Deep Purple
In Rock

THE REVIEW

The birth of heavy metal is also (perhaps especially) attributable to this LP.

After the first 3 mediocre albums, Deep Purple decided to turn the page, hitting the heart of the group: the line-up. Rod Evans and Nick Simper were replaced in favor of bassist Roger Glover and singer Ian Gillan. The first surprising results were noticed in Lord's project with the Philarmonic Orchestra, where classical music pieces alternated with the band's new tracks... already from there, you can see the ENORMOUS progress made by Blackmore and company... but it was with the release of "In Rock" that Deep Purple showed their assets and produced an album that stands far apart from previous works... the trio of MKI LPs seems far too sweet and tender compared to this album, a concentration of hard, incendiary, and metal rock. This is perhaps the first Heavy Metal album in history!

Right from the first track, you can sense that the music has changed: the first minute of "Speed King" is incendiary, it seems as if all the instruments are coming almost from hell (although "In Rock" is not a Black, Gore, or Death album) and they contort to the unimaginable, preluding the (almost church-like) melody of keyboardist Lord, before moving on to the core of the song, where Ian Gillan performs a vocally substantial test, with piercing screams (his undisputed trademark) but also with a notably high voice, perhaps not the most powerful but still warm and captivating. The single that will come out will actually be sweetened with an alternative piano version, which significantly loses the comparison with the main song, a furious concentration of pure, hard rock... the old virtuosity of Lord's first albums are just a distant memory... the keyboardist's contribution is crucial, but this time it aligns with the band's new "Heavy" style, producing more enchanting and significantly more chilling sounds. The next track, "Bloodsucker," is again a manifesto of hard rock, with Gillan going wild once more on vocals. But the true MASTERPIECE of Deep Purple is a song simply called "Child In Time," a moving and wrenching 10-minute composition where Gillan's screams (perhaps too melodramatic but still with a strong emotional impact) really make an effect... his almost hysterical despair screams are followed by a truly outstanding solo by Blackmore, accompanied by the unleashed Paice on drums, the indispensable Lord on keyboards, and the brilliant Roger Glover, a little-known bassist with exceptional technique. Gillan's screams are repeated to then close with an apocalyptic finale, where it seems like everything is exploding in your guts!

I repeat, it is not a Gore Metal, Horror Metal, Death, or Black album, but certain violent characteristics were already felt in 1970. An honorable mention must also be made to the live version of this rendition, even faster and capable of turning the stage into pandemonium! Side B still showcases the group's ability to unite powerful yet also classical and a bit baroque melodies, as in "Flight Of The Rat," energetic hard rock where all the band's instrumental and compositional abilities are brought to full splendor. The album closes with other hard songs, such as "Into The Fire," "Livin' Wreck," and "Hard Lovin' Woman."

In conclusion, this album is the symbol of what represents the deep purple engraved in rock, which will influentially write the history of music and rock... Deep Purple has reached very high compositional peaks, reaching even Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, peaks that few in the history of music will manage to reach...