STORMBRINGER

"Stormbringer" was the last album recorded in the 70's by Deep Purple with Blackmore on guitar. The album is really annoying, it is clearly evident the musical direction chosen by the members of the band, especially with Hughes influence, who here sing more than in the previous "Burn". A sense of boredom reigns over the whole work, even though it's not a complete disaster, there are infact a couple of interesting tracks like "Holy Man" and the beautiful ballad "Soldier Of Fortune", in which Lord graces us with a mellotron part. That's it: the rest is a pale bunch of songs spanning halfway between funk and rock; some of these elements were already noticeable on "Burn" on which however the whole sound tendency was heavier: Blackmore guitars here are very overshadowed, Paice's drumming is never exciting, no signs of Lord's typical breathtaking solos. Even the opening title track, which should have been sounded as "Burn p.2" in comparison with "Burn" turns absolutely pale, while "Hold On" is probably the ugliest song ever written:bad melody and embarassing choir arrangement. Funky music dressed up as hard rock. No wonder Ritchie left after this to form Rainbow.

2 Stars.