Deep Purple – Infinite

maybe my hearing is going bad as i find this to be a muddy engineering job at best with little to no instrument seperation.
some of the material is what i would call a return to form for the band as i stopped listening to them when blackmore left after that dreadful battle rages on album.
don airey really stands out on this and gillan seems to have finally realised that he should stay within his vocal range, just wish i could find a better mix of this album.

Review by Eric Marsan, april 22nd 2017
Deep Purple, the legendary English rock band and pioneer of heavy metal just released their new studio album, InFinite last week and yes, MKVIII is already on their 4th studio album; Steve Morse recorded 6: ‘Perpendicular’ in ‘96, ‘Abandon’ in ‘98, Bananas in 2003, ‘Rapture of the Deep’ in 2005, ‘Now What!?’ In 2012 and now… ‘InFinite’ came out a few weeks ago. 'Abandon’ (MKVII) being one of my personal favorite along with 'Bananas’, but let me tell you something … InFinite is even better. The production, the quality of the lyrics and the music, the chemistry (which is a really important part of DP) is still there and stronger than ever. Deep Purple is real and authentic, in 2017, Deep Purple is still fresh, always innovating and still teach the young generations how to rock.
InFinite is a great album to listen to from beginning to end: ‘Time for Bedlam’, the heaviest one on the album has a lot of memorable moments; the guitar solo along with the keyboard is remarkable. Just close your eyes and enjoy the musicianship. ‘Hip Boots’ is a really groovy one, you can hear Paice at his best on this one. ‘All I got is you’ is the emotional one. The lyrics are deep, more serious than most Purple songs. A story that all of us with a real ion can understand. The ultimate perfect song in my opinion. ‘One night in Vegas’ is a funny one with a good story. What happen in Vegas stays in Vegas right? Sometimes it's not true ;) ‘Get me outta here’ is the weakest on the album, but still good. You can hear Paice's drums they are huge. Big cymbals, big sound, great guitar solo and good lyrics. Now… ‘The surprising’. Yes, I am surprised. Wow. What a song. A masterpiece in my opinion. This is where you can hear that Purple still has the ion and the fire to compose great, epic and magical songs. They tried a new approach on this one and the result is phenomenal. I can't say more. ‘Johnny's band’ is better every time I listen to it haha. The story of pretty much all the bands. You start your band, you play great gigs, then shit happens and the band dies. A really happy song, with lyrics that tells the truth. ‘On top of the world'… Gillan is really grooving on this one. The bass is loud and we love it. Steve proves once again that he's in control and knows what he's doing. Don is rocking the organ like a god. Really interesting ambient part with Gillan telling a story, and once again, they push the envelope, doing something I've never heard them do before. ‘Birds of prey’ is really catchy. Great riffs, great mood, loud and heavy. Then the album close with 'Roadhouse blues’, a cover song from The Doors. Interesting to hear a band like DP playing another classic band.
Canadian Bob Ezrin, (Pink Floyd, KISS, Alice Cooper, just to name a few) who produced the album is almost the 6th member of the band for this one. Not only that he produced the album but he contributed to the lyrics, played keyboards, did backing vocals and even percussions. The professionalism and his honesty when it's time for critism have a great influence on this album.
MKVIII for me is one of the best and strongest lineup DP have ever had. Don Airey and Steve Morse fits the lineup perfectly. For me, Deep Purple was, and still is about chemistry, and they're the best in that area. Steve's riffs are brilliant and catchy. Never too much, just perfect. The solos are fluid, technical, with good taste and really emotional most of the time. Don's keyboards playing is authentic and intense, this guy is for real, just listen ‘The Surprising’, the guy is a monster. They don't try to fill other shoes, they have their own playing, and this is what is the beauty of Deep Purple; they always have the greatest musicians and they keep pushing the envelope and they don't try to recreate a certain era or a certain song, their originality and authenticity blows my mind, even to this day and more than ever I should say… ‘Time for Bedlam’, ‘All I got is you’ and ‘The Surprising’ are the best examples, these songs are epic.
They still have the ion… they still want to tour and record albums, they still want to kick your ass every night. Only death will stop them. I can see the ion in their eyes, they love what they do, DP is a family and they prove once again that they're the greatest band in the world. InFinite is their 20th studio album and not the last, I hope… InFinite is a must have in your collection if you like Rock. My note: 94/100. Long live Deep Purple. Cheers! \m/