It is the fourth studio album from Deep Purple since Steve Morse joined the band in 1994. It is also the second album to feature veteran keyboardist, Don Airey. The album was produced by Mike Bradford, who also produced the band's previous release, Bananas. Like Bananas, the album was met with a generally positive response from critics and fans.[1][2]Rapture of the Deep is Deep Purple's first release on Edel Records all over the world (with the exception of the USA where the record has been released by Edel long time partner label Eagle Records).
The album peaked on Billboard's USA "Top Independent Album" Chart at position #43. It is band's first USA charted album since 1993 album The Battle Rages On. [3] It achieved considerable chart success in Europe, making the top 20 in several countries. VocalistIan Gillan has stated that Rapture of the Deep is their best-selling album since the 1984 reunion album Perfect Strangers.