BRUCE DICKINSON
BRUCE DICKINSON “The Mandrake Project”
By Colonel Angus
I can’t believe that it has been almost two decades since we got a BRUCE DICKINSON solo album. During that time he has been busy releasing albums and touring with IRON MAIDEN, writing a book, going on a spoken word tour, and battling cancer (Also flying as a commercial pilot!—Dr. M). All of that and he still finds the time to put out this new collection of tunes that he and Roy Z have created. I was a little worried that this collaborative duo would have trouble living up to the last three records starting with “Accident of Birth”. That trifecta of releases stands up as some of his greatest work so the concern was real.
Upon first spin, I noticed that “The Mandrake Project” takes elements from the previous releases but still manages to be its own album. Things start off extremely well with first single "Afterglow of Ragnarok" which has a bit of a cinematic intro but builds into an epic piece with an infectious chorus. "Many Doors to Hell" has a great stomping groove with DICKINSON utilizing his high register in many part s of this track. For someone in his sixties who survived cancer, he still sound incredible. Second single "Rain on the Graves" is probably the heaviest of the tunes on “The Mandrake Project” but as with the two previous songs, the chorus is catchy and will have you humming the tunes for days.
Here is where the record starts to get a bit different. The track "Resurrection Men" has a Western feel with its galloping intro but halfway through twists into a SABBATH-y heavy track with some Roy Z providing some dirge-like riffs that would have Tony Iommi thinking he wrote them. After that brief part, the tune goes back to that Western soundscape giving the whole tune a bit of a prog feel. For those of you that are looking for a full-on metal album, you might be disappointed with the latter half of this disk but my recommendation would be to give it a chance as there are some great tunes. "Fingers in the Wounds" is keyboard heavy but if you listen closely, there is a lot going on throughout the track. There is a small section that has a Moroccan vibe and guitar work that, while a bit in the background, is great.
As mentioned in previous interviews, DICKINSON said that he was writing solo material and one of the track eventually made its way onto IRON MAIDEN’s “The Book of Souls” in the form of "If Eternity Should Fail". The original version of the track is presented here as "Eternity Has Failed" and is very similar (naturally) to the IRON MAIDEN version with a few minor differences. I’m glad this was included here as I feel it fits the rest of the material nicely and we get a peek into DICKINSON’s vision of the tune. "Mistress of Mercy" is the only track on offer here that I feel falls a bit short compared to the other material. It’s not a bad metal track (it too is one of the heavier tracks) but the other material is much stronger. It is not a song that you would skip but it may not be one that you would go back to often.
The final three tracks are a mix of somber, epic, and menacing. "Face in the Mirror" is a somber tune that starts off with piano and slowly build a bit adding other instruments. DICKINSON doesn’t push himself vocally on that tune which shows off his fullness and depth to his voice. The following piece, reminds me of “Man of Sorrows” off “Accident of Birth”. "Shadow of the Gods" has that same drama and epic feel but also includes a great middle section that gets quite heavy. To finish off “The Mandrake Project”, DICKINSON unleashes a BLUE OYSTER CULT-ish menacing tune that is just shy of ten minutes. Roy Z puts in one of my favorite performances of his and quite honestly, the lead work is stunning. While it is not an upbeat heavy tune, it is a great moody piece that (as I write this) is my favorite and the perfect way to end this whole record.
DICKINSON is an artist that does what he feels and “The Mandrake Project” is where his heart is at the moment. I don’t know where it will fall in the ranking of his solo albums (only time will tell) but I will say that it is very high on the list. If you are a fan of IRON MAIDEN or just BRUCE DICKINSON, you would be a fool to ignore “The Mandrake Project”. Let’s hope he decides to tour the U.S. because some of these tracks could be monsters on stage.