Bruce Dickinson will include one surprise on his upcoming album.
Iron Maiden's official website shared a press release on December 1 confirming the arrival of Dickinson's new album, "The Mandrake Project." The material will be released on March 1 on Double Vinyl, Deluxe CD, Digital formats and Digisleeve CD.
"Sonically heavy and rich in musical textures, it sees Bruce bring to life a musical vision long-in-the-making, and features some of the finest vocal performances of his career," the post read. "Recorded largely at LA's Doom Room with Roy Z doubling up as both guitarist and bassist, the line-up for The Mandrake Project was rounded out by keyboard maestro Mistheria and drummer Dave Moreno."
What To Expect From Bruce Dickinson's New Album?
During his appearance on Loudwire's "In Conversation" live event on January 16, Dickinson confirmed that his new solo album will feature his first-ever guitar solo.
According to the musician, Roy Z made him play the guitar.
"I said I'm going to show you the riffs and the chords and everything and he said, 'Yeah, cool. Well, you do it!' And I said, 'Well, yeah, but I'm not very good so if you do it, it'll be a lot quicker and he said, "No, no, you do it.' And I went, 'Okay, just for the demo, right? Just for the demos,'" he revealed.
Dickinson continued, "So, on we went for the demos. A lot of it did get replaced, but some bits he kept, sneakily, without me realizing. There's a guitar solo - my first guitar solo in recorded history and also probably my last."
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His "The Mandrake Project" contains 10 tracks: "Afterglow Of Ragnarok," "Many Doors To Hell," "Rain On The Graves," "Resurrection Men," "Fingers In The Wounds," "Eternity Has Failed," "Mistress Of Mercy," "Face In The Mirror," "Shadow Of The Gods" and "Sonata (Immortal Beloved)."
The album set "Afterglow Of Ragnarok" as the lead single, with Dickinson describing it as "a heavy song and there's a great big riff driving it...but there's also a real melody in the chorus that displays the light and shade that the rest of the album brings."
In the same interview, Dickinson reflected on playing piano on Iron Maiden's "Empire the Clouds," saying it was kind of "robotic and mechanical" for him.
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