"'Arrogant Boy' is the story of Billy who couldn't read or write," says frontman Ian Gillan. "He is unhappy with things, so he speaks up, and finds a way of irritating, one way or another, the elite. And I can't think of anything more fun than irritating the elite. It would be a joyous exercise for me every morning after coffee."
Due July 3 via earMUSIC, the set – which was produced by Bob Ezrin – draws on the sound and attitude that has always set Deep Purple apart from the rest.
"I have to say, now we are very much back in with material that is compatible with 'Highway Star,' 'Smoke on the Water,' and 'Lazy,' the dynamics, the balance, and the fun of the music we made from '69 to '73," adds Gillan. "Where we are now with this incarnation of Deep Purple feels very much like a very 'now' version of Deep Purple as it was in the seventies."
At the heart of “Splat!” is an idea conceived by Gillan. Rather than treating the end as destruction, the album imagines it as transformation by exploring the end of humanity not in any crude apocalyptic sense, but as a metamorphosis beyond physical existence.
Additional details about the album concept will be revealed in the coming weeks.
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