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Stormbringer
Studio album by Deep Purple
Released	December, 1974
Recorded	August 1974
Genre	Hard rock
Length	36:31
Label	EMI/Purple (UK) Warner Bros. (US)
Producer	Martin Birch & Deep Purple
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link
Deep Purple chronology
Burn (1974) Stormbringer (1974) Come Taste the Band (1975)

Stormbringer is the ninth studio album by Deep Purple, released in December 1974. On this album, the soul and funk elements that were only hinted at on Burn are much more prominent. This shift in direction alienated some fans as well as Ritchie Blackmore, who departed the band not long after Stormbringer was released. Many fans consider Stormbringer to be a major turning point in the band, and the mark of an era's end.

This record, which had been out of print in the US for over 20 years, is scheduled to have 2 re-releases during 2007: EMI has worked with Glenn Hughes on a remastered, expanded version of the album (much like the one done with Burn) which includes bonus alternate takes/mixes and is due on the fall (which seems to be aimed at the European/international market only), and Friday Music label released it stateside on July 31, 2007 (along with Made in Europe and Come Taste the Band). It is unclear which tapes were used as a source for this release, but the label's website claims that the album has been digitally remastered (but not expanded). A quadraphonic remix was released in the USA in 1975.

Progressive death metal band Opeth covered "Soldier of Fortune" for the re-release of their 2005 album Ghost Reveries, and Finnish industrial metal band Turmion Kätilöt covered "Stormbringer" on their 2005 EP Niuva 20. "Soldier of Fortune" was also covered by Australian power metal band Black Majesty on their 2007 album Tomorrowland.

Glenn Hughes and Dario Mollo recorded a new version of "The Gypsy" for their 2000 album "Voodoo Hill". Hughes recorded a new version of the song "Highball Shooter" for his 2001 album Building The Machine.

All songs written by David Coverdale, Ritchie Blackmore, Glenn Hughes, Jon Lord and Ian Paice except where indicated.

1. "Stormbringer" (Coverdale, Blackmore) – 4:03
2. "Love Don't Mean a Thing" – 4:23
3. "Holy Man" (Coverdale, Hughes, Lord) – 4:28
4. "Hold On" (Coverdale, Hughes, Lord, Paice) – 5:05
5. "Lady Double Dealer" (Coverdale, Blackmore) – 3:19
6. "You Can't Do It Right (with the One You Love)" (Coverdale, Blackmore, Hughes) – 3:24
7. "High Ball Shooter" – 4:26
8. "The Gypsy (Deep Purple song)|The Gypsy" – 4:13
9. "Soldier of Fortune" (Coverdale, Blackmore) – 3:14

The name "Stormbringer" comes from the fantasy works of Michael Moorcock. In Moorcock's novels, Stormbringer is an evil magical sword that drains the souls of all the people it kills. According to Moorcock, the members of Deep Purple were familiar with his work before they chose that name, but were under the misimpression that the name "Stormbringer" was from ancient mythology, when in fact it was invented by Moorcock. ^[1]

• David Coverdale - lead vocals
• Ritchie Blackmore - guitar
• Glenn Hughes - bass, vocals
• Jon Lord - organ, keyboards
• Ian Paice - drums

• Recorded at Musicland Studios, Munich in August and mixed at The Record Plant, Los Angeles during September 1974
• Engineered by Martin Birch; assisted by Mack and Hans
• Mixed by Martin Birch and Ian Paice; assisted by Gary Webb and Garry Ladinsky
• Produced by Deep Purple and Martin Birch

• 9th studio album