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Rating: After the successful outcomes of the tour supporting “Slaves And Masters”, Blackmore intended to continue with the line-up featuring Joe Lynn Turner on vocals. However, both Lord and Glover, as well as Paice, didn’t quite agree with this. So, whether due to the insufficient market response garnered from the “Accidentally On Purpose” experience (signed by Gillan & Glover in 1988) or the factor of friendship, which saw them once again lean towards the artistic partnership that remains in the hearts of fans as the classic lineup of Deep Purple, Gillan was offered a new contract for the creation of a record — released somewhat quietly — marking the group’s 25-year career. The peaceful good intentions behind this reunion did not help to maintain the recording sessions, which didn’t immediately turn into expansive teamwork occasions, as Gillan’s return led to a re-recording of the vocal parts, which his predecessor had already successfully completed.
A quick look at the alluring cover and then hitting the play button to listen to the title track, where the sharp riff and solid rhythmic scanning of the Paice/Glover duo are refined by vocals in an ongoing enjoyable crescendo, for a raging battle. The blend of hard and funk is well expressed in “Lick It Up,” which gives Gillan’s lyrical naughtiness a chance to best express itself. Blackmore’s enchanting acoustic introduction — foreshadowing a future filled with simple melodies and sounds that would soon arrive — leads us by the hand into “Anya,” in the opinion of the writer, the most beautiful track on the album. With the sumptuous Blackmore/Lord interplay — impeccable architects of the sound structure — it carves a winning path of notes and mesmerizing Arabic-inspired echoes that fascinate throughout the entire piece... Noblesse Oblige!
Listening to this album gives us the certainty of being pleasantly inundated by a well-crafted hard rock product closely tied to the publications of the previous decade, without incorporating the trendy sounds that had ultimately monopolized the market (let’s not forget that back then, the Seattle sound reigned supreme…). It’s a performance that leaves no room for doubt about the authenticity of the songs, firmly anchored to the roots of quality by those who, after coining a certain sound, continue to spread it without considering the release of an album as merely fulfilling a sufficient work assignment.
As you continue listening, you notice the irreproachable variety of songs like the biting “Talk About Love” or the hard blues of “Nasty Piece Of Work,” where Gillan’s voice suffers a bit in terms of interpretation. Meanwhile, the immediacy of “Time To Kill” clarifies its perfect suitability for heavy radio rotation. Towards the end, there is “Solitaire,” where the pathos of its layered vocals blends well with a sound clearly reminiscent of Rainbow, making it the second highlight of the album.
The fourteenth studio chapter developed through long pre- and post-recording sessions and wouldn’t certainly evoke the natural splendor and impeccable quality that characterized the ‘70s. The group is left fully free to deliver a good album, which, regardless of personal preferences, won’t leave a bitter taste for anyone, considering that if the “Man in black” had still been at the helm in the years following the return of mark 2, some of the songs contained here could have occupied a place in history, due to subsequent relentless and tenacious live activity as happened with “Perfect Strangers” and “The House Of The Blue Light.”
At first glance, the impression is of facing a crafted album conceived for Turner’s voice, with Gillan merely having to sing them again, highlighting the noted difficulty in interpreting most of the songs conceived and developed when he wasn’t in the band. As mere observers, we could perhaps take the following statement by Joe Lynn Turner with a grain of salt or ponder upon it — whose career seems marked by the number three both in Rainbow and in Purple — maybe expecting a posthumous release to confirm or refute:
“The Battle Rages On sucks! When Gillan returned, they redid it from scratch, but I still have the original demos saved, and I can guarantee you it was a real bomb (Classic Rock Revisited, 2004).”
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 The Battle Rages On (05:56)
Been so many words so much to say
Words are not enough to keep the guns at bay
Some live in fear some do not
Some gamble everything on who gets the final shot
Oh don't talk to me of love
It's obvious it's not enough
Annihilation kill them all
Capitulation watch the mighty fall
The road to glory is lined in red
And though the reason now is gone
The battle rages on
Was it love or hate that got here first
Hate's a habit it's hard to shake the curse
Kill to live and live to die
Human nature you let the strong survive
Oh don't talk to me of love
Be serious it's not enough
Annihilation kill them all
Capitulation watch the mighty fall
The road to glory is lined in red
And trough the reason now is gone
The battle rages on
02 Lick It Up (04:00)
My shoes are heavy
My feet are winding down
I look for her in comers
But she's not around
What I eat is eating me
It hits me hard
I'm one jack short of a royal flush
A stranger holds the card
Here come the salvation in the shape of my guitar
And I'm gonna ride it like a shooting star
I don't want your money
I don't want your soul
I don't need a reason
I just want to get right down and lick it up
Mother Mercy told me
A picture never lies
She told me no self respecting hero
Ever cries
The prisoner walks in circles
The victim walks alone
Scissors cut the paper
The paper wraps the stone
Standing at the entrance to the gates of paradise
The lights go down the heat goes up that's when I cry
I don't want your money
I don't want your soul
I don't a reason
I just want to get right down and lick it up
I put my faith in fortune reaching for the sky
The only game in town that gets me high
I don't want your money
I just want to get right down and lick it up
I don't want your soul
I just want to get right down and lick it up
I don't need a reason
I just want to get right down and lick it up
03 Anya (06:32)
I'm so far away
From everything you know
Your name is carried on the wind
Your ice blue waters Anya
Where do they flow
Where have they been
Where have they been
A hidden passion
Touching a spark
Flame of revolution
Burning wild in your gypsy heart
Your gypsy heart
Anya - The spirit of freedom
Anya - Oh Anya
The light of freedom buried
Deep within your soul
Across the puszta plain to see
The rhapsody of angels
Refuse to dance alone
What do they mean
What do they mean
Your jewel flashing
Across the dark
Forbidding distance
I love your gypsy heart
Your gypsy heart
Anya
09 Solitaire (04:42)
Door
Don't close the door
I want to feel the cold
I want to see the light
Momma where you gone
This is no dream
Can't make it right if it's wrong
Dancing with strangers
Fighting with friends
It's a matter of time between love and despair
Falling over the line
Empty hearts and icy stares
Call me Solitaire
The eyes
In the face on the wall
Follow me round the room
Follow me everywhere
A heart without an echo
A man without a child
Alone with all my sorrow
Dancing with strangers
Fighting with friends
It's a matter of time between love and despair
Falling over the line
Empty hearts and icy stares
Call me Solitaire
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Other reviews
By Mandrocker
"The Battle Rages On... promises to be a disappointing work due to the internal disagreements. Instead, the Mk. IIc gives us a worthy last record halfway between the epic and the blues."
Blackmore lets the four poor souls play until it’s time for his classic solo when he finally deigns to enter... he throws a glass of beer at the camera.
