Bruce Dickinson – The Mandrake Project

With the year slowly coming to an end it might finally be time to look back at Bruce Dickinson’s long-awaited The Mandrake Project that was released back in March.

The Mandrake Project, the first solo studio album by Iron Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson in nearly twenty years, was dropped all the way back in March, and I’ve been meaning to review it, only to constantly get waylaid by hyper-kinetic releases from the likes of Perchta or Ponte del Diavolo or Candela, the highly recommended new album from Spain’s excellent Svdestada. For every “mainstream” rock or metal album coming out this year, there have been two releases that have instantly demanded more of my attention. Since Bruce’s seventh opus will very likely end up somewhere in my top ten list at the end of the year, I thought it was time for a much deserved and belated look at it.

My critique of the latest few Iron Maiden albums still stand: both Senjutsu and The Book of Souls are overlong, unnecessarily drawn out records that do not need to be double albums at all and are in dire need of some trimming. A number of songs could and should have been left on the cutting room floor and Steve Harris’ incessant need to pad every one of his songs with acoustic intros and outros is becoming tiresome to the point where it can seriously disrupt an otherwise good song.

What a relief it is then to find out that most of the songs on The Mandrake Project have a running time around the five minute mark, with only four out of ten songs exceeding six minutes of length. The album kicks off with the snappy Afterglow of Ragnarök, a mid-tempo speedy rocker with a deliciously crunchy guitar riff and a nice, moody atmosphere. It’s dark and heavy and much more tuned down than Iron Maiden, so it accommodates Bruce’s ageing voice better. He still sounds strained at times but never so much as he does on some latter-day Maiden songs. Many Doors to Hell is an even better song, again strong in the riff department and a pleasant, subtle layer of Hammond organ to supplement an otherwise already great song.

The album’s second single, Rain on the Graves, still isn’t a favourite of mine. The chorus is rather uninspired and I’m not a fan of the half-sung, half-spoken verses either. Resurrection Men, featuring Bruce on guitar playing duties, fare a whole lot better, with a fun, almost surf-guitar style guitar gallop and a moody, mid-tempo middle section. Following the great, ballad-esque Fingers in the Wounds, we’re treated to Eternity Has Failed, which you might remember from Maiden’s The Book of Souls album. It packs bit more punch in this version, but I frankly don’t see the point of re-releasing this on the album proper, even if it was originally written for it (and subsequently nicked by Steve Harris).

Mistress of Mercy is another speedy rocker, followed by the nice ballad Face in the Mirror. Bruce saved the best for last however, with the mighty power ballad Shadow of the Gods. Augmented by lush orchestration, it’s a melancholy highlight reminiscent of Tears of the Dragon in its execution and overall mood. The album is brought to a grand close with Sonata (Immortal Beloved), which sounds like it was written originally for The Chemical Wedding album, following a number of similar musical and lyrical themes. It’s an impressive epic, with Bruce’s wails of “save me now / help me live again” guaranteed to induce goosebumps on at least the first few listens.

The Mandrake Project was long awaited and in the end does not disappoint. There is nothing wrong with the songs Bruce writes for Maiden (especially the ones he writes together with Adrian Smith), but the continued collaboration with Roy Z and the artistic freedom he enjoys when not having to write songs that are more formulaic really brings out the best in him. That’s not trying to put Maiden down, but their songs are more formulaic and do have to fit into a more confining mould in order for them to work properly. For now, The Mandrake Project is a proper metal highlight that’s definitely going to end up at the top of a lot of lists, and deservedly so.

Label: BMG

Buy it here: https://brucedickinson.tmstor.es/

Track listing:

Afterglow of Ragnarök (05:45)
Many Doors to Hell (04:48)
Rain on the Graves (05:05)
Resurrection Men (06:24)
Fingers in the Wounds (03:39)
Eternity Has Failed (06:59)
Mistress of Mercy (05:08)
Face in the Mirror (04:08)
Shadow of the Gods (07:02)
Sonata (Immortal Beloved) (9:51)

Line-up:

Bruce Dickinson Vocals, Guitars (additional acoustic), Percussion, Keyboards (additional), Songwriting
Roy Z Guitars, Bass, Keyboards (additional), Songwriting (tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, 9, 10)