Splat! is the 24th studio album by English hard rock band Deep Purple, released on 3 July 2026. It is the band's sixth collaboration with producer Bob Ezrin, who has produced every Deep Purple album since Now What?! (2013), and their second album with guitarist Simon McBride, following =1 (2024).
Composition and lyrics Described as "the heaviest Deep Purple album in many years" by the band, Splat! is a hard rock, heavy metal and progressive rock album, combining the blues influence of their Mark II output with the more mature songwriting of its predecessor, =1. It marks the first time Deep Purple has used amp modelers instead of tube amps, with McBride comparing the album to a "freight train."
Unlike their earlier collaborations, producer Bob Ezrin is not credited as a composer on the songs. This marked the first time Purple had written without additional input since Rapture of the Deep in 2005.
A pseudo-concept album, Splat!s lyrics explore an end-of-humanity concept. "Not in any crude apocalyptic sense but as a metamorphosis beyond physical existence," lead vocalist Ian Gillan explains in the liner notes.
The song Guilt Trippin' was written from the perspective of God and Charles Darwin in reflective conversation regarding the seemingly bleak fate of the world, and which of the two is most to blame.DEEP PURPLE RELEASE NEW SINGLE AND VIDEO | GUILT TRIPPIN’. Deep Purple. Retrieved 11 July 2026. The song features Gillan's original screaming vocal style of delivery, which had not been used for a number years.Deep Purple unleash “Guilt Trippin”. Blues Rock Review. 25 June 2026. Retrieved 11 July 2027.
Singles The lead single "Arrogant Boy" was released on 12 May 2026, along with an accompanying music video. The second single "Diablo" was released on 5 June 2026, along with an accompanying music video releasing on 7th June 2026. The third and final single "Guilt Trippin" was released on 23 June 2026 with an accompanying music video.
Critical reception
The review aggregator gave it a weighted average score of 6.9 out of 10 from five critic scores.
Track listing All songs written by Don Airey, Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Simon McBride, and Ian Paice. "Arrogant Boy" – 3:18 "Diablo" – 3:16 (Vinyl & Japanese CD 4:00) "The Rider" – 3:56 "The Lunatic" – 3:47 "The Only Horse in Town" – 4:41 "Sacred Land" – 3:32 "The Beating of Wings" – 4:00 "Guilt Trippin'" – 4:52 "Scriblin' Gib'rish" – 3:34 "Jessica's Bra" – 3:45 "Third Call" – 4:19 "My New Movie" – 3:45 "Splat!" – 3:39
Japanese bonus track "Highway Star" (live in Dresden) – 6:27
Personnel Personnel adapted from Splat! liner notes.
Deep Purple Ian Gillan – vocals Simon McBride – guitars Roger Glover – bass guitar Ian Paice – drums Don Airey – keyboards
Additional musicians Keith Urban – guitar on "Diablo" Bob Ezrin – background vocals
Technical personnel Bob Ezrin – producer, mixing, additional arrangements Justin Cortelyou – engineer (Nashville) Anthony Yordanov – additional recording engineer (Toronto), mix engineer Tate Sablatura – additional engineer Jake Smith-Rex – additional engineer Piers Mortimer – additional keyboard recording engineer (Harston) Simon McBride – additional guitar recording engineer (SMB) Eike Freese – additional vocal recording engineer (Hamburg) Denny Meißner – additional vocal recording engineer (Hamburg) Julian Shank – mix engineer Robert Vosgien – mastering
Charts + Chart performance for Splat! Chart (2026) Peakposition Australian Albums (ARIA) 19 French Rock & Metal Albums (SNEP) 2 German Rock & Metal Albums (Offizielle Top 100) 1 Irish Independent Albums (IRMA) Note: Select 2026 on the year selector and 10-Jul-26 on the date selector. 14 Italian Albums (FIMI) 21 Japanese Rock Albums (Oricon) 5 Japanese Top Albums Sales (Billboard Japan) 47 Norwegian Albums (IFPI Norge) 9 Norwegian Rock Albums (IFPI Norge) 2 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) 3 Swedish Hard Rock Albums (Sverigetopplistan) 1
References