Personality clashes are as much a part of
Deep Purple as
Ritchie Blackmore's penchant for black clothing. A revolving door of members resulted in different lineups being given their own labels. The most popular version of
Purple has always been the Mark II model:
Ian Gillan,
Ritchie Blackmore,
Jon Lord,
Roger Glover, and Ian Paice. This particular quintet has gotten together and had members leave in each of the past three decades, and
The Battle Rages On... was that lineup's contribution to the '90s. Following a brief stint where former
Rainbow vocalist
Joe Lynn Turner sang lead for
Purple on the prior Slaves and Masters,
Gillan returned for another go-round in 1993. Personal differences aside,
The Battle Rages On... picks up on the kind of chemistry that made albums like
Machine Head and
Perfect Strangers classics. Three decades on,
Blackmore's range on guitar is still impressive as he goes from playing with an arrogant swagger on "One Man's Meat" to a fleet-fingered flamenco intro that kicks off the epic "Anya." Elsewhere, "A Twist in the Tale" plays out with the same kind of intensity as "Highway Star," while the hard-driving title track proved to be prophetic as
Blackmore departed the band.