Perfect Strangers

Perfect Strangers is a memorable eleventh album on which the golden-era Mark II lineup gathers again and Deep Purple recovers weighty riffs and a mysterious air. It pulls each member’s powerful character into one strong sound anew. Ritchie Blackmore’s guitar and Jon Lord’s organ carry on a tension-filled dialogue, and Ian Gillan’s singing gives the songs a dramatic core. “Knocking at Your Back Door,” with its striking riff, and the title track “Perfect Strangers,” full of a solemn, uneasy air, loftily show that this reunion is by no means mere nostalgia, while from the speed of “Under the Gun” and the aggression of “Nobody’s Home” to the lyricism of “Wasted Sunsets,” every song is fulfilling. Its great value is that, even after a long hiatus, the chemistry the five members’ playing creates has not faded at all. It powerfully sounds the classic style with a modern, 1980s weight. A dignified comeback that splendidly met longtime fans’ expectations, it is a masterpiece representative of mature Deep Purple.