It's not wise to make comparisons, so you won't get that from me. In a nutshell, if you like NEW music and (generally speaking) you like the TYPE of music that DEEP Purples plays, you can't go wrong with this CD. The musicianship is spectacular as you might expect, and the majority of songs are very entertaining. This is simply a Classic Rock n' Roll album in Purple fashion: hard & tight rhythym's, dazzling lead and acoustic guitar segments, the classic DP organ sound, and of course...the unmistakable voice of Ian Gillan. It's all there.

After reading many reviews prior to the release of this CD, I decided I would buy it for only one reason: to listen to a Y2K jam session from one of history's greatest rock and roll bands. I wasn't looking for Machine Head 2 or Purpendicular Revisited, I just wanted something new and fresh from a group of extremely talented musicians. I got everything I expected...and then some.

This is a pleasant surprise. Reminiscent of Perpendicular, this is Purple's best work since then and it rocks. Again, another band well on into their 50's producing quality work. That's nice to see.... and hear. The CD smokes right out of the box with rockers Money Talks and Girls Like That. Gillan is still in great voice and his lyrics are better than ever. Steve Morse is playing on another level right now. Even though he's had a distinguished career with the Dregs, his own bands, and Kansas, his playing since he's been with Purple has been his best. He puts Blackmore to shame at any time in his career. My Favorite song here is the title cut. Other favorites in this collection are Don't Let Go and Back to Back, although there's not a weak cut on the CD. This release pretty much rocks throughout, with a hint of blues here and a hint of world music in places of the title cut, no real ballads. This is surely one of the most welcome releases of the year. You can tell from these performances that this is a band who enjoys playing with each other and are just having a lot of fun at this point in their career and we listeners get to reap the benefits of that.Their chops are honed to a fine edge because of all of the touring they've been doing over the last several years. Long Live Purple!!!

This is maybe the best Deep Purple album since Machine Head. A Classic album. Junkyard Blues is my favorite, I will be a fabulous live track. The title track is reminiscent of Perfect Stranger and could have been written by Blackmore and out of a Rainbow album. Finally with this album I am fully accepting Steve Morse as the legitimate replacement to the men in black . Money Talks is another purple gem. With this album simply put it , the mark VIII lineup can go on tour and relegate classics such as Highway Star and Smoke on the Water for encores. Not that I enjoyed listening to Machine Head on the last tour, but I will be looking forward to hear the new track lives. That will be some show.For the firt time since WE Do in 1973, I have to say that all tracks are really good ( even MTV ). Back to Back and Kiss tommorow goodbye are also very good and Clearly Quite Absurd is the best ballad since When a blind men cries. Don Airey plays superbly on the album and Ian Paice is still the most amazing drummer in the rock business ( you must see him in concert ). Ian Gillan is in good form.
Quite an amazing album for a band of almost 60 years old guys. The best rock album of the year so far.

This cd is finally getting back to the "classic" Deep Purple sound of dominant organ and heavy guitar riffs!!! Original members Ian Gillan, Ian Paice, and Roger Glover, accompanied by guitarist Steve Morse and keyboardist Don Airey(both also on the previous cd "Bananas"), created a cd that sounds very energetic and rock-based. Vocals are strong but not overdone; the guitar on this cd comes the closest to sounding like the long gone sounds of Ritchie Blackmore. Morse seems to have made a conscious effort to fit in with the Deep Purple sound. Keyboardist Don Airey is like a wizard on his instrument, and after hearing this, I can not think of anyone better to have replaced founding member Jon Lord. His playing compliments the band and their style perfectly!! If you are a Deep Purple fan from the 70's but aren't crazy about their recent material, pick this one up. You will be pleasantly suprised. I don't know if it is destined to be a classic, but it is in my opinion, their most consistent effort since 1984's Perfect Strangers. I really like their direction on this cd, and if they continue this way, the next one will be even more interesting.

Rapture Of The Deep the 18th studio album features the return of the untouchable Don Airey on keyboards and producer Michael "Ritchie Moreblack" Bradford. Both of whom appeared for the first time on the Bananas album from 2003. So does this album top Bananas? Let's take a look shall we.

Well Ian Gillan (not Gillian)* still sings as brilliantly as ever not to mention turning 60 last year. His lyrical prowess is unmatched. A master of the English language Steve Morse once referred to him as being. Take a look into songs such as Clearly Quite Absurd for example. Very tasteful lines indeed. Roger Glover (not Grover)** who also turned 60 last year still plays that bass like a true professional should. Aspiring bassists take note. Ian Paice, who I proclaim to be the last of the great drummers is still in fine form and the band wouldn't be the same without him. Don Airey has been a perfect replacement for Jon Lord and seems to be doing the fans proud thus far. He had more input into this album and he certainly ain't getting any complaints from me. And lastly what can I say about Steve Morse? An absolute marvel this man is. He certainly has cemented himself within the Purple ranks with his amazing guitar chops. He blows Satch, Vai & Yngwie out of the water if you ask me. Every note he plays is tasteful. Even his solos sound superb.

Favourite tracks off the album include the title track Rapture Of The Deep, Clearly Quite Absurd which happens to be a favourite for me. Wrong Man rocks hard, Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye is a bit of a laugh, MTV which takes a stab into uh, MTV and the Classic Rock staple. Gotta like them lyrics too. The Japanese Bonus Track Things I Never Said is also a fine number as is the closing track Before Time Began. The entire album is great. There is not a weak song off this album.

So does Rapture Of The Deep top Bananas then? A resounding 2 thumbs up though Bananas was indeed a fantastic album in all respects. Rapture is certainly one of Purple's finest albums since Come Taste The Band back in 1975 and I look forward to more albums in the not too distant future. Deep Purple is a band that always stood for the music and never the fashion trend. And this is why the band continues to take that step further into the 21st century winning over younger fans in the process. Long may you Rock 'n' Roll.

(*/** - lyrical references to the Limited Edition track MTV.)