Regardless, it's a much better swipe at the ills of social media than most metaphorically bankrupt takes by rockers near or over Dickinson's age.Īmong the very best lyrics is the cynical, " Take a pearl from an oyster and feed it to swine." It's almost like it's Bruce's version of Marie Antoinette's immortally tyrannical, peasant-mocking "let them eat cake" line (note: the quote attribute is disputed). That context makes the cultural touches to this otherwise poignant power ballad (at least in structure, early on) feel a bit puzzling. "Fingers in the Wounds" is actually about social media and deification of influencers. The lyric " Take a pearl from an oyster and feed it to swine" ![]() What an introduction and overture of sorts, setting fans up to expect a lot of different moods and textures.Īnd while we're on this track, let's give special attention to the splendor of the lyric and melody, " Across the shining seas / Eyes of creatures follow me." It might be the catchiest bit on the whole record! And Roy's burly riffs are all over this thing (along with some magnificent solos). With five Iron Maiden albums occupying the space between The Mandrake Project and Tyranny of Souls, it's quite refreshing to hear Dickinson in this musical context again. Once the "Afterglow of Ragnarok" single dropped, we learned that this sinister mood gives way to a walloping riff that's actually quite bouncy and a bit jovial.ĭickinson's three previous solo records showcased the singer's voice against more muscular, rhythmic guitar parts, courtesy of his longtime writing partner Roy Z. When news of a new Bruce Dickinson album first dropped, it was accompanied by an audio teaser of the tense intro, revealing weighty, sludgy guitars with dark overtones. Now, let's get into what we love about this album! That Big Riff in "Afterglow of Ragnarok" On The Mandrake Project, Dickinson's creativity feels as inexhaustible as his onstage energy, complemented by the inspired, textured playing of his aforementioned longtime writing partner, Roy Z. Of course, there's some speedier and rockin' tunes occupying most of those 59 minutes - he's not deviating far from his roots - and they're among the most immediately rewarding parts of the album. It was a no-pressure kind of thing.It's some of Dickinson's most dense work to date, with layers of Roy Z's sludgy guitars conjuring emotive atmospheres against delicate piano melodies, providing a wide open foundation for the now 65-year-old's voice to showcase what it does best. With ‘Resurrection Men’, Bruce was like, ‘Can you get us a (surf guitar pioneer) kind of sound?’ I said, ‘Here’s an amp that does that, so show me what you’re thinking.’ He ended up doing really well ’cos he was inspired by us vibing on it. “I just said, ‘Hey, it’s your solo record, let’s have fun.’ He’s written riffs, but we’ve never had him play guitar on a record of anything. That fall, he announced he was leaving Maiden and it just went from there.”īruce play guitar on the tracks “Resurrection Men” and “Face In The Mirror” (on “The Mandrake Project”). But then he turned around and went, ‘Hey, I’m Bruce, I love your band, who are you?’ He asked if I wanted to come to the UK and write with him. One day I came in and there was this guy at the desk, listening to my shit, long hair flying everywhere. ![]() I’d told my engineer that I didn’t want anyone to hear my music, no exceptions. “It was 1993 and we were working in the same studio – him in the day, me (with the band Tribe Of Gypsies) at night. What do you remember about meeting Bruce for the first time? talks about numerous hot topics, including his relationship with Dickinsonnot just now, but also when the two artists first met more than thirty years ago. In an interview with Metal Hammer, Roy Z. Inquiring minds are naturally hungry to know more about Bruce Dickinson‘s solo project, an endeavor whose recent resurgence has resulted in new album “ The Mandrake Project.” There is no better source to discuss this project’s nuances than the album’s guitarist, producer, and long-time Dickinson collaborator Roy Z.
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