Blackmore's Night, the renaissance folk outfit led by husband and wife duo Ritchie Blackmore and Candice Night, just released their brand-new album, Nature's Light.
While the rest of the album retains the traditional acoustic stylings for which the band has come to be known, one track – Der letzte Musketier (The Last Musketeer) – sees Night switch off her mic, making way for Blackmore to let rip with some plugged-in, blues-driven guitar wizardry reminiscent of his early work with Deep Purple.
You can listen to the track in full below.
Of the song's meaning, Blackmore explains: “I was in a band in 1964 – before anybody was born – and it was called The Musketeers (Die Drei Musketiere) – we lived in Germany... and we dressed up as the Musketeers.
“We played [as a] three-piece band – and long story short, [this track] was my way of thanking the other two, [who] have since passed on. So I'm now the last Musketeer.
He continues: “We only did about six shows but it was my favorite band of all time, because we didn't become famous so there was no pressure. We were all just great friends.”
Nature's Light is available now on all digital streaming platforms. To pick up a copy in either CD or vinyl format, head to Blackmore's Night.
Last year, Blackmore lent his blues soloing talents to a cover of B.B. King's The Thrill Is Gone, accompanied by the dulcet tones of William Shater.
