Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow-Stranger In Us All (1995)

In 1995, Ritchie Blackmore revived the Rainbow brand to release a new album after a twelve-year hiatus. For this new album, the former Deep Purple guitarist assembled a new lineup with relatively unknown musicians at the time, including vocalist Doogie White, bassist Greg Smith, keyboardist Paul Morris, and drummer John O'Reilly. "Stranger In Us All" showcases the return of Rainbow's classic sound, harking back to their 1970s roots with hard rock brimming with heavy guitar riffs and a powerful yet melodic rhythm. Songs like "Wolf to the Moon" and "Cold Hearted Woman" evoke the beloved Deep Purple sound, with Doogie White's impressive vocals contributing significantly. On the other hand, Blackmore experiments in the semi-progressive "Hunting Humans (Insatiable)", while other pieces like the superb "Ariel", a successful attempt to revisit the symphonic sound of the classic "Stargazer", or others like "Stand and Fight", and "Too Late for Tears", focus on heavy blues rock with powerful hooks and raw, punchy rhythms. Despite being completely traditional to the typical Purple sound, they are very well designed and masterfully executed with a more modernized sound.