Bruce Dickinson

I watched the interview and the impression I got from Bruce's words was more of a *I know the Maiden schedule for the next couple of years so it'll give me a chance to plan the solo gigs around it as well* vibe rather than *Maiden is about to end in a couple of years so I'll have time for solo business!*

But again, that just what I gathered, not staring it as a fact.

And well, of course the mentioned interpretations aren't mutually exclusive, but anyway.
I also watched it after my post and I agree with you. No hint that Maiden might retire or anything.
 
Here's the interview:


It is a good read, with some interesting information about the album's songs.
 
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So he got married. Again.

Interesting interview otherwise. It seems like he is fully focused on music now.
 
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Here's the interview:


It is a good read, with some interesting information about the album's songs.
Thanks! interesting interview
 
People are like, ‘Oh, you wrote this song?!’ Well, yeah, I also did Powerslave and Revelations and Flash Of The Blade on my own completely.”

:scared:
 
Here's the interview:


It is a good read, with some interesting information about the album's songs.
Thanks for sharing this interesting interview.

Curious bits:

''Some of the songs surfaced all at once, some took a while, some I dug out from 20 years ago. The amazing thing is that they all fit. Sonically they all fit. They’re all obviously me or have contributions from me. There’s quite a bit of collaboration with Roy, and quite a bit of odd eccentric things that I wrote completely solo – guitars and everything''.

Bruce said he is almost glad the album was delayed because it has made the project stronger and bigger.

''It’s a heavy rock album, but I’m not limited by having to fit in a niche. I’ve got the freedom to be as heavy as I like and I’ve got the freedom to be heavy in different ways. The key to making it all work is it’s authentic, it’s not just, ‘Oh we’ve got five minutes, what do we do? Write some shit ballad and put it in there.’ Nothing on the album is there for no reason. It’s all there because it stands up with the other things. That’s quite rare. Every album I’ve done there’s always been a couple of songs where you’ve gone, ‘Yeah, these aren’t quite doing it for me in the same way.’ There isn’t a single track on this album that I don’t listen to and love. Number Of The Beast didn’t even have that. There’s so many classics on that record, but I was always a bit, ‘Well…’ about Invaders or something. But you’d forget about that because the rest of it is fucking great''.

''Most people would probably say the best record I did was The Chemical Wedding, and then, depending on whether or not you’re into more straightforward metal, you go Accident Of Birth. Then there’s the outliers that go, ‘Actually, Skunkworks is really fucking good.’ And Skunkworks was quite good, but it was such a shift for the way people were back then. A lot of people have moved on so they appreciate Maiden for being Maiden, but that doesn’t mean that everything else has to be like Maiden. And that’s really changed in the past 15 years. A lot more people are thinking more out of the box in terms of music''.

''When you have something like that that has this magic to it, don’t fuck with it. If there are mistakes, they’re not mistakes, it’s called humanity. As long as they don’t upset you. Some people go to the extreme of trying to control everything to the point where they control all the life out of a song; even though it might be more perfect in their eyes than it was before for technical reasons, all the life has gone''.

''Nobody remembers that in this year on this date we sold more tickets than this band or the other band, but everybody remembers when they were there and we sang this song and they were moved to fucking tears. That’s the only thing that matters, it’s the only thing that’s real in all of this. That’s what motivates me to carry on doing this''.

''This solo record is really fucking special to me. Everybody who’s heard it gets it, so now I have the problem of, ‘What do I do?’ I have to tour it and do this and that, but I have to go and lie down in a darkened room like, ‘Stop trying to beat this record. Just be authentic.

And enjoy the ride
''.
As for the songs info:

''Afterglow Of Ragnarok'' - it wasn’t a frostbitten armageddon that so interested Bruce, it was what happens after, when ''the sun will rise again'' in a tale of cleansing and redemption.
''Many Doors To Hell'' - is about a vampire who has eternal life.
''Rain On The Graves'' - is an idea, bits of lyrics he has had since 2008.
''Resurrection Men'' - is called a standout track on the album and is about the extraction of the human soul and storage of it. The inscription on the album cover? It could be viewed as a title track in a way.

For the control and analysis, I’ve got Roy, and it’s what a producer is for. When I’m doing my stuff, I rely on instinct and I’m not afraid for it to go wrong in a good way. Happy accidents. There’s a lot of moments on this record that are like that. Like the last song [Sonata (Immortal Beloved)], where 90 per cent of the vocals were stream of consciousness. One take – we never did another one.
 
I can see Maiden doing a farewell tour around 2025-26 and then Bruce continuing with his solo project. If he can tie in other things like graphic novels, he could drag out the Mandrake Project for several years.
I doubt it. Also, I doubt (not that it's impossible) Bruce would drag out TMP tour over several years playing all the songs from it. He wants to play more of his discography, but I think he would prefer to do that with different tours. The tour could be 2 years (continues in 2025 in NA and other places), especially if he has plans to write new music with Maiden (early 2025 for a few months; winter tour for Maiden like next year). But who knows what his plans are. I don't expect another solo album anytime soon, unfortunately. Idk why.
I think it was because his girlfriend said it was fantastic as it sounded. (Not because Roy)
Yeah, that's odd. Let's hope it's for the best for this curious song.
 
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Nothing on the album is there for no reason. It’s all there because it stands up with the other things. That’s quite rare. Every album I’ve done there’s always been a couple of songs where you’ve gone, ‘Yeah, these aren’t quite doing it for me in the same way.’ There isn’t a single track on this album that I don’t listen to and love. Number Of the Beast didn’t even have that. There’s so many classics on that record, but I was always a bit, ‘Well…’ about Invaders or something. But you’d forget about that because the rest of it is fucking great.
TNOTB catching strays for no reason lol
 
''Many Doors To Hell'' - is about a vampire who has eternal life.
My anticipation meter. This one dropped a point, after Bruce's description. (judging purely by description)
''Rain On The Graves'' - is an idea, bits of lyrics he has had since 2008.
''Resurrection Men'' - is called a standout track on the album and is about the extraction of the human soul and storage of it. The inscription on the album cover? It could be viewed as a title track in a way.
Those two gained +5 points.
 
I watched the interview and the impression I got from Bruce's words was more of a *I know the Maiden schedule for the next couple of years so it'll give me a chance to plan the solo gigs around it as well* vibe rather than *Maiden is about to end in a couple of years so I'll have time for solo business!*

But again, that just what I gathered, not staring it as a fact.

And well, of course the mentioned interpretations aren't mutually exclusive, but anyway.
I got the same vibe with the other slight possibility that he's anticipating Maiden to take a year off in 2025. The 2024 tour starts pretty late for Maiden standards and they might not be in a hurry to get back on the road after that. Maybe there's some studio time in there but I'm getting the impression that we might see Bruce tour NA summer 2025 since Maiden won't be doing anything.
 
I got the same vibe with the other slight possibility that he's anticipating Maiden to take a year off in 2025. The 2024 tour starts pretty late for Maiden standards and they might not be in a hurry to get back on the road after that. Maybe there's some studio time in there but I'm getting the impression that we might see Bruce tour NA summer 2025 since Maiden won't be doing anything.

I am not so sure Bruce will be touring NA as a solo artist (it would be great if he did, as he has some very loyal fans over there, like @Jer). The last time he went there he was playing at very small venues and he did not go back on The Chemical Wedding tour.
 
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