STORMBRINGER

Well, what's to say about a hardrock band that makes an album which only contains 3 hardrock songs out of nine. Moreover these 3 songs are not more than mediocre hardrock songs (Stormbringer, Lady Double Dealer & High Ball Shooter). Only one organ solo on the whole album! One good ballad (Soldier of Fortune) but why with a string arrangement? The rest is crap! But they succeeded in doing an even worse album (Slaves and masters with the mainstream leadsinger Joe Lynn Turner).....

The first Deep Purple's album I ever bought, many years ago. Why I've chosen then to pick up Strombringer? I remember it was mainly for the cover: an intrepid Pegasus (winged horse) who's flying between thunder and tornad. Did he represent the delicate equilibrium Purple had just reach with the entering of Coverdale? Maybe. What I was sure by looking at the nice painting was that music would have been in an "american mood" due to the environment of the great US' plains. And I was right. The feeling was after confirmed when I listened entirely for the first time to the magnum opus "In Rock" which is undoubtetly the most coherent and solid mature work from them.

By the way, after many listenings I am now a little bit disappointed for almost all the tracks, the opener apart! In fact I do like very much the Stormbringer track with all those wonderful keyboards and synths by the master hands of John Lord. Why the rest of the album is completely different? I'll explain things better: songs aren't bad, songs have that "funk" influence I don't know if it was carried on by Coverdale or not...people seem to confirm it, though! The only track I enjoy to listen frequently, the opener apart, is Holy Man. What I could say more? Two albums are for me: In Rock and Fireball, the next works are more conventionally drafted!

2.50...should I have to round it up to three?

Though I find "Stormbringer" to be quite a pleasant listen, it is far from being the masterpiece "Burn" was. The band was already disintegrating during the recording of this album, with Blackmore leaving to form Rainbow soon after its release. Great title, great cover... What about the music? Certainly not bad (we're talking of Deep Purple, after all), but nothing earth-shaking either.

As it is quite well-known, the main reason for Blackmore's departure were the overt funk influences brought to the band by new members David Coverdale and (especially) Glenn Hughes. Personally, I don't mind funky rythms at all, and bassist Hughes know what he's about. His singing is much more in evidence on this album than on "Burn", where he shared vocal duties with Coverdale and had no opportunity to showcase his vocal talents on his own (as his partner did on "Mistreated"). Here, the two vocalists have a solo spot each, Coverdale with the acoustic, wistful "Soldier of Fortune" and Hughes with the soul-tinged "Holy Man", where his magnificent pipes get a chance to shine in all their glory. Coverdale's voice is almost a polar opposite, dark, emotional and much less polished - they are in many ways an ideal pairing. Shame about the egos taking over and wrecking the band.

The trouble with "Stormbringer" is that the songs, while eminently listenable, have little personality of their own - with the notable exception of the sweeping title-track, the aforementioned "Soldier of Fortune" and "Holy Man", and the keyboard-driven, mid- tempo "The Gypsy". There are a couple of straightforward hard rock numbers and another of more funky- and soul-influenced ones (which are, in my opinion, better than the former), but everything sounds a bit contrived and the strains tearing the band apart are quite evident. Jon Lord's mighty Hammond finds very little space, and Blackmore's incendiary guitar sounds remarkably lifeless.

I gave this album three stars because I quite like it, though I recognise its shortcomings. Unlike its brilliant predecessor, it has very few prog elements, but it is not poppy or overtly commercial like other albums by other equally celebrated bands. Fans of Deep Purple will already own (and possibly appreciate) it, but I would hesitate to recommend it to hardcore proggers.

After having revamped their group, Rithchie and the boys came back with an absolutely superb album that brought everyone in agreement: Purple was back!!!! If Burn was a stunning album, little same can be said of its follow-up Strormbringer but it was close to a disaster and little wonder Blmackmore was to leave after this one.

The two new members had now enough time to integrate (unfortunately :-( and Glen Hughes was clearly trying to impose himself, something maybe Blackmore was not willing to fight since they had sollicited Hughes from Trapeze who was on the verge of making an impact back then, before his leaving. This album is full of tracks that have nothing to do with Purple's usual catalogue (except maybe a weak Lady Double Dealer) with a funked-up sound (Hughes's input) and clearly this album has no soul (despite some tracks being close to soul music). An excruciatingly bad album that is only saved from the garbage bin by the last two tracks , with The Gypsy the only correct Purple track and Soldier Of Fortune where Coverdale shows the full extent of his fabulous voice in a rather non-Purple fashion.

Although Purple unconditional fans will love this album as much as the other ones, there is little doubt that this album caused the end of Purple in the 70's and it is certainly not that sore excuse of an album with Bolin (talented guitarist but not suited to Purple) replacing Blackmore that will show me wrong. Avoid

Stormbringer is one of my favourite Deep Purple albums. I've got nothing to criticise on this album, the music is simply outstanding as far as I'm concerned. There are no weak songs here: (here come the superlatives, excuse my enthusiasm) great hard rock songs - Stormbringer, High Ball Shooter, Lady Double Dealer, Hold On, the bluesy (funky) - You Can't Do It Right and Love Don't Mean a Thing, and three slower tracks - Holy Man (amazing vocals from Glenn Hughes), Gypsy (brlliiant vocals from both Coverdale and Hughes, great guitar solo from Mr. Blackmore, and last but not least Soldier of Fortune (one of the best ballads ever).

The bluesy direction of the album alienated Blackmore but the other members regrouped the next year to make one album with guitarist Tommy Bolin but dismembered after the tragic death of the guitarist. These things being said, I strongly recommend this album to both progheads and rockers everywhere, this album is a Must Have to any collector of prog and non-prog music.

'Burn' was bordering on progressiveness, but "Stormbringer" is just not progressive at all. Most, if not all the songs have a straightforward hard rock structure. There is nothing wrong with this, "Stormbringer" is actually an okay hard rock album and it is enjoyable, to a certain extent. "Stormbringer "heralds the end of the classic Deep Purple era and the albums that followed were low grade and uninspired (some exceptions.) I guess this was brought about by the departure of practically all the original members who created such great works as 'Machine Head' and 'In Rock.'

When compared to other Deep Purple albums like 'Machine Head' or even 'Burn', some of "Stormbringer" is uninspired and bordering on 'bad.' Songs such as "Lady Double Dealer" and "Love Don't Mean A Thing" don't belong under the category of progressive rock, there is really almost nothing progressive about "Stormbringer" at all. There are a couple of highlights, the most prominent being the closing song -"Solider Of Fortune" which is a delightful acoustic ballad and is undoubtedly the best song on "Stormbringer", "Holy Man" isn't too bad either.

1. Stormbringer (2/5) 2. Love Don't Mean A Thing (2/5) 3. Holy Man (3/5) 4. Hold On (2/5) 5. Lady Double Dealer (2/5) 6. You Can't Do It Right (2/5) 7. High Ball Shooter (2/5) 8. The Gypsy (2/5) 9. Soldier Of Fortune (5/5) Total = 21 divided by 9 (number of songs) = 2.333 = 2 stars Collectors/fans only

"Stormbringer" is really not impressive in a progressive sense but as a hard rock album it would be around the three star level. So, the message is clear, I'd only recommend "Stormbringer" if you are a die-hard Deep Purple or hard rock fan.

I think, having Coverdale and Hughes on board, has changed a bit on the music style of Deep Purple where this album has "funky" touch. That' okay with me as it gives variety of DP music. Again, I have differing view with many other friends of mine who adored this album from the title track "Stormbringer". Nothing wrong with it but for me the first track that attracted me was "High Ball Shooters". Nothing so special about this track but I really loved the beat and energy. It reminded me to "You Fool No One". Quite a strange taste, isn't ? But don't worry .. that was my first impression about this album when the first time I heard it and as time went by I started liking "Stormbringer" and "Lady Double Dealer". And later . I loved "You Can't Do It Right" - it's truly a simple song with good melody.

Given the band excellent history with good music they have produced, I think no one can deny that this is another good album from the band. You won't find long tracks like Child In Time or Highway Star but . you will find this one is enjoyable.

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

This album marked a complete departure from the hard rock sound most people had gotten to identify as the Purple sound. Stormbringer is a more bluesy/soul hard rock album, an album that I didn´t take much notice of until recently. I think the secret to becoming aquainted with this album is to accept that it has a strong bluesy feel.

"Stormbringer" is probably the hardest rocker on the entire album, a great opener and one of Purple´s most well known songs. Once " Love don´t mean a thing" begins, you realize that you are really listening to blues type rock with a lot of soul influences. The vocals on a lot of the tracks are shared by Coverdale and Hughes. Glen Hughes is a great soul singer! It was Stevie Wonder who actually said Hughes was one of his favorite singers! There is a great guitar and keyboard solo on "Hold On" where Ritchie really gets down and plays some beautiful blues! It´s strange that he actually left after this album because he would make a great blues guitarist.The main reason he left was because of the soul/funk influence which was coming into play.

It is an interesting album with some great bluesy rockers, "You can´t do it right" has quite a funky feel to it while "The Gypsy" has some of Ritchie´s cleanest playing with that special Blackmore tone. The bass playing on this album is really superb and you can hear the bass so clearly on headphones.

The album closes with the incredible "Soldier of Fortune", a Coverdale/Blackmore penned composition, which is a soft, slow ballad regarded by many as a Purple classic. Ritchie Blackmore recently did another version of this song with his current band, Blackmore´s Night.

It´s impossible to compare this album to "In Rock", "Fireball" or "Perfect Strangers" because there is a totally different blues feel to this album. I was tempted to give it five stars but that would be biased, so four it is!

Although I'm not big fan of David Coverdale, he did a great job here. Luckily, Coverdale is not trying to be Gillan's carbon copy. The whole band took a slight turn instead. Personally, I think that slight turn was an improvement. The band distanced from thunderstriking hard rock numbers with screaming vocals, and meandered into something more mature. One can criticize a certain lack of the energy that was present on earlier DP records, but the band refunded that in other ways. Lord uses synths and electric pianos rather than his Hammond C3. Blackmore's Strat doesn't sound so frenetic anymore, his solos are bold and effective. I don't mind if they are not too daring or experimenting as long as you can describe the whole picture as good. Fear not, this album is far away from their awful 80's works. Aside from omnipresent blues roots, you can find traces of funky and soul here. This mixing of the different (sometimes opposite) musical styles is usually not a good idea (at least outside of the prog rock world), but this album is perfectly balanced and mature. There is not much of an interest for a prog rock lover, save the Lord's lovely solos and guitar in "The Gypsy". "Stormbringer" is mature and stable album. Good sound quality, but not overproduced. If you like 70's mainstream rock/hard-rock/AOR, and you are fed up with all that prog and you want to take some rest for a while enjoying simpler but yet high quality music, this might be just for you.

This is radio-friendly rock at its best. A well-deserved three stars.

Mark III on the follow-up of the excellent "Burn". This album was issued quite rapidly after Burn and honestly, they should have taken more time to do so to produce an album with more good songs. As usual, I purchased it at the time of release. Quite a deception. No long tracks and quite a short album (they probably had nothing more to offer at the time). No anthem on this one.

The title and opening track is one the few good songs here. Good riff, strong vocals. A good piece of hard rock music. "Love Don't Mean A Thing" is a bluesy / soul track sounding like a Stevie Wonder one; quite disturbing and very poor. "Holy Man" is a sweet ballad which is quite unusual for the Purple : this track won't be remembered for a very long time. The longest track of the album (just over five minutes) is the second good one : "Hold On" is a mix of blues and good old rock'n'roll. An interesting combination. But, still we are really waiting for the first great moment of the album.

Turning over side-B, we finally are rewarded by our patience, "Lady Double Dealer" has a frenetic rythm (drums and bass are great), very good vocal harmonies, great Ritchie's solo. What else do we need ? Well, actually a bit more songs like this ... "You Can't Do It Right" is again very blues / soul influenced. Not my cup of tea AT ALL. "High Ball Shooter" would have been considered as a filler on most Purple album, but on Stormbringer, it is almost a highlight. Good guitar riff and strong Paice on the drums. Jon's work (as good as always) is also noticeable but iT is one of the few moments in which one can feel his influence on this album (this is sufficiently scarce to pinpoint). "The Gipsy" is a slow tempo hard rock piece of music with low vocals. During a short instrumental passage, it has a "Fools" flavour (from "Fireball"). The closing "Soldier Of Fortune" is again a ballad that one would not expect on a Purple album. Melody is nice, guitar is mellow. It sounds as an AOR song from the eighties ...

Commercially spoken, this album will not really be a great success (Nr. 6 in the UK and Nr. 20 in the US). Mark III did a better job of course with "Burn" which was also a far much better album of course (Nr. 3 in the UK, and Nr. 9 in the US). The descent is going on though. And it will almost never stop during all the Marks to come. It is one of their weakest effort so far (with "The book of Talesyn" probably). Mark IV is ready for the next album...

I must say that I do not listen to this album frequently (I guess that between 76 and 2006, I must have spinned it ... four or five times only). I would have been in real trouble if you would have asked me to name two tracks of this album. This is significant enough for a true (but not too biased) Purple fan as I am. Not too many bad songs (one or two) but really too little good ones to make this album a Purple classic. Two stars.

This is a particular album in Deep Purple's eventful career. I think here, with Coverdale and Hughes on the band, they started experimenting with poppier sounds, and the result is an enjoyable pop album, with the exception of 3 songs that would be classified as Hard Rock. In fact, I have always liked Deep Purple for their more rocker/hardrocker period, in other words, the beloved MK II. I don't think their change to a poppier sound would be necessarily for good, and, to my ears, this is not Deep Purple, not only for the vocals, but also for the music, as I explained before.

The inclusion of Coverdale and Hughes involved two excellent vocalists (!), of course, and a correct bass player, but here it also involved this musical change. The best song here, IMO, is "Stormbringer" which has clearly more power than any of the other songs, combining emotion and heavyness, and resulting an exceptional Hard Rock song, with a guitar solo that reminds me of the old Deep Purple. The other highlights are: "Soldier Of Fortune", a ballad that concentrates so much emotion inside, and the vocals are very very good, but I would have loved if they made this song longer (only 3 minutes!); "Holy Man" and "Hold On" which are great pop tracks, with nice Coverdale-Hughes vocal duo, and a fantastic guitar solo on the latter one. Anyway, Blackmore doesn't shone as much as he should, and the same with Lord, who could only contribute with a couple of good solos, like on the other highlight, "High Ball Shooter", which remains of the other side of Deep Purple. Also, Paice is as correct and groovy as always.

Overall, a not remarkable album in Deep Purple's history, not exceptionally good but enjoyable and catchy. Recommendable for those who want to get more into the band, and to fans of poppier music.

Rating: 3.2/5

DP proved they could survive without the triple octave scream and innuendo-fueled lyrics of Ian Gillan with Burn. However, Stormbringer showed tensions and proved that Ritchie Blackmore does not work well with others. The real surprise here is the addition of lightweight funk courtesy of bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes. As if it wasn't weird enough when middle class white Englishmen started playing the blues, now they've added funk to the repetoire? Still, every time you listen to the Red Hot Chili Peppers or Primus, you have this man to thank.

The highlights are the fun title track, "Soldier of Fortune," "Lady Double Dealer," and "Holy Man," which features Glenn on lead vocals. It doesn't amtch up to the fiery intensity of Burn (no pun intended), but it's a fun Purple album nonetheless.

Funk didn't gel with Blackmore's neo-classical shredding however, and he quite objectively dubbed the album "shoeshine music" and, rather eloquently, "crap." He decided to quit his band and form Rainbow after seizing control of DP's support band Elf. After some tweaking (meaning firing everyone but Ronnie James Dio and hiring session gods Cozy Powell, Don Airey, and Jimmy Bain), Rainbow emerged and pumped out the neo-classical that fans expected, and became the blueprint band for early power metal. But for now, sit back and enjoy the lighter side of Deep Purple.

Grade: C

With Jon Lord using more and more synths after experimenting with them on "Burn", this album comes closer to prog rock, at least sonically. It opens up with "Stormbringer", which is a very proto-Rainbow track boasting the chorus "like the rainbow, like the sky". Great hard rock track, and it sounds like the only thing on this album that Ritchie Blackmore would collaborate on willingly, maybe along with the last track. The dual vocal force of Coverdale and Hughes sounds great here! The next few tracks are unfortunately dominated by the aforementioned duo of soul-lovers, and we are treated to some mediocre tracks with not so hetero singing. Really it's not even that bad in principle but but this is something you would expect of Marvin Gaye, not freakin' Deep Purple! The only other hard rock track on the album besides "Stormbringer" is "Lady Double Dealer", but it sounds rather forced, and closer in style to Rainbow than classic Purple. I have to say that despite being a very funky number, "You Can't Do It Right" makes me tap my foot with ease - it doesn't sound like Deep Purple at all, but it's their most successful venture into the funk territory. The last track "Soldier of Fortune" is the other classic from the album besides the title track, and it's one of their best songs ever! The album album is quite worth buying for the outside tracks, but if you have iTunes, it's better to spend $2 on them than buying a whole mediocre cd.

A 4 star album to me if not for many of you

Another good Purple album in contrast with the reviews from here, i find it one of the best Purple albums. The unique voice of David Coverdale made Purple to resist fiew years and not colapse in the banal hard rock. Still a great album with catchy tunes and nice blend between prog and hard rock. I never find Deep Purple a prog band, not even the first albums, i think they are one of the pioneers of hard rock, but with all that they have some prog elements that deserve to be here in prog archives. So, some very good tracks are Stormbringer that opens the album in a hard rock manner, Lady Double Dealer again a hard piece that shows Purple is still in business and High Ball Shooter, all of these tracks are classic music as egg is agg, the rest are good too. If you don't have this one go and get it worth every track. 4 stars for sure.

"The songs that I have sung echo in the distance, like the sound of a windmill going round"

When Blackmore and Gillan left Deep Purple to be replaced by Hughes and Coverdale, many people wondered whether the band would survive. The first release by the new line up, "Burn", proved to be highly reassuring as it incorporated many of the elements which had made previous albums so distinctive and appealing. Although Hughes in particular had brought with him a funkier style, the changes were subtle, and the vast majority of fans concluded that the future of the band they loved was secure.

"Stormbringer" therefore came as something of a shock. Suddenly, Deep Purple had veered away from the power rock we expected from them, into alternative territories. Whether responsibility for this lies entirely with Hughes is doubtful, but it is a matter of record that Ritchie Blackmore was unhappy with the change of direction, and left the band.

Significantly, the tracks are all short, the longest being a mere 5 minutes. The brevity of the tracks reflects the fact that there is no attempt whatsoever to come up with a feature track, every song being simple in structure and delivery.

The opening title track is actually rather deceptive. It has the driving rhythm and fantasy lyrics which featured on songs such as "Fireball" and "Burn", thus suggesting that this will be another Deep Purple album to satisfy the faithful. The song itself however is relatively weak when compared to past masters. All too soon though "Love don't mean a thing" introduces the funky, soul influenced sounds which dominate the album. The song is dull, uninspired and devoid of character. There is simply nothing about it which relates to the signature music of Deep Purple. Sadly, this sets the tone for the rest of the album which is a collection of ordinary pop songs with a soul/funk tinge.

There is one exception here, which is saved for the last track. Quite out of the blue, Blackmore and Coverdale come up with one of the finest rock ballads ever recorded. "Soldier of fortune", sung by Coverdale alone is a superbly evocative song with sensitive lyrics and a delightful melody. It is quite at odds with the rest of the album, but in its own right it is absolutely essential.

In summary, not an album for the Deep Purple faithful, or anyone else for that matter, but if it is the only way you can secure a copy of "Soldier of fortune", then it becomes essential.

Unfortunately, the Mark III line-up did not repeat the success of the previous, remarkable album "Burn". "Stormbringer" is more than an average work, focusing on the shorter tracks and some mainstream "arena rock" harmonies typical of certain American bands of the era. The material is pretty much negligable. Other than excellent, fiery heavy rock of the title track (with a memorable Blackmore's weeping guitar solo), very good easy rocking quasi-ballad "The Gypsy" (one of better Coverdale's singing moments in the PURPLE catalogue) and an interesting attempt at funk in "You Can't Do It Right", the album is quite dissapointing. "The Soldier of Fortune"? Give me a break!

PESRONAL RATING: 2,5/5

P.A. RATING: 2/5

I've been a Deep Purple fan for almost 30 years, and I must say this one is the most underrated of DP albums. I even turn to it more often than "Burn" thse days. This is a mixed bag for Deep Purple, as it sounds a little like Deep Purple, a little like Whitesnake...and a little like Dio-era Rainbow(especially the majestic rock ballads without the sappy lyrics in "Holy Man" and "Soldier Of Fortune", which sound not unlike "Catch The Rainbow" and "Rainbow Eyes" from Rainbow). Great stuff all around for a somewhat eclectic mix. "Gypsy" and "High Ball Shooter" are known in hard rock circles for good reason("High Ball Shooter" getting the remake done several times). "Lady Double Dealer" - one the more chauvinistic tracks recorded by the band is still a rocker nonetheless with a stellar David Coverdale vocal. He means it when he sings: "Get outta my way...I'm gettin' tired of YOU!". A modest 4 stars, this one.

Not what I would describe as progressive but it's here on the archives so let's give this one its dues.

After the tremendous Burn the shift to a smoother, jazz/funky/sleazy style of rock continued. Coverdale and Hughes are superb. The almost incomparable Paice is not so much to the fore as in Burn and that is to be regretted.

The title track retains a quintessential DP sound, and You can't do it Right with the one you want is a great track. Soldier of Fortune unfortunately shares the same title as a simply brilliant Thin Lizzy which is a good as DP's version is mediocre.

Nevertheless, this is an interesting DP III album. Certainly not just for the officianados: ggod but not essential.

Yes, it's an underrated album. But, to be honest, it's not a very good album anyway, even if it's very underrated. There are some good songs, I conceed (Stormbringer, Soldier Of Fortune, Lady Double Dealer) but a lot of fillers (Hold On, High Ball Shooter, You Can't Do It Right, Holy Man). The cover art is, in French, sublime, but it's really hard to judge a book by his cover, and it's useless.

The last Purple album with Ritchie Blackmore (there will be a live album in 1976, recorded during a world tour in 1974-75, before Blackmore's departure) is one of their weakest releases. For hardcore fans and completists, but if you want to discover Deep Purple, it's not recommended to begin with this one.

Anyway, David Coverdale's voice is, for me, better than Ian Gillan's voice. I prefer the MKIII era than the MKII, even if In Rock is from far the best Purple album.

Burn re-heated!

This record obviously follows the trail Burn provided but this time the songs are more a mixture of Philly- Soul and Hardrock (in this order). Blessed are they who can enjoy this, I can't. The hardrock ideas are mediocre at best. And if I want to listen to soul I wouldn't certainly buy Deep Purple. The only two decent tracks are Stormbringer (hardrock in a pure vein) and Love don't mean a thing (soul in a pure vein). The rest are caricatures. Once Uriah Heep imitated Deep Purple, with The Gypsy Deep Purple imitated Uriah Heep. And Soldier of Fortune is the cheesiest thing they ever did.

With hindsight one can find a strangly alternating DP discography. On the one hand we have a line consisting of DEEP PURPLE IN ROCK-MACHINE HEAD-BURN, on the other we find FIREBALL-WHO DO WE THINK WE ARE-STORMBRINGER. Arguably the albums in each line were getting weaker, but that's probably not the interesting point here. The albums in the first line were dominated by the man clad in black. Obviously DP always tried to stray from the Hardrock path when Mr Blackmore was in a bad mood and lost his affinity for the band. Then experimenting began and most of it was good. But, alas, this doesn't go for the album reviewed here - 2 stars with benevolence.

Burn had been a rebirth for the band after the lacklustre Who Do We Think We Are album. Apart from the previous Who Do We Think We Are album, Burn was the first Deep Purple album that was properly recorded and produced. Stormbringer continues that tradition. Burn has also been the first Deep Purple album to include synthesisers. Again, Stormbringer continues that tradition. Unfortunately, these improvements in instrumentation and production coincided with them going in more of straightforward blues rock on the majority of the tracks. Yet again, Stormbringer continues that tradition. Indeed, it is hard to think of something that differentiates Stormbringer from Burn except that there is no counterpart to the interesting instrumental A200. Instead we get an acoustic ballad called Soldier of Fortune, complete with keyboard orchestration. This is easily the best song on this album. (A side note. Ritchie still plays this song live in Blackmore's Night. Candice, his wife, sings it beautifully).

Burn had started with a great song of the same name. Stormbringer starts in the same way, though the song is not as good as Burn, but not bad. Just like on Burn, the following songs are far worse and are far away from prog. Both albums are somewhat fun to listen to, but they are not memorable and have nothing to do with prog.

Stormbringer is basically a Xerox of Burn and deserves for that reason alone a lower rating. But if you love Burn, Stormbringer is essential. For the rest of us, it is enough with one of these albums and I would go for Burn, though it is not much difference between them in quality. Ritchie would go on to greater things in Rainbow after this album.

Stormbringer is certainly not the place to start for prog fans who want to explore Deep Purple. You should start with Fireball, then the self-titled album from 1969, and after that, the live album Made In Japan or a more recent live DVD of your choice. First after that you should check out In Rock and Machine Head. And if you still want more after that then Burn is a better choice than Stormbringer.

The beautiful Soldier of Fortune could not save this album from a mere two star rating.

Deep Purple's last album to feature Ritchie Blackmore on guitar (until the mark II revival in 1984) is a much maligned work. While there are great songs on it, it also showed some uncharacteristic tunes. I see it as a transitional period where the band could evolve into another thing, but unfortunatly or not, that was not to be. Here we have those classic hard rock sound with prog, classical and even blues influence together with a more funky/soul leaning brought by newcomers Glenn Hughes (mostly) and Coverdale (some). Ritchie Blackmore is reported to hate the new musical direction, but in interviews he complained about the 'self indulgencyof some members while everyone were expecting him to bring on the tunes. Whatever the true reasons, he'd soon be gone. It would be interesting to know what DP would bring next if he head stayed (certainly something better than Come Taste The Band!).

The album starts very well with the classic title track: I love the 'storming guitar sound' and the great double tracked, dueling guitar solo in the middle. The next three tracks however are way too different in both style and form and hardcore DP fans had a tough time to swallow the explicit black influences of Love Don't Mean A Thing or Hold On. Even the soulful ballad Holy Man has nothing to do with anything DP has done before. That song also featured Glenn Hughes singing all the vocal parts alone for the first time in a Deep Purple Record.

Side two started very well with the powerful hard rocker Lady Double Dealer. However, You Can't Do It Right is another funky number complete with a startling clavinet riff by Jon Lord. Blackmore also proves he absorbed that guitar style very well. High Ball Shooter shows the band tackling again the familiar ground of a ballsy hard rock, with a fine Hammond solo by Lord. The Gypsy is a beautiful slow number with great lead vocals by Hughes and Coverdale (singing all the parts together. Brilliant!). The album finishes with another novelty for Purple: the beautiful acoustic ballad Soldier Of Fortune. Of note is the fact that Lord used a vast array of keyboards on this record to augment the familiar Hammond organ and the synthesizers he had just started to explore on the previous CD Burn. For the first time we see him playing the Fender Rhodes piano (On Gypsy and Hold On) and the Mellotron (Soldier Of Fortune).

Although a much critized album at the time, Stormbringer showed that the mix of their trademark classic hard rock and the new black influences could work something quite new and interesting. If they had the time to work out their problems I'm sure this line up could have come with something at least very strong and maybe even groundbreaking. But the powers that be decided otherwise and the rest is history. Anyway I still find this a great CD. Unsual, but brilliant anyway. Progressive in the broader meaning of the term. 4 stars.

Nice album again after the new established Deep Purple with David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes after Burn. This is the second and last album made by mark III of Deep Purple. And its wonderful journey in the world of Deep Purple. David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes alternate with each other on vocal duties and this brings in new fascination to the album! I see this album is not much loved here in PA and I really can't find the reason about that. In my opinion, this is one very interesting moment in the history of the band. The musicianship is perfect and all songs are definite classics in the world of hard rock music. Full of funk and soul elements, this album reveal all the variety of hard rock music; this became the reason for the quit of Ritchie Blackmore, who's known as pure hard rock musician; his unhappiness after the album became bigger and bigger, because of the direction the band have taken under the influence of David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes. I have to mention the great style of playing for Ian Paice on drums, again. Here are some of his most completed performances in the entire Deep Purple's career. On Stormbringer, his style is full of uneven saturated tunes and dynamic way of performance. Despite, not being progressive, this album is here in PA and as one of the most innovative albums by Deep Purple it will get what deserves - not less than 4 stars!

SOULBRINGER

Ahh, Stormbringer, my second studio album purchase from the masters of Hammond-Organ led Heavy Rock. After having listened to Come Taste the Band, I wanted more with the same singer: David Coverdale. I've heard a compilation of Deep Purple which featured Stormbringer, and gees, it rocked!! In the same vein as Burn or many rockers from the MK 2. Anyways, I was in for a surprise, the album as a whole ended up being a totally different thing.

Burn had showed the fans that even without Gillan and Glover that they could still ROCK! Classic tunes everywhere, stunning guitar solos, heavy riffs, flashy hammond solos, stunning vocal perfomances and like always a powerful drumming.

With Stormbringer, Glenn Hughes and David Coverdale decided to contribute with their own ideas rather than following orders from The Man in Black. Jon Lord and Ian Paice just followed instructions and, as always, doing a wonderful job in any of the styles commanded. This bringing Ritchie upset and finally deciding to leave the band after the tour from this album, and as a result making his own band, Rainbow, this one following the foot-steps of the hard rock songs from here, which are few, as well as new ideas.

Stormbringer besides the heavy title track, which is unfortunately a misleading opener due to making the listener think it will be another Burn album, the album in general features a soft, chilling mood, never heard before in any Deep Purple album. This is consequence of Glenn's contribution to the band, introducing his funk roots from his first band, Trapeze. Still you got one more rocker, Lady Double Dealer, bringing back memories of their heavy rock days, though to be honest, it's a quite weak one. And at the end of the album, you got Soldier of Fortune and The Gypsy, both in the vein of future Rainbow, led by Ritchie Blackmore, of course. Soldier of Fortune featuring a ballad style, still very interesting, being one of the few acoustic tunes ever made by Deep Purple; Ritchie would make a similar song with Rainbow called Catch the Rainbow, again, with excellent vocal perfomance, this time with Dio. Then The Gypsy, features the darker mood of the title track, more in the style of their previous album, Burn, while not heavy, you can definitely mix it in a compilation with songs from Burn. These 4 songs, Stormbringer, Lady Double Dealer, The Gypsy & Soldier of Fortune, resemble the ''classic'' roots of Burn, no funk influences, just pure Ritchie & Co, rather than the ''real'' MK 3/4, which really is Hughes, Coverdale(and Bolin) & Co.

The rest of the album, Love Don't Mean a Thing, Holy Man, Hold On, You Can't Do It Right and High Ball Shooter, is what made hardcore MK 2, hard rock and Deep Purple fans in general dissapointed. All these songs featuring the new ideas from Mr. Hughes, creating a totally chilled or groovy band, still with excellent song-writing and composition, as well as musicianship. The ones featuring a groovy style would be, You Can't Do It Right and Hold On, with their addictive chorus'. The first one featuring further exploration of the Moog by Jon Lord, which would soon replace his classic Hammond-Organ in the following album, and later in Whitesnake, as well as having addictive riff. Then, Hold On, features addictive, catchy duo vocals, from Hughes and Coverdale, simply STUNNING! As well as a classic guitar solo, and a catchy hammond solo, pittily short. Previously, Love Don't Mean a Thing and Holy Man, are featured in the album, presenting the chilling influences from Hughes. Both featuring a entertaining song-writing and composition, even if they're chilling songs, Love Don't Mean a Thing again features the beautiful duo of vocals, while Holy Man focuses on Glenn's wide high-pitched variation vocals, simply wonderful. Finally High Ball Shooter, being the last song compromising the ''hate'' songs from this album, while oddly enough, this one may boder-line with some hard rock roots, mainly because of it's riff, which was created way back in Burn. Anyways, the song compromises a big funk/groovy influence also, mainly lead by Jon's amazing Organ, which he decides in this song, to make a 1 minute Organ solo, while not as awesome as Lazy's, it's just incredible, and really makes this song excellent.

As you see, Stormbringer is a mixed bag of 4 songs compromising Deep Purple's classic hard rock style, while the rest, are adventuring through new grounds as well as letting more song-writing freedom to the new members. I'm in the odd side here, simply loving the new influences incorporated to the 5 songs mentioned before, while pretty caring less about the 4 classic DP song-writing song, this is surely because these are not excellent written hard rock songs, which if I decide to listen to DP rocking, I take any album from In Rock up to Burn rather than listen to average at best rockers in an excellent groovy/chilling album. Stormbringer truly shows the real talents of Glenn and David as song-writers, as well as vocalists.

Pitty the album isn't consistent, if it were, it would surely be a masterpiece like Come Taste the Band.

4 stars: those who expect another Burn, please don't come here. Those who really want to know David's and Glenn's capabilities as song-writers and vocalists, this album is it. While of course, if you liked this because of the groovy side, then make sure to check the following, Come Taste the Band.

"If a shocking element that Deep Purple is new can be added, let's stay in the band. "

It is said that Ritchie Blackmore did the above-mentioned remark when the time composed of the member of the second stage for DP faces the last stage. It was an event in the process of the production of "Who Do We Think We Are" that Blackmore groped for the secession of the band by thinking. The problem of the rough going for the production of this album and the schedule exists in the band and the crack is caused in the member of the band as a result.

The band does the decision to replace the member to change directionality radically. Paice and Lord were persuaded to make Glenn Hughes that was on the register in "Trapeze" join the band. The story of the joining has been cut off though Blackmore was thought that Paul Rodgers is suitable for Vocalist of the band so that Rodgers may form the Bad company.

It ..band.. ..album of consenting content.. finished enough newly because of a general public advertisement for ..produced "Burn".. Blackmore on David Coverdale that joined. The start of DP of this third stage was an event that exactly gave the excitement for the listener. Live in this "Burn" and California becomes a legend and remains still in listener's mind for them.

However, the world of Music who existed in the foundation of Hughes and Coverdale that joined newly was in the angle besides the element of the lock like DP. Coverdale that loves Marvin Gaye. And, Hughes that respects Stevie Wonder. Those elements tried to be taken to this album transiently. This event becomes a chance that Blackmore secedes the band.

The idea of Blackmore has the feeling refused by the band. It appears remarkably in this album. The tune to which Blackmore had kept the style beauty that the band had had at this time was only "Soldier Of Fortune". This beautiful melody was a tune admitted in the tune from which Blackmore was collected to this album. However, the entire composition can listen to the fact that the band has shifted to the route of Hughes-Coverdale after announcing "Burn".

"Funk is hated though I like music that the black invents" It is said that it is one reason why he secedes the band for the directionality of this band as for the remark of this Blackmore. Tunes such as "Love Don't Mean A Thing" and "Hold On" are tunes of which the color of about soulful and funky went out strongly by the tune with the element not obviously achieved in the member of the second stage. It exists in their Music's history such a tune if it says oppositely however valuable.

A hard tune such as "Stormbringer" and "High Ball Shooter" might get excited in case of the fan of DP of the second stage if it considers it from the item of hard rock. However, Blackmore consistently says that it is the lowest this album. I think that this album is a valuable work that the idea of Hughes-Coverdale in addition to their style beauty is united if the subjective opinion is added. It might be a peculiar album where those elements arose in the flow that the band had at this time. I thought that it was "Holy Man" personally masterpiece. And, the band that faced such a critical situation sarcastically had the flow that invented the hidden masterpiece that was called secession and "Come Taste The Band" of Blackmore.

Released in the same year as Burn, this album brings a very different Deep Purple on the scene. Hughes and Coverdale had settled in more comfortably and did clearly not want to be bossed around by Blackmore anymore. They brought in some funk and soul in the sound and that must have appalled Blackmore so much that he left Deep Purple soon after its release.

I think he even kept his best songs from this period to himself and relayed them to Rainbow's debut that was released only 6 months after Stormbringer. It all left this Deep Purple album in a poor state with only 3 songs to save it from forgetfulness. Stormbringer, Gypsy and Soldier of Fortune are good songs that stand head and shoulders above the rest of the album.

I'd only recommend this to die-hard fans of Deep Purple's Burn and Rainbow's debut.

I been reading around all the reviews made by some prog collaborators and the majority have rated and reviewed this album with 4 starts as highly rating. So i want to be the exception here because this album is just amazing is among my favorites hard-rocky albums of the purples. Well maybe there are some weak tracks but i like the melodies mixed with the voices of Glenn and David, they made a good job here, there are catchy chorus and good verses, including the last track, yes i mean Soldier of Fortune mmm this song contains an aura with deep lyrics, the work in the acoustic guitar is great!! .. I love this album every song has a different feeling to me.

Maybe it doesnt have nothing to offer to the prog-seekers, but if you want to listen the power of the hard rock scene from the MK III this album is for you along with Burn.... You need a few listenings to love this album just give it a try.

"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.

This is a very difficult album to review. Mostly because it is so hard to pay attention to it while it is on the turntable. There is very little of that old Deep Purple energy. In fact, it sounds a lot more like an early ZZ Top album than Deep Purple. It is no wonder that Richie Blackmore left after this album.

The album isn't totally bad, the opening track Stormbringer tries to recreate the magic the band had just a few short years earlier, but doesn't quite get there. Lady Double Dealer tries as well, but fails at the mundane chorus. Not surprisingly, the group disbanded for nearly a decade after the next album, until the classic lineup reunited for the album "Perfect Strangers".

I don't think that metalheads will find this album interesting at all, but those who are more interested in rock in general, and perhaps progheads who are more openminded. Well, the opening track "Stormbringer" is a might hard rocker, which reminds me more of Rainbow, Blackmore's band after he left Purple, and the same also goes for "Lady Double Dealer"; "High Ball Shooter" is also an uptempo rock, while "Gypsy" is a bit heavier, without being metallish. The rest of the tracks on the album are, to varying extents, influenced by funk music.

I am not sure whether your average stereotypical proghead approves of funk music, but I think that, as a funk rock record, "Stormbringer" works well, and, by breaking down the boundaries between the genres of rock and funk, Deep Purple engage in one of the activities that supposedly characterizes progressive music - namely, genre transgression.

When I started writing album reviews in 1999, I did it largely because I looked forward to the chance to organize my thoughts and impressions on albums that I liked. Yet I always knew there was a downside to my endeavour, no matter how hard I tried to ignore it; inevitably, my passion would force me to review legions of mediocre, unremarkable albums whose existence added virtually nothing of worth to my life. Stormbringer is one of these albums, with one major highlight and then a half hour of mediocre bleh. The title track is a classic, thank goodness; the keyboard sounds often suck like mad, but they're only a slight distraction from an intense, driving metallic blast (a little slower than previous DP metallic blasts, but fine nonetheless) that makes David sound gruff and cool, and that seems to keep Ritchie interested in what's going on.

I wish I could say that about the rest of the album. The thing that just drives me nuts is how ordinary the band sounds on this album; Ritchie doesn't sound like he's enjoying himself at all, Jon doesn't add the least bit of spark to the sound, and Ian never gets the chance to go beyond regular r&b and mid-tempo boogie rock. As for the songs themselves, the bulk of the album is basically a bunch of tenth-rate Stevie Wonder funk imitations, with David and Glenn making total asses of themselves. Good golly, I cannot believe I forced myself to repeatedly sit through an album that has a song with David Coverdale singing the line, "I'm gonna take you home and give you all I can, baby, I'll prove to you woman that, really, I'm a man." There's a couple of "purer" rockers that seem a little better to my ears, though "Gypsy" really isn't much more than somewhat interesting (somebody wake Ritchie up!), and the riffage of "Lady Double Dealer" is nowhere as thick and satisfying as Ritchie and Co. had shown they could make similar sounding parts in the past.

Oh, and there's a couple of ballads, one of which is alright and one of which is basically atrocious. "Holy Man" (with just Glenn on vocals) is a bit pompous lyrically, but it's at least pretty in the verses, largely thanks to some uncharacteristic slide guitar (we last had that on "Anyone's Daughter," right?). The closing "Soldier of Fortune," however, is every bit as bad as one can imagine a power ballad sung by David Coverdale could be. PULL OUT YER LIGHTERS, EVERYONE!!! And dig one of the tackiest uses of mellotron ever conjured up by mortal man!

I wrote more about this album than it deserves. Ritchie left in disgust as soon as touring for this album was over, and it's hard to blame him; in just a couple of years, DP had gone from one of the most interesting and unique heavy rock bands in the world to ordinary in every sense of the word. If you're REALLY in the mood for an inferior, more funkified version of Burn, go for it, otherwise just keep walking.

David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes took over from Ian Gillan and Roger Glover on Burn. But they only really put their stamp on this album. An album much more to their taste.

I do not deny that both Coverdale and Hughes is some really good people and musicians. Glenn Hughes is particular regarded as one of the finest human beings this scene has ever seen. But their take on music is not to my taste.

This album has a very fine title track which opens the proceedings. One of their greatest tracks and I believe they still play it, even with Ian Gillan on vocals. Then this album takes a very rapid nosedive in my books. Funk and half bluesy AOR hard rock is not what I think Deep Purple should had dabbled into. This album is full of it. The closing song Soldier Of Fortune is a half decent attempt on a power ballad too.

In short; this is not a good Deep Purple album and it is one to avoid.

2 stars

7/10

A low score here on the site sold me for a while, but I do not know if it's my euphoria post-Burn or a simple transgression to my damn habit of being biased sometimes, but I really enjoyed Stormbringer. It is hardly interesting as its predecessor (and I think no other band album could be), but is a decent candidate to 4 stars.

Although Ritchie Blackmore dislike of funk and soul influences more evident here than in Burn - this being the reason why the DP came out in 1975 - I am particularly attracted. Funk and soul are genres that show very low, and Glenn Hughes has the chance to shine, either on vocals or providing support to the overall sound. Blackmore could be about to leave, but is still a master of his instrument, and I must emphasize how much he uses slide guitar here - Holy Man in until it seems like Steve Howe who's playing guitar! Ian Paice continues to give a concert on drums and David Coverdale ... good, it's just David Coverdale.

4 stars!

Unfortunately, it seems that by mid 1974 the members of DEEP PURPLE as a band were not very sure of the musical direction they were going to follow for their next album. Maybe the remaining original members of the band (Ritchie Blackmore, Jon Lord and Ian Paice) were tired of being working in the band without a break, and they let the most recent "new" members (Glenn Hughes and David Coverdale) to take the leadership for this "Stormbringer" album. The music is not bad, but in most parts it does not sound very related to the original musical style of the band (Hard Rock / Heavy Metal). It sounds very influenced by Funky, Soul and Blues music, styles of music which were more liked by Hughes (who it has been said to be the most adept to these musical styles) and Coverdale. As I have written in other reviews about this line-up, both Coverdale and Hughes have powerful vocals, but the problem is that their musical tastes were somewhat far from the original musical style of the band. Maybe the original members were somewhat bored and also wanted to try some new musical things, but in this album it seems that they gave most of the control of the musical direction of the band to Hughes and Coverdale. So,most songs ( "Love Don`t Mean a Thing", "Holy Man", "Hold On", "You Can`t Do I t Right" and "High Ball Shooter") really sound like influenced a lot by artists like STEVIE WONDER and other similar artists from the mid seventies. Even some of the keyboards arrangements sound very influenced by these artists. They don`t sound bad...but they sound very far from DEEP PURPLE`s original musical style. Only "Stormbringer", "Lady Double Dealer", "The Gypsy" and "Soldier of Fortune" sound closer to that old musical style. Maybe the best song in this album is "Soldier of Fortune", which sounds a bit more related to "Catch the Rainbow", a song which Blackmore was going to record with his new band in their first album titled "Ritchie Blackmore`s Rainbow", in 1975.

After the tour for this album Blackmore left the band, being replaced by Tommy Bolin, and the band carried on for one more album ("Come Taste the Band"). and they finally split in March 1976 after the tour for that album.

An even better album than Burn, a fantastic record with four new DP classics that even inspired Iron Maiden!

This is my opinion on this gem, track by track:

Stormbringer: The musical inspiration behind Iron Maiden's "Wrathchild". Fantastic hard 'n' heavy riff with a huge, bold bass line by the great Roger Glover. Richie Blackmore's trippy guitar solo is sensational too, the whole song is a proto-metal masterpiece.

Love Don't Mean A Thing: A bit anti-climax, as this is a "drunk" mid-tempo blues song after a hard rocking thunder. Coverdale does a tremendous job on the genre that he always shines, while the band grooves very well behind him. Pretty good song.

Holy Man: Southern rock in the Skynyrd style, but the vocals are more clear/technical, as one would expect from DP. Seems just OK at first, but as it progresses it offers more and more. Very good song.

Hold On: Heavy Rock 'n' Roll on this one, with Coverdale-Hughes doing a very good job singing part after part consecutively, each on his own style. Very groovy song, makes you wanna dance to the rhythm. The solos by Blackmore and Lord are very simplistic but with rich musicality, great fun. Not a special song, but elevated by the Deep Purple undenied quality.

Lady Double Dealer: Fast groovy rocker, the most radio friendly song of the album, perfect for concerts. I think they 've composed a number of better songs on this style, but this one is nothing less than another hit in their outstanding catalogue.

You Can't Do It Right: Blues rocker that reminds me very much of the Stevie Ray Vaughan trademark sound, but many years before SRV. The riff is excellent, the keyboard solo to the point, everything is high quality on this song! I would just want it to be more powerful, more aggressive. A really great song though!

High Ball Shooter: Maybe the less special song of the album. Totally simplistic with nothing that they haven't done many times before, and better. An OK song, but if I was to cut out one song from the album it would be this one.

The Gypsy: Timeless. Once you listen to this riff once, you never forget it. Classic example of the Blackmore greatness; he rarely composes technically difficult riffs, but so many of them are brilliant that it's mind blowing.

Soldier Of Fortune:Oh the kingliness! Bow down ladies and gentlemen, to the Masters that conclude a fantastic album with a hymn like this.

RATING: We have not one, not two but FOUR classics here! Stormbringer, Lady Double Dealer, The Gypsy and Soldier Of Fortune are of the highest quality, easily included among the best DP songs. This and the general quality of the album dictate that it can't be rated lower than 4 stars. Classic!

Easy and approachable, Stormbringer satisfies a hard-rock itch by scratching with the right combination of loud and heavy riffing, rugged vocals by David Coverdale, and Blackmore's signature guitar soloing. John Lord's keyboards, which occasionally drift into the funky lilting of the era's R&B/Soul sound, add an interesting touch as well. Some reviewers describe that Stormbringer is an off putting album because it plays with the Deep Purple formula a little too much; after all, this is Blackmore's last record with the group before he formed the (more interesting) Rainbow. For me, my criticism drifts more to the song writing, which is about 50% creative hard rock or thoughtful balladry, and 50% sex-drugs-and-rock-and-roll schlock. A few of these moments will appeal to prog fans, but for newcomers to the band Stormbringer may not be much more than a fun diversion in to '70's hard rock. Which, in scheme of things, is actually a pretty awesome place to be! Check it out after listening the bands more complete and influential works.

Songwriting: 2 - Instrumental Performances: 3 - Lyrics/Vocals: 2 - Style/Emotion/Replay: 3

Stormbringer was Deep Purple's 9th full length album, and saw the band move more towards a funky sound, but retaining the hard-rock, blues inspired sound that they had in 'Burn'. This was also the 2nd album to feature David Coverdale as the lead singer as he replaced Ian Gilian as the lead singer. Ian, of course, would eventually sign up with Black Sabbath for one album, 'Born Again' and eventually reunite with Deep Purple in 1984 for the album 'Perfect Strangers'.

Stormbringer ended up being a fairly successful album, though it was a bit weaker than previous efforts. The long, jam-like sessions of the past were gone and were replaced with songs that were more vocally heavy and more basic hard rock tunes. Even though it was early for hair metal (the album was released in 1974), it seems to take on that style more than the psychedelic rock of their earlier albums.

Even though the mainstays Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Paice and Jon Lord were still in the band, it seems their influence was heard much less on this album. The album seems to be directed more towards Coverdale's one-dimensional vocals, but at least Glenn Hughes' vocals were also used fairly extensively on many tracks, it helped give a bit more variety to the album. Unfortunately, for Coverdale, that variety didn't follow him when he left Deep Purple in tears after the release of their following album 'Come Taste the Band' which saw the downfall of the popularity of the band as they continued to chase the more accessible sound of hard funk, sounding more like Grand Funk than anything else, a bad version of Grand Funk that is. Of course, Coverdale would see success with Whitesnake in the 80s, as his hair metal dreams came true. But then, I've never really been a fan of Coverdale as he seems to turn bands he is involved with towards a more commercial sound that is as one-dimensional as his voice.

Stormbringer, however, isn't a complete wash. The other band members still have some chances to show off, like Lord's organ solo in 'High Ball Shooter'. But unfortunately, most of the tracks have Coverdale's annoying vocals (like in the awful 'The Gypsy') that end up making the songs of the album sound too much alike. One of the main reasons I liked Deep Purple was because of their heavy rocking instrumentals and psychedelic leanings. This album just about totally goes against that sound, and Deep Purple just sounds like every other mediocre hard rock band. What might have been a great album only becomes an average one. After the next album, the band would basically fall apart until finally in 1984, they come out of hiding and emerge from the dregs of hair metal to produce a better album with the return of Ian and the release of 'Perfect Stranger.'

Stormbringer is a very lacklustre effort from the Deep Purple legends. It just lacks the passion and power of their previous releases. Apart from the wonderful title track it lacks energy and is not really hard rock overall. There's no prog and it's forgettable. The band were in turmoil and it is little wonder with Coverdale in a sombre mood and Blackmore being ready to jump ship for Rainbow. Although his guitar is proficient on tracks such as The Gypsy, High Ball Shooter and Hold On, and there's some tasty keyboards on offer, there is a lot that was discarded. The heavy rock and killer riffs are overall absent.

Frenetic tempos abound on Lady Double Dealer, and they dabble in funk rock on You Can't Do it Right, but it is not worth repeated spins as a total album. Having heard the earlier releases it is hard not to compare those classics of rock to what we have here. Even the albums of recent years are better than this effort.

Stormbringer has had a 35th Anniversary release since, remastered and with quadrophonic versions of each track, and a bunch of remixes, but it is difficult to enjoy Deep Purple when they seem to be going for a new sound, when we love them the way they are as a band brimming with dynamic energy, with killer riffs and innovative lyrics.