The release date of the new DEEP PURPLE album, "Whoosh!", has been pushed back to August from the previously announced June 12 (via earMUSIC).
The decision to delay the LP's release was announced by PURPLE singer Ian Gillan, who wrote in a social media post: "For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction...well, not exactly in this case; more cause and effect, where the latter is often greater than the former.
"Distribution lines (the physical sales of CDs, vinyl, cassettes (?) etc) and retail outlets are closed until The Dreaded Lurgy gets indigestion.
"Therefore, as there are still so many of us who love to hold a new record in our hands, and following advice from our magnificent label, we have decided to delay the release of 'Whoosh' until August.
"During my quarantine I'm listening to a lot of music and guessing that it's the same for many of us during this scary disruption to our lives.
"We know, don't we, that music will play a big part in our celebrations as we step back into the light.
"But, health comes first, so I must stuff my excitement about sharing 'Whoosh' with you back into a box for a little while.
"Stay well and follow the light…"
The legendary rockers' 21st studio LP was once again helmed by Canadian producer Bob Ezrin (KISS, PINK FLOYD, ALICE COOPER), who also worked on DEEP PURPLE's last two studio albums, 2017's "Infinite" and 2013's "Now What?!" Together they created the most versatile album in their collaboration. DEEP PURPLE "stretched out in all directions" without any limitation, letting their creativity go.
"DEEP PURPLE is putting the Deep back into Purple" was the half-joking motto in the studio after the first songs made it clear that Ezrin and PURPLE were on their path to creating an album pushing the boundaries of time, while voicing their resentment about the current situation of the world and addressing all generations.
"Whoosh!" will be available as limited CD+DVD mediabook (including the one-hour feature "Roger Glover And Bob Ezrin In Conversation" and, for the first time, the full live performance at Hellfest 2017 as video), 2LP+DVD edition, limited boxset and digital.
"We've included everything that made the whole band smile, including Bob Ezrin. We've always enjoyed making music and having the incredible luxury of a loyal audience," said guitarist Steve Morse.
Track listing:
01. Throw My Bones
02. Drop The Weapon
03. We're All The Same In The Dark
04. Nothing At All
05. No Need To Shout
06. Step By Step
07. What The What
08. The Long Way Round
09. The Power Of The Moon
10. Remission Possible
11. Man Alive
12. And The Address
13. Dancing In My Sleep
Last fall, DEEP PURPLE bassist Roger Glover told the Chicago Sun-Times that he and his bandmates planned to keep recording new music.
"We've been working a bit," he revealed. "There's a few things around, we don't know yet what's, where, or when, but we've not stopped yet.
"There's a danger, of course, if you've become successful, that people want you to do the same thing and be successful all over again and keep going, but it doesn't work that way," he added. "You can't just simply repeat yourself."
Having released six albums since 1996, Glover said everyone in PURPLE has been committed to keeping things fresh.
"I think that there was almost an unspoken desire to move forward, to not repeat ourselves," he explained. "Of course, the players are the same, so the sounds can be the same in all the style or something like that. But as far as writing songs are concerned, I think most bands don't get the songs right. They talk about performance and hooks and stuff like that, but to me writing a song is much more than that. And we've always tried to write different songs. The danger is, of course, you become a parody of yourself if you try and copy yourself. And so, we've always tried to move on and change. It's a challenge."