DEEP PURPLE – Rapture of the Deep (20th Anniversary Remix)

RELEASE YEAR: 2025
BAND URL: https://deeppurple.com/

A much-overlooked entry in Purple’s impressive catalog is the classy and well-written Rapture of the Deep, which is celebrating its twentieth anniversary this year. What better way to mark that occasion than remixing and remastering the entire thing and including a handful of bonus track?”! I have always felt that their 2005 opus had an inviting, breezy, and almost laid-back vibe to it, and that remains unchanged with respect to these crisp- and vibrant-sounding 2025 versions, but the remixed affair manages to come across as an entirely new album as it also benefits highly from a revised tracklist.

The instruments are more present in the mix, and Gillan’s vocals appear more vivid here. Glover’s glorious bass lines really cut through too, and the inclusion of the richly characterful “Things I Never Said” (previously released on the Japanese version of the 2005 edition) and the rarely heard “MTV” coupled with the different sequencing of the tracks has resulted in a better flow and dynamic. Boasting new artwork too, this is clearly a release that the Purple faithful would want to get their hands on, and rightly so. Also, the wry wit lining the lyrics makes this a great and memorable experience in more ways than one, and Gillan really shines throughout with respect to his cleverly crafted phrases. The studio rehearsals that constitute the bonus material are less beguiling although the gentle and previously unreleased Steve Morse instrumental titled “Closing Note” is a curious little gem worthy of note.

Rapture of the Deep finally crackles and pops properly, and there is a groove and an understated swagger to it that set it apart from many of their other recorded works. A most welcome anniversary indeed.