Bruce Dickinson

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TheMercenary said:
My review is here : http://www.metal-integral.com/fr/chroniques/8960/bruce-dickinson/chronique-the-mandrake-project.html
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Great review. Can't wait. Thank you. :ok:
So great to read stuff like - ''a true masterpiece and masterful adventure''. Or: ''different from its predecessors, heavy side, melancholic melodies, variable rhythms, surprising riffs, versatile vocals and brand new things on a Bruce album''.


It's cool to hear that Resurrection Men will have a gallop. Janick-esque riff too. I'm worried about the intro though, I hope it's good. It seems this is indeed a very different song for Bruce and I hope its heavy instrumental section is not short. Using lyrics from If Eternity Should Fail is curious (I wonder if they're sung with the same vocal melody) - and I think this again shows that this song is the hidden title track of the album. It will be fitting since it contains some experimentation, a trademark of the album, it seems. Also, it seems (as expected because we have quite a few examples with other solo songs of Bruce) that some of the intros will be repeated as outros. Bruce really need to stop saying Steve's songs are repetitive.

Symphonic vibe and high vocals for Fingers In The Wounds, great! I hope it's a fast short rocker.

Mistress Of Mercy is one of the songs that reviews have drawn comparisons to various older songs of Bruce. King In Crimson, Starchildren, Machine Men, Maiden's Starblind in the solo - heavy and melodic is my guess. It should be faster, right? Also, solos? I like that you mentioned solos (not ''a solo'') for some of the songs. That's so great to hear. And I would prefer the chorus to be more like Maiden's Face In The Sand than Age Of Innocence.

Shadow Of The Gods - Bruce's best vocal performance, chanting vocals, heavy vocal part, Chemical Wedding/The Alchemist vibe, beautiful song - what's not to like here, sounds like an instant classic.

Eternity Has Failed - similar intro, lyrics and melody -> I really hoped for something more different. It seems the chorus will have more different lyrics and be longer. Nice. The instrumental section should be a total classic.

I feel Face In The Mirror will be a gem. Man Of Sorrows vibe, peaceful and melodic, acoustic and piano parts. Bruce does a Janick-type of solo! This is very curious.

You compared Sonata with The Alchemist, Eternal and Maiden's Journeyman, so I should like it, but ''never really takes off'' for 10 minutes, idk. It should be a special and emotional closer. Cyclops-style of vocals should be good. It seems the chorus lyrics will be very repetitive and Bruce should deliver with the vocal melody big time. Hint of Taking The Queen and Return Of The King in the lyrics is fitting. And Roy with a Dave-esque solo is cool. He's good at that.

Many Doors To Hell - Bruce shines, Purple's Burn vibe (but minus the speed). I don't like this, I really hope this is (a much needed) fast song as #2 on the album. Also, 2 songs in a row with a 70's vibe.


Contemporary expression of Bruce Dickinson, not a reboot of his previous solo albums, combining all of his previous solo albums sounds but creating its own innovative design, thus transcending all of his previous works. Sidereal album.

^What a great way to end the review. :)

We have to say that the build-up for the album is really good. Lots of interviews and promotional reviews, even more than Maiden for SJ? That's why I don't want leaks. The hype for this album is huge. There was a lot less promotional stuff in 2005, though times were different. With the album and the upcoming tour, time is really flying until Maiden are back on the road again. It's great.
TheMercenary said:
It's not a 'Tyranny Of Souls II' or a continuation for 'Accident Of Birth' and 'The Chemical Wedding'. It's something else that brings together everything Bruce Dickinson has done since 'Balls To Picasso' ('Skunkworks' notwithstanding).
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This was expected and is probably the most logical choice.
Donner said:
He's in Maiden now so to present Maiden-ish metal songs on a solo record would feel weird to me.
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It's worth noting that Roy has said in the interview back in 2005 from a few pages back that with Bruce back in Maiden, there is no point for them to make Maiden-sounding songs. Although I wouldn't call Abduction or Soul Intruders entirely Maiden-esque songs.
 
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I don't really feel like anything from Chemical Wedding or Tyranny of Souls broached the Maiden-esque. Even from Accident of Birth, there were only a couple songs (mostly what Adrian helped write) that had Maiden vibes. The more modern drumming and guitar/riffing style on those albums really help distinguish Bruce's solo work from Maiden. So far nothing off Mandrake sounds very Maidenish either.
 
Wickerman1204 said:
It is better than Maiden version with very good solo
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I really doubt it, even with a solo section. We'll see, but it's hard to beat a Maiden version, especially because of Nicko and Steve, and guitar harmonies.
Mosh said:
I don't really feel like anything from Chemical Wedding or Tyranny of Souls broached the Maiden-esque. Even from Accident of Birth, there were only a couple songs (mostly what Adrian helped write) that had Maiden vibes. The more modern drumming and guitar/riffing style on those albums really help distinguish Bruce's solo work from Maiden. So far nothing off Mandrake sounds very Maidenish either.
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There are Maiden-esque songs on almost every album, but as an overall sound or approach - I agree with you.
 
TheMercenary said:
Honestly, I've never read reviews about The Mandrake Project before writing mine. I prefered to read them after having finished mine to compare my feelings with the ones of other journalists. ;)
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Yeah I agree. I like to read reviews after new movies or albums, fun with others opinions. But I feel that if I start to read reviews before I experience something new, its fucks with my own perception of something :lol:
So I find it a bit weird that alot of people do that, but thats my opinion lol
 
Mosh said:
I don't really feel like anything from Chemical Wedding or Tyranny of Souls broached the Maiden-esque. Even from Accident of Birth, there were only a couple songs (mostly what Adrian helped write) that had Maiden vibes. The more modern drumming and guitar/riffing style on those albums really help distinguish Bruce's solo work from Maiden. So far nothing off Mandrake sounds very Maidenish either.
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Machine Men felt like a song off of Piece of Mind.
 
Have read @TheMercenary's review of The Mandrake Project. I admit google translate from French is a total mess but WOW i got the impression that Bruce is still in the esoteric/mystic mode which I like a lot. I am attracted to themes in the face to death, oppressed by mortality and so on. (Or the vice versa, when vampire wants to die, because he/she is tired from perspective of eternal blood) Now I want to hear Shadow of the Gods, Sonata, Eternity Has Failed, Many Doors To Hell, Resurrection Men badly.
There's echoes of The Chemical Wedding/The Alchemist if i understood it correctly.
By reading the review this album promises to be very versatile. A tear-jerker.
Can't wait to hear it and many thanks to @TheMercenary for the review!
 
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Randalf said:
Reading this thread, I feel almost guilty for being positively curious and excited for all the experimental elements and also liking Rain on the Graves as much as I certainly do. :p

Seriously though, I'm certainly on board with people who are having some doubts on Sonata and such and I'm not saying everything Bruce does is automatically brilliant. I'm just very excited and waiting to hear the album myself on the release day and form my opinion on it. I find the reviews very interesting, but not to the point of putting expectations on individual songs for better or worse. E.g I really like Darkest Hour on Senjutsu, despite it's lyrics, but if I took all the "LIKE A SONG FROM THE CHEMICAL WEDDING" pre-hype too literally, I might have been a bit too disappointed.

I totally sympathize with folks expecting and hoping "Tyranny of Souls II" or "continuation for Accident of Birth & The Chemical Wedding" as those are what I would've wanted in the first place as well, but expecting something like that might potentially lead into a disappointment. In that sense, I'm in a fortunate position, since I'm basically just excited to unwrap another Bruce Dickinson album and discover it's mysteries as it is.;)
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Overall this, especially the last comment. Experimental elements are curious, but it depends to what extent for the listener. The reviews certainly put some expectations, but not to Maiden's level for me. And I don't think Darkest Hour is a weaker song than Gates Of Urizen.
 
Kalata said:
That's what I got and I like that approach too.

Also, @TheMercenary , you mentioned that Bruce and Roy wanted to release a solo album in 2007? This is news to me.
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Bruce signed an option for a series of solo albums in conjunction with Tyranny of Souls (most certainly a null contract at this point) Pretty sure I read it in Sweden Rock Magazine which sported a multiple page Bruce interview plus multiple ToS reviews.
 
Kalata said:
Where did she say that?…
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Here. I know it's about the setlist, but I thought the comment wouldn't make sense if the new album wasn't heavy as well.
Kalata said:
Dave and Tanya are preparing for the tour.

It seems he chose his drum kit - and looking at it, I know you can't tell @TheMercenary , but was Dave's double bass pedal used on the album for some songs? I guess for the faster songs. Are there several of them?

Tanya: ''Wow... do we have a face melter of a setlist coming together for this tour. Let’s just say, heavy riffs and rock n roll is alive and well with lots of Drop D’s and Low B’s''. Some potential setlist hints? I feel they will mainly play the songs without 2 solos and without Adrian's solos.
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