Deep Purple In Rock - DEEP PURPLE*****

Speed King/Bloodsucker/Child In Time/Flight Of The Rat/Into The Fire/Living Wreck/Hard Lovin' Man

After a couple of years of musical experimentation, and some personnel changes, the release of In Rock heralded the unique Deep Purple sound of driving rock and proto heavy metal. (US:143 UK:4)

"While the majority of Deep Purple In Rock showcases the group's heavy side, with Blackmore and keyboardist Jon Lord standing tall, it is Ian Gillan's vocal performance on the ten minute Child In Time that steals the spotlight. The epic track moves from sobering quiet passages to a no-holds-barred onslaught of heaviness, and back to the mellow side over the course of the lengthy arrangement."

"And there was light... with the deadweight gone, Mark 2 are quite literally like a nuclear warhead possessed with the spirit of every jazz, blues, and garage rock band you can namedrop. In Rock is a filler free zone with soul and passion."

"In Rock was a huge step forward for Deep Purple. Their previous records showed a band unable to find their own voice. They were inspired by British blues, progressive rock and folk-rock too. But back in 1970 they left the previous attempts behind and created one of the heaviest albums of its age. It's not hard to imagine how stunning must have been the raw guitar sound of Blackmore, the thunderous Hammond organ of Jon Lord or the inspired drumming of Paice. And the crown on this hard rock masterpiece was Ian Gillan's incredibly unique vocal style. Just listen to Child In Time, Speed King or Into The Fire at high volume and you'll know what I mean."

"Deep Purple shifted gears with the release of Deep Purple in Rock, and the hard rollin' world was a much better place. Hitting the seventies hard, the seven songs In Rock LP was the group's heaviest work to date. In effect, In Rock is the real beginning of heavy rock, as the Mark II line-up took over. This was the group's first studio album with vocalist Ian Gillan and bassist Roger Glover. The band's chemistry was evident immediately. The pure power on display throughout the recording is impressive."

"Within about the first ten seconds of Speed King, the Mark II line-up completely pulverises the original's work, leaving their psycho-prog experiments for dust in the wake of Blackmore's epic proto-metal/speed rock. The whole thing just has infinitely more energy, from the classic riffs and blistering solos, to Ian Gillan's glassshattering screams. The album is absolutely thunderous."