Bruce Dickinson

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Jer said:
So interesting to hear the continued hatred for Mandrake, when for me it’s just a very middle-of-the-road record. I’d take Mandrake over TM or BTP any day of the week.
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Same, though we'll see what improvements he made on Balls, and maybe it'll go up a notch or two. As for Mandrake...it's fine. Certainly not as strong as his lauded Roy Z trilogy and it has definite failings here and there, but I'd never classify it remotely as an abomination. Interested to see what the new lineup comes up with. Since Roy seems to be in a bad place and possibly has been for a while, Mandrake's middle-of-the-road quality, as you put it, might've been a result of that. Maybe the end of their partnership was for the best going forward. We'll see.
 
dickinson1978 said:
Im sure that bruce dickinson thinks exactly the same about the album. Thats because he wants to record another one that fast
dickinson1978 said:
Thats what he would say.... the best since chemical . No,seriously im sure he knows that the album is not good at all.
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I doubt he thinks it's his best solo album, but he certainly thinks it's one of his best albums and he said it's his favorite after TCW, iirc. He's started his solo career again so the next album to come out sooner is expected. Plus the album was a success in the charts. I think it's better than his first 3 solo albums, the ideas, but all of his stuff is solid, different and consistent so it's not that easy to rank, and especially when the album feels unfinished.
CA Bryers said:
Same, though we'll see what improvements he made on Balls, and maybe it'll go up a notch or two.
Interested to see what the new lineup comes up with. Since Roy seems to be in a bad place and possibly has been for a while, Mandrake's middle-of-the-road quality, as you put it, might've been a result of that. Maybe the end of their partnership was for the best going forward. We'll see.
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This x2. If BTP has newly added parts like solos, melodies, it could be improved. They really wanted to finally release TMP after all these years and maybe they didn't ''care'' much about the details, although Bruce isn't responsible for the guitar parts, except for riffs right? New ideas, old ideas, different stuff, using Eternity, working and recording fast, vocals from different years, no title track, released alongside with a comic, guest players...

I just hope the new album will bring the energy of the band live, although it depends on the material. Use the 2 guitars, Bruce. TMP could like a transitional album for the following one, I sure hope so, like in metal happens. Working with a proper band and a concentrate writing/finishing of the songs. Let's see. But will he write in his classic solo style (this is the tricky part)? He talked about more keyboards.
 
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Bruce talking about the new album to contain more keyboard parts (let's see how many) is no surprise. He is a fan of Deep Purple after all - and watching at a random a cut part from this 1986 interview, he really likes SIASL and given the description, it's no wonder he wrote a song like Rain On The Graves years later. With subtle keyboard parts, we should expect Mandrake #2, not another album like Chemical or Tyranny, which isn't cool, but that's what Bruce enjoys now. I hope it's more metal in feel than Mandrake, not sure though. It's interesting how big part of the ideas will the keyboards be (they were used more or less for pretty much all songs on the latest album). It might be another different album for him.
 
Another album like Mandrake isn't necessarily a bad thing, as long as it gets the care it deserves. Not having material writen over decades and a bunch of different writing and recording sessions will already serve as an improvement. Add to that some more willingness to edit when necessary and a hopefully stronger production (less fake sounding drums!) I believe can result in a pretty strong album, even if it's not in the style of AOB/TCW.
 
Yes, if I had to make a prediction based on his comments, I would also say “The Mandrake Project Part 2” rather than an album that is more metal.

But he has even more projects:
bravewords.com

IRON MAIDEN's BRUCE DICKINSON Backs London Grassroots Music Tube Map

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has launched a Tube map of the city’s grassroots venues as part of a new campaign to support the capital’s independent music scene, reports Rolling Stone UK. The bold campaign sees the Mayor joining forces with the Music Venue Trust, Outernet, the Featured Artist...
bravewords.com bravewords.com
 
Vaenyr said:
Another album like Mandrake isn't necessarily a bad thing, as long as it gets the care it deserves. Not having material writen over decades and a bunch of different writing and recording sessions will already serve as an improvement. Add to that some more willingness to edit when necessary and a hopefully stronger production (less fake sounding drums!) I believe can result in a pretty strong album, even if it's not in the style of AOB/TCW.
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Of course, I like Mandrake's ideas and sounds and think it's a strong album overall, but I really want to hear pure and heavy metal from Bruce like TOS again. Faster material. It's like, there's plenty of different stuff and approaches in it, it's done, so let's hear like the next step forward if you will... which could be heavier, faster and modern in feel metal, idk. How much more experimentation can there be in the next album? Improved Mandrake with more guitars sounds interesting. But I think he'll use old written demos. New with the band? We'll see.
By edits do you mean arrangement (though the songs aren't long) or vocals? I hope for more studio takes from him, but I don't have high hopes for the production.
Melony said:
Yes, if I had to make a prediction based on his comments, I would also say “The Mandrake Project Part 2” rather than an album that is more metal.
But he has even more projects:
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Lately he's been into 70's rock like Scorpions, some Chicago and Yes progg stuff, so. But I'm sure he still enjoys the real heavy stuff, he mentioned it's his solo thing, not Adrian's, so let's hear it again. Mandrake wasn't like going beyond TCW sound, more like going back to BTP.

He's going to wait one year to release the album again. I thought half of an year is the most. Probably closer to the tour? I guess with a single and promotion late next year like he did for Mandrake.
 
Kalata said:
By edits do you mean arrangement (though the songs aren't long) or vocals? I hope for more studio takes from him, but I don't have high hopes for the production.
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Yeah, I was mostly referring to arrangements and Sonata in particular. There are many really cool moments on that track, but by staying so close to the first take it doesn't capitalize on the potential that song has, in my opinion of course. I think another writing session where they look at the different parts, keep what works and adjust a few things here and there, would've resulted in a far better track than what we got.

As for the album, having two guitarists who learned to play Bruce's earlier material for the tour, could result in a heavier album than Mandrake. I think both of them have a pretty good understanding of the various eras of Bruce's career and the definitely have the chops to pull the songs off. Hopefully this could result in an album with more 70s inspired stuff like Rain On The Graves, while also featuring a couple of heavier guitar oriented songs that are reminiscent of AOB/TCW or TOS.

Despite not liking Mandrake very much, I'm really looking forward to the next album.
 
CA Bryers said:
Since he's already announced a new producer for the new album and he's demoing songs with a new band and has barely mentioned Roy in interviews in the last year or so, I'd say the odds are slim at best. There's enough evidence to suggest he's moved on from Roy.
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And would you mind giving me a short update on the thing with the new album? I didn't really follow the discussion or any news. When is that one supposed to be released?
 
Dick Brucinson said:
And would you mind giving me a short update on the thing with the new album? I didn't really follow the discussion or any news. When is that one supposed to be released?
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Here you go:

blabbermouth.net

BRUCE DICKINSON Has Demoed 18 Songs For His Next Solo Album, To Be Recorded In Early 2026

On April 21, IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson took part in the Musicians Institute's MI Conversation Series with host Ryan J. Downey in Hollywood, California. During the chat, which can be seen in two parts below, Dickinson spoke about the fan response to his latest solo album, "The Mandrake...
blabbermouth.net blabbermouth.net
 
Vaenyr said:
As for the album, having two guitarists who learned to play Bruce's earlier material for the tour, could result in a heavier album than Mandrake. I think both of them have a pretty good understanding of the various eras of Bruce's career and the definitely have the chops to pull the songs off. Hopefully this could result in an album with more 70s inspired stuff like Rain On The Graves, while also featuring a couple of heavier guitar oriented songs that are reminiscent of AOB/TCW or TOS.

Despite not liking Mandrake very much, I'm really looking forward to the next album.
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The album will contain heavy riffs for sure, the question is will it be heaver and more metal than Mandrake with 2 guitars. They can play all styles and love Skunkworks. Do they have any original studio recordings?
70's heavy like Rain, but with keyboards? Honestly I don't know what to think about this statement about more keys. For all/most songs I'm not a big fan of. I certainly don't expect more songs like Sonata, which is like bonus material written with a different structure, ideas and sounds. I guess songs like Shadow, Afterglow, Many Doors, Wounds(?) is the path.

I always look forward to new music from my favorite bands, no matter what.
 
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