BURN

Maybe "Burn" is not a masterpiece of progressive rock, but it surely is a masterpiece of classic heavy rock! Absolutely all tracks on this Mark III release are great. Addition of two new vocalists (Coverdale and Hughues) was an essential innovation that helped the band stay on the charts after the crisis caused by the departure of Ian Gillan and Roger Glover.

Highlights include the heavy -symphonic prog leanings in the title track and the instrumental "A 200", funky spices in "Sail Away", powerful hard rocking in "Might Just Take Your Life" and "You Fool No One", along with heavy dark and goosebumping blues of "Mistreated"! Production and arrangements are perfect while the songs are structured in a way that prevents many unnecessary over-indulgent solos - a fact that sometimes used to spoil their earlier works (at least in my opinion). Solo parts here are effective and well-conducted.

Glenn Hughues's vocals and bass playing are a real treat and too bad this line-up of DEEP PURPLE (Mark III) recorded only one more studio album. "Burn" is excellent album in many ways and I can freely recommend it to all prog listeners who usually are not in fond of heavy metal or hard rock in general.

PERSONAL RATING: 4,5/5

P.A. RATING: 5/5