REFORMATIONS. Who needs them, eh? Cartloads of bathchair boffins attempting to revive their bank balances through hastily concocted vinyl junkyards - invariably, they're an insult to the memories left by the bands in question and to the intelligence of rock fans everywhere.

On the surface, the re-return of heavy rock gurus Purple smacks of a similar, scarcely concealed effort to milk a long dead sacred cow. The reality couldn't be more different for The Battle Rages On is a stunner. Fuelled by the astonishing vocals of Ian Gillan (a truly inspired performer who reaches operatic heights and dashes the likes of Coverdale and Plant against the pebbles) and the inevitable, not to mention elaborate, guitar and keyboard ramblings of Ritchie Blackmore and Jon Lord respectively, this incarnation is joyous to behold.

Producers Thom Pannunzio and bassist Roger Glover have done a fine job, giving the album a crystal clear modern sound with an edge that should be heavy enough to win over the muthas and tough enough to stamp on any 'retro' tags that might otherwise be raised. The title-track itself is actually a scorcher - lively percussive arrangements courtesy of Ian Paice, outrageous amounts of keyboards and colourful guitar work make for splendid listening.

Similarly, riffs land on you like meteors crashing through the bedroom on the speedy 'A Twist In The Tale' while tunes like 'Lick It Up' and 'Anya' are studded with intricate six-string and organ work-outs; in other words, classic Deep Purple. On the other side of the coin, the plaintive 'Solitaire', relying less on Lord's noodling organ, is a diatribe about unrequited love delivered on a hook so sweet that you won't notice the nagging pain until it's far too late. And, just to top everything off, the blues-influenced epic 'Ramshackle Man' walks over any other metal released so far this year.

In fact, this is an accolade which can be happily ascribed to the overall opus. Congratulations, lads, you've confounded all the critics and come up with a gem.

* Johnny Lyons