The Battle Rages On...

The Battle Rages On... is a record on which Deep Purple puts weighty hard-rock riffs and a tension-filled ensemble to the front, again drawing a hard outline. In place of Joe Lynn Turner, Ian Gillan returned to vocals again, and it was made by the reunited golden-era Mark II lineup. Gillan’s taut voice and the rhythm section’s steadiness further strengthen the sonic tension. From the dramatic development of the opening title track “The Battle Rages On” and the Eastern, fantastical air of “Anya” to the speed of “Talk About Love” and the drama of “Time to Kill,” every song is fulfilling. The guitar and organ assert themselves fiercely against each other yet cross swords beautifully within the songs, giving no opening at all. Its appeal is turning the tense moments when mature players sometimes collide fiercely directly into musical drive, rather than merely tracing the old style. Tension suggesting complex relationships within the band gives the record a raw heat instead. It is a hard-edged, dramatic, engaging hard-rock record.