I think it's a decent record, but certainly a disappointment. I had hoped for a record of the ToS quality level (I certainly didn't expect TCW or AoB, so that one is purely on you). But it's clearly a mash of finished songs and semi-finished songs. It's more of a far-along demo than a studio record to me.
I'd say that's true for media in general. If something, wether we're talking music, tv shows, books, games or movies, is good? Great, that's awesome! If it's genuinely bad? There's fun to be had by picking it apart, looking for plot holes, pointing out the issues in the recording, stuff like that. It elicits some kind of emotional response. But if it's boring? There's nothing to praise, nothing to "hate on" (for lack of a better term). It just ends up forgotten rather soon.
Why not? Just because it's made by them? A turd is a turd. It does not make the great albums of the favourite band any worse, so I have no problems to admit if my fave band did a turd. Maiden is the band example. One of my fave bands of all time, but they did weak albums.
For me its an albumwith ideas and song writtren in their free time. And they put it on a record.
This. 2 good songs
Sonata is the only song I go back to Mandrake for now and to an extent Afterglow. Yes two of the most unpopular songs on this forum but Sonatas melody is something.
I go just for the first 2 ones. Resurrection man and rain in the graves are 5/10 and boring. And the rest is really bad. Its a bad album.
The guitar playing is really subpar, Bruce delivers, but uninteresting overall(!) and even boring (some songs, ok) or not good enough to remember for a Bruce solo album... wow.
Thisx3.
Because it's my favorite artist and no song is that weak or unlistenable. Every solo album of his is solid, good, great, interesting and different. Tattooed and Skunkworks are definitely good albums for their styles.
Interesting take on things, songs from different writing sessions can do this. More than half of the album is good imo. I can say: different than I expected, and worse different than I wanted it to be. The 2 guitars can make the difference and elevate especially longer songs.
Generic stuff? Rain, Mistress, Face?
Two of his best solo songs overall.
I was vaguely aware of Silver Wings but never really gave it a chance until they started playing it on the radio post-Mandrake release and I have to admit, it's not a half-bad tune that. They should play it live honestly, since AFAIK the only time it got played was in '02 and the potato-quality mic-clipped-to-hell footage from that era isn't exactly enticing.
So pretty much what EVERY band does which is not full-time professional. And still many of them do better.
I mean it SOUNDS like this. Exactly what they said how it was recorded. During years and i think they used the ideas they have and thats all.face in the mirror ( i cant remember the song title ) sounds like a song from years ago.
I don’t mind the Mandrake Project. I don’t think there are any terrible songs on the album. My only frustration is you can hear that Bruce used different vocal takes from over the course of 25 years. It is really obvious which takes were done pre and post cancer (just listen for the lisp in the new verse of Eternity). I wish he would have just re-recorded all the vocals. That would have given the album a more consistent sound and feel.
I doubt he can sing like chemical
I couldnt remember the song. But for me sounds like a pop/ indie song from 90s. And 9 minutes? I feel that album hasnt been worked like CW or AOB and maybe like TOS too and they were in different places. Dont know. I remember listening to it and the next song was boring,and the next boring. And so till the end
For his first couple of albums the best or most interesting songs are found in the bonus tracks or B sides in my opinion. Yeah, Tears is the exception, but stuff like Darkness Be My Friend, Fire Child, the two No Way Outs, hell even weird experimental stuff like Tibet or dumb fun stuff like Cadillac Gas Mask; I prefer those to anything on TM and BTP (again, with the exception of Tears, though even there I prefer the First Bit, Long Bit, Last Bit version to the album version).
