Blackmore was never fast for the heck of it and became slower over time - already as early as 1974 around Burn, he looked more for tone than speed. His "shredding" phase was around Made in Japan.
Meola was fast, yes, but I always thought that that was his flamenco influence and flamenco notes are played fast. I never found his melodies hard to follow and he was certainly a lot more accessible than McLaughlin.
I guess you could say that Alvin Lee was fast for the heck of it for a while.