Deep Purple Prepares New Album for Tentative June Release

Deep Purple's next album is tentatively set for release in June, according to frontman Ian Gillan.

In an interview with Songwriting for Songwriters, Gillan said the band is in the late stages of completing the album but has not yet revealed a title. The news comes as a positive development for fans, as Gillan has faced some recent health challenges.

The upcoming release will be Deep Purple's 24th studio album and their first since 2024's "=1." "It's basically very optimistic," Gillan said, without disclosing many details. "Let's say there's a general theme. It's a fairly loose conceptual idea of the end of humanity, but not as grim as it sounds. In fact, it's very optimistic. It's about the metamorphosis of humanity into a metaphysical state, our next incarnation."

Bassist Roger Glover, speaking with UCR in August 2025, confirmed the band's ongoing collaboration with producer Bob Ezrin remains strong, but said the group benefited from a recent break. Since 2013's "Now What?!," Deep Purple has released five albums with Ezrin, culminating with "=1" in 2024.

"Well, we've not been idle. We've been working on-and there'll probably be an album [in 2026]," Glover said. "This has been a welcome break, because we've been hard at it for several years. I think it was good to actually take a break. We did one concert in Brazil, a festival in June or something. And I think [there's] three in Eastern Europe at the end of the year. But that's it for touring. So [2026] will [also] be a touring year."

Glover praised Ezrin's ongoing influence on the band's sound, citing his previous work with artists such as Kiss, Pink Floyd and Alice Cooper. "I know I trust Bob," Glover said. "He's got a somehow magic touch."

Looking ahead, Glover expressed hope for a slightly different sound on the new album. "I want this next album to be... it's hard to say what, because I can't pinpoint things, but a bit beefier. Not quite so compressed, not quite such high vocals. A better drum sound. You know, lots of things like that. I pick holes in the albums all of the time. I'm a fan. I start from being a fan-what do I want to hear and what am I hearing? Sometimes they match."

Deep Purple's most recent release was an expanded box set of their classic live album "Made in Japan," issued in August. The package features new stereo and Dolby Atmos mixes of the original album by Steven Wilson, along with newly remixed audio from all three Japanese concerts recorded for the original live set.