Oldie But Goodie

Deep Purple - In Rock

I get so sick and tired of listening to people debate about whom the first heavy metal band was, or which record was the first heavy metal album ever made. I get especially tired when I hear Alice Cooper state that his band was the first heavy metal band. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not bashing his music; I actually love Alice Cooper. However, his debut album, Pretties for You, came out the same year In Rock by Deep Purple did, and if you compare the two, dear lord does In Rock completely destroy Alice’s record in every fucking fashion.

You want the first heavy metal record? Well, Mr. Cooper, here it is – In Rock by Deep Purple. “Speed King” is probably the best album opener I have ever heard – it gets right to the point and lets everybody know that this band is on a mission to be the hardest rockin’ band on planet earth. Sure, it’s not the evil doom that you hear on Black Sabbath’s debut, but back in 1969 you just didn’t hear shit like this. “Child in Time” shows a softer, more blues based side of the band, but the album picks right back up with “Flight of the Rat”. The groove in the intro to “Living Wreck” completely sold this record for me. After I listened to that intro a total of 10 times in a row (I think I finally listened to the whole song a week later…maybe), I knew that something special was going on.

Not only is Ritchie Blackmore in top form on the guitar, but Jon Lord’s keyboards are something out of this world. The way Lord and Blackmore duel is absolutely entrancing. I’m all for using keyboards to add atmosphere to the music, but when Lord makes riffs that are almost as heavy as Blackmore’s guitar, I jizz in my pants, as The Lonely Island would say.

Mk II Deep Purple released quite a few timeless record (Fireball or Machine Head, anybody?), but In Rock is their true masterpiece, with the band daring to stand out of the musical pack, playing in your face metal while most others, including Alice Cooper, were following the psychedelic trend that the hippies were just eating up.