Deep Purple have launched Man Alive, the second single to be taken from their upcoming album Whoosh! It's the follow-up to Throw My Bones, which was released in March.
The new song is something of an epic. It's starts with classical strings and a robotic, chanted vocal, before slowly building to a typically epic Purple riff at the minute mark as organs swirl and bedlam ensues.
"A mother clutches her breast at the very moment her son falls on a distant battlefield near the end of the final war," explains frontman Ian Gillan, before adding, "Humanity goes the way of the dinosaurs. There is one survivor. A man alive. A man alone. Whoosh!"
Despite the apparently apocalyptic nature of the song, we should point out that the song was finished last year and isn't a comment on more recent news.
Whoosh! is set to land on August 7 through earMUSIC on CD, LP, 2LP/DVD and limited CD/DVD mediabook. The release date, which was originally to have been next month, was pushed back because of lockdown restrictions.
DVD editions of Whoosh! will include an hour-long feature showing bassist Roger Glover in conversation with Whoosh! producer Bob Ezrin along with Deep Purple’s full live performance from Hellfest in 2017.
Gillan adds, "Whoosh is an onomatopoeic word that, when viewed through one end of a radio-telescope, describes the transient nature of humanity on Earth; and, through the other end from a closer perspective, illustrates the career of Deep Purple."
The band are due to play a UK tour with Blue Oyster Cult later in the year. Full dates below - tickets are on sale at AEG. For more of Ian Gillan's thoughts, visit his Wordography.
Whoosh! tracklist
1. Throw My Bones
2. Drop The Weapon
3. We're All The Same In The Dark
4. Nothing At All
5. No Need To Shout
6. Step By Step
7. What The What
8. The Long Way Round
9. The Power Of The Moon
10. Remission Possible
11. Man Alive
12. And The Address
13. Dancing In My Sleep
Deep Purple 2020 UK tour w/Blue Oyster Cult
Oct 02: Manchester Arena
Oct 03: London The O2
Oct 05: Glasgow The SSE Hydro
Oct 06: Leeds First Direct Arena
Oct 08: Arena Birmingham
