Bruce Dickinson - The Mandrake Project

[Trev]

No release date set other than early 2024, but I'm more excited for this than any Maiden album over the last 15 years

Dickinson explains: "This album has been a very personal journey for me and I am extremely proud of it. Roy Z and I have been planning, writing and recording it for years, and I am very excited for people to finally hear it. I'm even more excited at the prospect of getting out on the road with this amazing band that we have put together, to be able to bring it to life. We're planning to play as many shows as we can in as many places as possible, for as many people as we can! As for what 'The Mandrake Project' actually is... all will be revealed soon!"

The first live shows to be announced are in Mexico and Brazil in April and May 2024, with further touring plans to be revealed in due course.

[Bomberman]

yeah, just heard of that too...looking forward to it, his solo stuff has been awesome so far....

[Thorn]

Will shit all over the last Maiden anyway no doubt

[Ducky]

Bonus points that Roy Z isn't afraid to make guitars sound like guitars vs. Shirely and Harris making every Maiden album this century sound like limp noodles.

[Eoin McLove]

I've never listened to any of his solo albums.

[Pagan Saviour]

They are genuinely more interesting than Maiden's output over the past couple of decades. If you haven't listened to any of them go for The Chemical Wedding.

[Eoin McLove]

Will do, cheers.

[jobrok1]

Bruce's solo stuff is quite good.
And certainly got much better with each release.

Seen a clip yesterday on Instagram with yer wan from Meath listening to a track in a studio with Bruce.
I wonder if she'll be contributing bass for the album.

[Trev]

I find his early stuff is a bit uneven, some good stuff in there but a bit padded out. Kinda feels like he was doing his best to distance himself from Maiden and throwing in a load of different styles that didnt always work

The run of Accident of Birth - Chemical Wedding - Tyranny of Souls though is fantastic

[londonleatherboy]

Great stuff..as stated his solo stuff is superb and the second half of his catalogue is actually metal and not the muddy sounding bloated shite maiden have been peddaling with him wailing over it for 20 yrs

[Pagan Saviour]

Yeah I don't rate either Balls to Picasso or Tattooed Millionaire, both of which seem like a case of Bruce Killing time with whatever musicians he could find.

I do think Skunkworks is a good album, maybe not all of it works and some of it a little dated now but there's some great songs on it.

[Carnage]

Got Tattooed Millionaire at the time and it put me off his solo stuff for decades. I've heard some of The Chemical Wedding and it was OK, I need to hear it properly I suppose.

[Anvil]

Accident of Birth, Chemical Wedding and Tyrant of Souls are all really good and worth a listen.  The earlier stuff is very patchy.   

[Thorn]

Yep, those three are gold, what if the new one is anything like as good I'll be happy

[Don Gately]

Ah feck off, last Maiden was decent so was Book of Souls