Godz of War
Don Airey’s new album Pushed to the Edge is now out for streaming and download, and here is another single from it — Godz of War:
Physical formats (CD and 2LP) to follow on April 11, 2025.
Thanks to BraveWords for the heads-up.
![[hand]](/hs-pics/portraits/hands/gillan4.jpg)
![[face]](/hs-pics/portraits/faces/paice2.jpg)
Don Airey’s new album Pushed to the Edge is now out for streaming and download, and here is another single from it — Godz of War:
Physical formats (CD and 2LP) to follow on April 11, 2025.
Thanks to BraveWords for the heads-up.
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
Is it me, or maybe the title of the song put this thought in my head, does the vocalist sound as if he’s trying to sing like Ronnie James Dio?
March 29th, 2025 at 05:07This is sounding more and more like the 80’s into the 90’s progressive metal. Ala what then became Dream Theater etc. At least Dream Theater had a decent drum sound, (here we go, here we go, here we go again). This mix is all keyboards and vocal, until the guitar solo steps in and then it is back to all keyboards and vocal again. Not a good mix by the sound of it. Not to worry. At least Don is getting a chance to let his hair down, if you know what I mean. Cheers.
March 29th, 2025 at 05:48OMGoW, he should pay royalties to Ritchie and Dio/Bonnet/White for this (especially the first part with the vocals), could it be that Don once played with Rainbow? 🤣 Talk about it having left a mark.
It starts like a Rainbow track with Ritchie’s guitar mixed into the background and the keyboards mixed up (the keyboarder just having heard his ELP collection front to back before recording) before it morphs into this vintage Purple Hammond romp.
For all my humorous poking, it has some real balls and you hear the enthusiasm with which it is played. That is actually something very typical of Don, you always hear the enthusiasm in his playing, here’s a man who has truly found his calling. Lack of great dress sense or not, that really endears him to me.
I get a distinct feeling that Gregg Giuffria, while visually not quite in the same category of being inconspicuous, would approve of Don’s solo ventures! 😂
https://youtu.be/zXNNqucAl-s
March 29th, 2025 at 14:31great and mature album…hard rock album 2/5 purple!!!
March 29th, 2025 at 16:29I often wonder why the music labels are not taking a gamble on making a musical about the DP family tree musical catalogue and tour around the world in theatres.
March 29th, 2025 at 16:42Surely the wealth of music makes an amazing 90 min of a stage musical.
Peace ✌️
Listening to it as I write. It’s heavy, even dense album, Don Airey as the Toni Iommi of keyboards 🎹 (with a complete set of digits I hasten to add!). You won‘t hear organ this loud on any current album except Uriah Heep releases. 😂 But that is ok, Don has his name on it & that means – as he learned from Ritchie – ultimate fader control.
It‘s thinking man‘s keyboard-heavy heavy rock with outright PROG influences, dramatic vocal lines (which perhaps I‘m these days no longer as great a fan of as when I still had wet dreams) and a penchant for Arabic scales. The band sounds really determined, no session muso pussy-footin‘ here, men at work.
And it has to be said: This album is more “rawk!!!” than anything Jon Lord ever recorded outside of DP. Jon was great in DP of course, but he needed Ritchie’s, Tommy’s or Steve’s guitar to latch onto. That is not a knock, Jon’s ability to “melt in” was uncanny and a sign of great musicality, but he had – except when soloing – a more supportive role than Don who has evolved into a heavy rock “lead-keyboarder” by heart.
Best Atomic Rooster album I’ve heard since the early 70s. Vincent Crane would approve.
https://images.app.goo.gl/2Y1viwERMFtdzAQt5
March 29th, 2025 at 17:04Yes Uwe, maybe Don did know Cozy and also Gary Moore a bit too well, hence the ‘Barbarian at the Gates’ approach to the keyboards. I had to include Cozy and your saying, it is rather apt here with this album by the sound of it. Although Cozy would not approve of that drum sound! I get the Tony Iommi nod also, Never Say Die. And the Atomic Rooster one too, well done. Death Walks Behind You is the album that you refer to no doubt, dark and heavy. Regarding Jon Lord, well he was from a totally different background as we know and he is far too pastoral for any venture into ‘heavy metal’ as such. Don has mixed with a lot more of the ‘heavy’ musicians in many of his musical ventures. Cheers.
March 29th, 2025 at 22:48Danny Devito probably wouldn’t approve either Uwe???????? I forgot to mention a response to Ken Hensley’s heavy Hammond playing and his sound from the 70’s Heep in particular. I am not sure of today’s ‘Heep’ with Phil Lanzon playing the keys, no doubt he would surely emulate that earlier sound and feel in certain areas. I do deliberately leave Emerson, Lake and Palmer out of this simply because they were not that heavy as band. It was more Keith’s approach to the keyboards that was very powerful. However the Emerson, Lake and Powell album is much heavier in that regard. Blame poor ole Cozy I suppose and the dreaded 1980’s production and sound. All good though, except poor ole Danny Devito? Cheers
March 29th, 2025 at 23:24Interesting. Definitely going to get it. I like Uwe’s comment about Airey being the Iommi of the keyboards. As for Jon needing Ritchie’s, Steve’s or Tommy’s Guitar to latch onto, I’d say he also pushed them which certainly made for some exciting music. As Steve once said, Jon would hear something he came up with and immediately grasp what to do with it. Post DP though, Jon made excellent albums! My favorite is “To Notice Such Things”! My late beautiful Wife, Brenda, while not much of a DP or Rainbow fan, loved Jon’s albums and also Blackmore’s Night! Wish she were still here to listen to them with me. 🙂
March 30th, 2025 at 16:14Adel @ 5: Or a sea cruise with with all musically active DP members performing with their various bands: The living breathing DP, Blackmore’s Night, Joe Lynn Turner, Glenn Hughes, Steve Morse Band, Simon McBride’s trio, Don Airey Band, Nick Simper, Little Ian doing his Buddy Rich thing, Roger & Big Ian performing choice cuts from Accidentally On Purpose, and if DC can’t sing anymore, he could be the conférencier through it all and give interviews.
I’d sign up for that “Purple Cruise” in a second! It would be glorious.
March 31st, 2025 at 09:27@10
“I’d sign up for that “Purple Cruise” in a second! It would be glorious.“
Ich auch!
March 31st, 2025 at 11:55Sorry for your loss, Leslie, but it’s beautiful for you have those memories.
My wife always thought the Jon Lord gigs the high point of the Purple Family too, she’ll also go to Blackmore’s Night gigs, but getting her to a Purple gig is hard work and I couldn’t drag her by her hair to a Glenn Hughes one! 🤣
Speaking of: I’m seeing Glenn on Friday …
https://rockmeetsclassic.de/#informationen
… which might culminate in him singing one or two verses of ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ as that song will very likely be the final encore to the event. 🙄
I do find those Rock Meets Classic packages generally more than slightly cringe, especially with a lot of the presented artists never having been members of the original (or at least of an important) line-up of their respective bands, but Glenn drew my curiosity. I’ve been to one before where Ian Gillan (the encore for all to join in being inevitably SOTW) was the top act and although he toured with them a few more times, even his presence could not bring me to go again (and that is saying something).
Calling anybody who is not named Noddy Holder, Jim Lea, Don Powell or Dave Hill “ex-Slade” is a heinous crime. 😑
March 31st, 2025 at 12:05Hard to listen first, but give a couple listens and it really starts to grow and sounds great 😀
March 31st, 2025 at 12:20To me this sounds like Jeff Wayne’s War Of The Worlds (took about a second to realise this).
March 31st, 2025 at 12:21Hello and thank you for the article. I’ve just got this album in Japan (“Live in Hamburg” was also included for limited edition)… What a cool metal album!! I really love it🥰
March 31st, 2025 at 14:06