and soul elements for the first time, and this was expanded upon noticeably on Stormbringer<\/i>, a decision that would cause the departure of original guitarist Ritchie Blackmore in its aftermath.<\/p>\n
What makes reviewing this album in particular a bit complicated is that on the surface it sounds just fine, with plenty of exciting, toe-tapping hard rock goodness spread throughout that makes it easy to forget that it isn\u2019t quite up to the standards they had set in the past. And that\u2019s the problem \u2013 as far as generic hard rock albums go, it really is quite enjoyable, without any real stinkers, and the vocal harmonies and verse trade-offs between Coverdale and Hughes are dynamic and unique — but ultimately, as a Deep Purple album it doesn\u2019t quite cut the mustard.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t get me wrong, there are definitely a few superb songs here that no Deep Purple fan should be without \u2013 \u201cStormbringer\u201d in particular is a classic that angrily rocks as fast and hard as anything they\u2019d done before with a very satisfying head-banging riff, no doubt the result of Blackmore\u2019s frustrations. Pity that it\u2019s more the exception than the rule, since the rest of the disc doesn\u2019t rock as much as their previous albums.<\/p>\n
Indeed, one of the most confusing aspects of Stormbringer<\/i> is that many of the songs remind me of other, more famous ones. The southern-fried, rednecky ballad \u201cHoly Man\u201d encroaches a little too much on Lynyrd Skynyrd territory for my liking; the hard-charging \u201cLady Double Dealer\u201d sounds like a re-write of \u201cBurn\u201d (or Dio\u2019s \u201cWe Rock\u201d), the funk-rock stomp of \u201cYou Can\u2019t Do It Right\u201d sounds like the Eagles\u2019 \u201cLife In The Fast Lane\u201d; \u201cHigh Ball Shooter\u201d has all the cheesy generic cock-rock ingredients of a Whitesnake song like \u201cSlide It In\u201d; and most intriguingly, the tragic torch ballad \u201cSoldier Of Fortune\u201d is eerily similar to Metallica\u2019s \u201cThe Unforgiven,\u201d or their cover of Bob Seger\u2019s \u201cTurn The Page.\u201d While this obviously displays the vast influence Deep Purple commanded (since you\u2019ll likely have noticed that the doppelgangers I listed were all written after this album came out), the sad part is that these songs are completely overshadowed.<\/p>\n
Another strange thing I noticed is the almost complete absence of Jon Lord. His lengthy, epic organ solos, prominent lead riffs (often working in tandem with Blackmore\u2019s guitars) and classical aspirations are nowhere to be found. Every now and then he pops up with a brief solo (even uncharacteristically using a Moog synthesizer on \u201cStormbringer\u201d and \u201cYou Can\u2019t Do It Right\u201d) to remind you that he\u2019s still around, but he no longer seems to even command an integral role, much less acting as the creative driving force he was on the early albums. I think it\u2019s fairly easy to assume that Blackmore wasn\u2019t the only one unhappy with the band\u2019s new style, judging by Lord\u2019s mailed-in effort.<\/p>\n
Really, considering the turmoil afflicting Deep Purple in the mid-70s, it\u2019s fairly impressive that Stormbringer<\/i> didn\u2019t turn out to be a disaster. It\u2019s fun to listen to in the moment, but I don\u2019t think it\u2019s very memorable in the long run. This is a funkier, greasier, sleazier form of the band than people are accustomed to, and while the Mark III line-up has a small cult following, it\u2019s not really a style that I think suits Deep Purple. The confused Stormbringer<\/i> doesn\u2019t compare to their earlier work, especially the inventive first three albums.