Seeing Deep Purple at Hellfest is both delightful and mildly frustrating. With nearly sixty years of music behind them, a one-hour festival slot is inevitably designed for the casual fan rather than the deep diver. There is simply no way to do justice to a catalogue of that size in such a short amount of time. Still, with a new album only weeks away, the band avoids the temptation to turn the set into a museum exhibit by unveiling two fresh songs alongside the expected classics.
And those classics remain formidable. "Lazy," "Space Truckin'," "Highway Star" and, yes, the one with the famous four-note riff all make an appearance, delivered with an energy bordering on insolence. It is difficult to believe that Ian Gillan and Roger Glover are both octogenarians, with Ian Paice and Don Airey only a few years younger. Simon McBride's arrival has clearly injected fresh energy into the group. His more aggressive approach has given the band a welcome kick up the proverbial arse, and one senses that his bandmates are enjoying the boot.
Deep Purple could easily spend its twilight years coasting on nostalgia. Instead, the band continues to write, record and attack the stage with the hunger and fire of young upstarts. And as everyone knows, where there's fire, there's smoke on the water.
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TesseracT @ Main Stage 2 (Photos, setlist)
Point Mort @ Warzone (Photo)
Queensrÿche @ Main Stage 1 (Photos, review, setlist)
Stoned Jesus @ Valley Stage (Photos, review, setlist)
Bloodywood @ Main Stage 2 (Photos, setlist)
Accept @ Main Stage 1 (Photos, review, setlist)
Sepultura @ Main Stage 2 (Photos, review, setlist)
Helloween @ Main Stage 1 (Photos, review, setlist)
Opeth @ Main Stage 2 (Photos, review, setlist)
Iron Maiden @ Main Stage 1 (Photos, review, setlist)
DAY FOUR
Scour @ Temple Stage (Photos, review, setlist)
Eyehategod @ Valley Stage (Photos, review)
Six Feet Under @ Altar Stage (Photos, review, setlist)
Corrosion Of Conformity @ Valley Stage (Photos, review)
Possessed @ Altar Stage (Photos, setlist)
Agnostic Front @ Warzone - (Photos, setlist)
Acid Bath @Valley Stage (Photos, review, setlist)
Marduk @ Altar Stage (Photos, setlist)
Napalm Death @ Altar Stage (Photos, review, setlist)
Down @ Valley Stage (Photos, review, setlist)