Now What?! is the 19th studio album by English rock band Deep Purple. It was released on 26 April 2013 and produced by Bob Ezrin. A dedicated official web site was also created by the band to post updates about the album. It was the band's first studio album in over seven years as Deep Purple's previous studio album, Rapture of the Deep, was released in late 2005.
On 26 February 2013, the album's title was announced. Additionally a new single featuring "Hell to Pay" and "All the Time in the World" was released in both CD and vinyl formats on 29 March 2013. On 6 May 2013 the band confirmed that a new single "Vincent Price" would be released on 7 June as download, CD single and 7" transparent vinyl. The single would also include the previously unreleased song "First Sign of Madness", two tracks from the now unavailable Rapture of the Deep limited edition and the track's video-clip.
The songs "Uncommon Man" and "Above and Beyond", which includes the lyrics "Souls having touched are forever entwined", are dedicated to founding member Jon Lord who died in July 2012. "Uncommon Man" is partly inspired by the classical composition "Fanfare for the Common Man", and features a synthesizer-generated fanfare theme composed by Don Airey.
Reception
Following its release, Now What?! was met with mostly positive reception from critics. AllMusic's Steve Leggett commented that the album sounded like a product of progressive metal's golden age, saying "Some things really shouldn't change, and Deep Purple recognize that. They haven't changed a bit and the group's many fans are going to find this release comforting in that regard". Sputnikmusic reviewer wrote that "fans of Purpendicular and the group’s last two albums will find several pleasing moments and the band should feel proud of the outcome too."
The album appeared at No. 104 on Sputnikmusic's list of the "Best Progressive Rock Albums of 2013."
Now What?! sold 4,000 copies in its first week in the US. Six months after its release, Now What?! was certified gold in Germany (100 000 copies sold). It was the first Deep Purple studio album to enter both the Billboard 200 and the top 40 of the UK Albums Chart since The Battle Rages On... in 1993.
Track listing
The Now What?! Live Tapes
Vincent Price
Vincent Price is the second single from the album and the last track on it. Its release was announced on 6 May 2013 on their webpage and Facebook. Featuring a hard rock and progressive metal inspired style, reminiscent horror films, the song came out the next day as a digital download, expanded CD release, and seven-inch transparent vinyl. The music video was their first official video in seventeen years. All the then current band-members (Don Airey, Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Steve Morse, and Ian Paice) helped to compose the track with producer Bob Ezrin.
The song is a tribute to the late classic horror icon Vincent Price, featuring sonic and lyrical references to horror tropes, including thunder and wailing and lyrics about human sacrifice and vampirism. Coming out of the group's typical jams, its style is reminiscent of instrumental film soundtracks.
Ian Gillan said,
Gillan said he started the song by asking what elements a director of a Vincent Price horror film would want to include, and came up with items like "clanking chains, creaking doors, bloodsucking vampires, howling dogs, sacrificial virgins [and] zombies", the basis for the lyrics. Price worked with all the members of Deep Purple earlier in their careers.
Steve Leggett, writing for Allmusic, praised "Vincent Price" as a "massive, powerful, and just slightly eerie" tune. Blabbermouth.net predicted that the special CD single and its related seven-inch vinyl record will become a "collector's item", noting their inclusion of the song "First Sign of Madness" that was dropped from Now What?!. Daily News critic Jon Dawson claimed that it is "as bone-rattlingly superb as anything from [Deep Purple's] supposed early 1970s prime." Dawson called out the surging chord progressions, theremin-like guitar and horror movie-inspired lyrics. Classic Rock critic Dave Everley rated it one of Deep Purple's 10 best post-1994 songs and stated that "the winking Hammer Horror grandeur of Vincent Price masked the sound of a band reborn." In 2020, the editors of Classic Rock rated it the 68th greatest song of the century so far, praising the "big swaggering monster of a groove from guitarist Steve Morse." On the other hand. Classic Rock critic Geoff Barton described it as "throwaway schlock-horror".
7" single "Vincent Price" "First Sign of Madness"
CD single "Vincent Price" - 4:47 "First Sign of Madness" - 4:26 "The Well-Dressed Guitar" - 2:51 "Wrong Man" - 4:30 (Live performance from a 10-10-2005 set in London)
Personnel Deep Purple Ian Gillan – vocals Steve Morse – guitars Roger Glover – bass Don Airey – keyboards Ian Paice – drums
Additional musicians Jason Roller – acoustic guitar ("All the Time in the World") Eric Darken – percussion ("Bodyline", "All The Time in the World") Mike Johnson – steel guitar ("All The Time in the World", "Vincent Price") David Hamilton – additional keyboards ("Uncommon Man", "Weirdistan", "Above And Beyond") Students of Nimbus School of Recording Arts – gang vocals ("Hell to Pay") Bob Ezrin – additional backing vocals & percussion
Production Bob Ezrin – production, mixing Justin Cortelyou – engineering, mixing Li Xiao Le – assistant engineering Zach Allan, Jarad Clement – additional engineering (The Tracking Room), Rob Harris, Mike Airey & Nathan Sage – additional engineering (Rainbow Recorders) Greg Calbi – mastering at Sterling Sound, New York City
Charts
Weekly charts Chart (2013) PeakpositionJapanese Albums (Oricon) 50Russian Albums (Blabbermouth) 3
Year-end charts Chart (2013) Position Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) 145 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) 93 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) 99
Certifications
Accolades Publication Country Accolade YearRank Revolver United States "Golden Gods Awards 2014" 2014 Comeback of the Year: Deep Purple
References