Out of the weeds & into the mind: The Mandrake Project Review
Disclaimer: Its the first time I've ever written such a long review so it might feel a bit rushed. But if time permits will work on honing my writing skills.
I’ve been on to The Mandrake Project since last week like white on rice. The album I would describe as fast-paced, heavily experimental but at the same time melodic. Bruce & Roy Z have certainly tested the limits of their experimental keenness on this album & it is something that can be heard throughout. For those expecting Accident of Birth, The Chemical Wedding or Tyranny of Souls, this album is a completely different animal that is the spawn of some alien life-form somewhere in this universe . While there are shoutouts to some of the songs from the older albums, The Mandrake Project as a whole still feels very Un-Bruce like. Running almost as long as The Chemical Wedding, the album certainly doesn’t feel like an hour long & is fast-paced. Ongoing themes on the album are end of the world, revival of the dead & love, not a very common combination one would see in a Heavy Metal album but this is Bruce Dickinson for you & he can do whatever he fancies (except on Arry’s watch ).
So let’s break this down song by song & delve a wee bit deeper into each track that makes the Mandrake Project more than just another ordinary album.
P.S. My ratings here might differ slightly from what I posted earlier on as I’m still learning the album.
Track 1: Afterglow of Ragnarok – 7/10
END OF THE WORLD & HOPE best define the theme of this track. On the first listen, I was first of all taken aback by the way Bruce sounded (not production-wise). Given that this song was recorded in 2023, I got to admit that his voice has never sounded better. The slow, starting riff, while dark picks up in a matter of seconds & we are welcome into Dickinsons world of heaviness. A mid-tempo track with dark & dramatic lyrics is what Ragnarok is in a nutshell. A catchy verse which abruptly transitions into a slow, dark pre-chorus which then leads into the drama-filled chorus. While this shift seems abrupt & a haphazard, Bruce is a story-teller with a taste for drama. He tries to tell his tale in his own way which may not sit comfortably with many fans. This is where I realized that one would need to see the world from his vision, how he visualizes story-telling, no matter how eccentric (he enjoys hanging out in graveyards so…. ). The spoken parts do to an extent add to the feeling of the song while unnecessary. Then we go into a bit of a prog build up to a solo which is rather short & rushed through. The final closer with the thrashy “Afterglow of Ragnarok” chants certainly don’t do much justice to the song but are a “necessary evil” to add to the feel of the closing bits of the track.
Track 2: Many Doors to Hell – 8.5/10
ROCK YOU LIKE A HURRICANE, ANYOONE???? The starting riff transports us back into the classic intro of the legendary Scorpions song Rock you like a hurricane. Opening into a slow-mid tempo verse section accompanied by the amazing keyboard sounds, we are introduced to Bruce’s story about a vampire who no longer wants eternal life & just wants to call it quits with his cursed life. Lyrically, I’d say one of the best songs on the album as it describes the loathe a vampire feels about immortality, really well. Again we are led to a pre-chorus here after the first verse where we can hear Bruce hitting some high registers, reflecting the cry of the vampire. The “dual Bruce” sound in the chorus certainly adds to the feel of the song accompanied by the overall catchy melody. The second verse follows with keyboards being a wee bit prominent & further adds to the whole vampiric feel. The melodic mid-section post the chorus along with Bruce’s cries certainly adds to the feels & then we’re back to the intro, leading us into the final round of the “dual Bruce” chorus accompanied by a short solo in the background, ending with Bruce’s cry which certainly sounds terrifying almost as though you heard a vampire cry out loud.
Track 3: Rain on the Graves – 6/10
THERE’S RAIN ON THE GRAAAAAAVESSSS. As excited as I was when I saw the promo video for the song, I have to admit that I was crestfallen on hearing this song. The first verse which is again spoken, transported me back to Sweeney Todd given the entire gothic nature of the song setting. It certainly felt like a musical, that could be used as a soundtrack in a movie. The spoken-word chorus leads us to the heavily repetitive chorus which forces us to see that there’s rain on the graves. Just when we expected a more innovative chorus, you get repetitions instead. The song follows suit with the second verse & the repetitive chorus, but wait!!! We finally have a more tangible guitar solo on this one. Played by Chris Declerq, this is certainly a melodic chorus, ending with a mild shred (almost like Z’s) & probably the only memorable part of the track. Back again to the spoken verse one last time ending with the repetitive chorus with some raspy, sinister Bruce laugh, the song ends on a fading note.
Track 4: Resurrection Men – 7.5/10
MY NAME IS LAZARUS & I RAISE THE DEAD. The classic wild west meets latin America like intro on this one, certainly gets one to look forward to the rest of the track. Leading into a mid-paced tempo, cowboy like vibe, we’re treated to some sinister sounding guitar melodies hinting at something possibly going to go wrong during the resurrection therapy. We’re welcome to Bruce’s agonizing vocals on the first verse, totally trying to crush his vocal chords with that high- register delivery. Going into the chorus, again another catchy chorus where he’s “advertising” the abilities of Prof. Lazarus. Post the first chorus we move into a very doom-metal like section, accompanied by slower & heavier drums & menacing sounding guitars melodies. Bruce returns here takes on the role of sounding guitars melodies (almost like an OST to a Zombie Apocalypse film). Bruce’s vocals here further talk about Prof. Lazarus & how he raises the dead. This section of the song certainly adds to the whole resurrection feel & envisioned me to think of a lone gun-slinger (Prof. Lazarus in this case). While a solo would have certainly done justice to the track, there are none here & again we return to the mid-paced tempo from the beginning. While the song does have place-holder for being amongst the more experimental tracks on the album, I think a guitar solo & a longer, more doomy mid-section would have made the song a lot more interesting. It does certainly feel a little rushed but could have been one of the top tracks on the album.
Track 5: Fingers in the Wounds – 7/10
PRAY THAT HE’S GOD!! While the intro reminded me of “Only for the Weak” by Inflames, the song does take on a more subtle & melodic approach. This 3.5 minute banger while slow-paced does stick to the mind as does every other track on the album (except Rain).The mid-section again heavily experimented on with the whole Arabic/Middle-Eastern feel certainly adds to the feel of the track. The quieter “Over & over” part felt again rather abrupt & a rapid change in musical pattern & not something I am a fan of. Maybe a guitar solo in the background of the mid-section could have potentially made the section a lot better & more catchier. But all in all a decent but an experimental filler on the album.
Track 6: Eternity has Failed – 7.5/10
I AM FORMED OF THE DEAD. Oops was that on the Maiden version?! My bad (). Well I see what Bruce did here just replacing a couple of instruments here & there on the intro section but his voice sounds exactly as it did for the Maiden version. A slow & heavy verse to manifest the Dickinson heaviness into the song. Interesting guitar solo while production-wise did feel too high pitched (as if a human were screeching). Then we turn to a keyboard solo which is very Stratovarius type & unexpected but it does certainly add to the feel of the track. The final verse accompanied by choir in the background honestly sounded okay but the song could have done with out it. And the closing line of Necropolis where he only identifies himself as Necropolis could have been dropped or replaced with something better (the Maiden version still rocks). Compared to the Maiden version, I’d say I prefer the Maiden version due to it being more fast & better drums of course).
Track 7: Mistress of Mercy – 8.5/10
ANOTHER WORLD, ANOTHER LIFE. Freak & Headwitch were the first songs to come to my head on hearing this the first time. Albeit sounding like Freak, I liked it far more than freak due to lack of repetitions & a catchier chorus. While a fast paced track, guitars are a lot thicker here & heavier too. Drums sound the best on this track. I think the best & most melodic chorus here giving you the feeling of happiness, joy & things working out the way they should be. Did get “Summer Song by Joe Satriani” feels during the build up to the solo & then Roy returns with a ripping but a short solo. The final chorus with Roy’s background lead is probably the best part of the song & really feels like a “kickass scene” from a superhero film. Ending with the choirs again was not required as it took away the whole sci-fi vibe the song had for me. Loved the close though as it sounded very robotic & mechanical.
Track 8: Face in the Mirror – 7/10
Not to comment much here. A basic acoustic ballad about drinking & how it can do you in. Nothing particularly catchy here but again acts as a filler to lead to the final two titans of the album.
Track 9: Shadow of the Gods – 9/10
WORLD OF THE DEAD!! A beautiful & melodic start to the track. Not going to lie but this gave me Poets of the Fall vibes with the piano & everything & did not feel like a traditional Bruce track at all. Drama & darkness filled this song for some reason reminded me of Lord of Light by Maiden not for the melody, but for the overall dark & gloomy mood. It all flows well till the heavy guitars start filling in & make you rock to the melody. Yes this was super catchy & fits the mood of the track. The part I disliked the most was the “world of the dead”. Like we could do without it. It ruined the melody for me & hence the rating for the song. I’d have rather had that filled with a guitar solo (Similar to Dread & the Fugitive Mind by Megadeth) as I think it would have really setup well for the transition to the slow, dramatic outro of the song. A top track for me overall with the potential for a lot more.
Track 10: Sonata (Immortal Beloved) – 9.5/10
FOR LOVE WILL TEAR YOU APART. Say what you must about this song, call it a mess or haphazard but this track is a n emotion & drama filled piece of beauty. Never did we think we’d get such a vehement sequel to Accident of Birth’s, Taking the Queen. How to turn a fairytale into an emotional & teary love song? Maybe Bruce has the answer to it & he has answered it in the form of Sonata. A song written back in 1998 & staying in the wraps for 26 years has finally gotten out of its cocoon & has grown to be one hell of an emotional butterfly The mechanical drums at the start don’t have a Metal feel to them but certainly accompany the quiet guitar intro. Won’t deny but felt this had a very pop-like feel to it. Bruce crying out “Save me now’ in that low register really reflects on the muted & speechless like feeling on the entire track that sets the mood for it given the Queen is dying. Moving to my favorite part on the album, the second half really felt like the queen had ascended into heaven looking down upon her king, who mourns her death & is torn apart by being madly in love with her. The spoken word by the angel of death, mocking the king at his loss further adds to the misery of the loss of your soulmate. Ending the song on a 2 minute long guitar solo & a melodic one that too was the icing on the cake. The guitars felt far more sad & gave the impression of hopelessness the king felt at the loss of his queen & he not being able to save her. Overall, an experimental behemoth that won’t disappoint if melody & prog are the things one would seek.
Overall while the album still lags TCW, TOS & AOB, its definitely a grower & an album I would come back to time & again. This is but a reminder of the creative & experimental prowess of Bruce Dickinson & an album for the more open-minded folks.
Production-wise:
6.5/10.
Reasons: Muffled vocals on many tracks & over-produced drums.
Album Rating:
7.75/10
Top 3 tracks: Sonata (Immortal beloved), Shadow of the Gods, Mistress of Mercy
CHEERS!!!
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