Bruce Dickinson's 'The Mandrake Project' - Album Review

Considering how frequently Iron Maiden have been on the road since Bruce Dickinson returned to the band in 1999, it is not a surprise, if a shame, that his promising solo career which he undertook during the 1990s whilst out of the band had, until recently, essentially stalled. Prior to earlier this month, his last solo album, Tyranny of Souls, came out in 2005 - and he had not been on the road as a solo artist since before that. Clearly a lot of good has come from him re-joining Iron Maiden - but it is a shame that doing so had to come at the expensive of his solo career, which saw him exploring a type of hard rock and metal rather different to that which made him, and Iron Maiden, famous. I am certainly no expert on Dickinson's solo career, but I generally like what I have heard - especially the two albums he released in 1997 and 1998: Accident of Birth and The Chemical Wedding. He would never have been able to release such albums with Iron Maiden - and they seemed perfect for the time, with a heaviness and a post-grunge approach mixing well with Dickinson's traditional rock, metal, and prog tendencies. As the release of Tyranny of Souls, an enjoyable record but not one as strong as the two which preceded it, showed, though, Dickinson was still keen to put out albums under his own name. Iron Maiden have been fairly prolific, at least for a legacy act, in the 25 years since Dickinson re-joined the band, though, putting out six albums in that time - and they have also undertaken multiple lengthy world tours. Iron Maiden never seem to truly slow down, so it is not hugely surprising that Dickinson had not, until recently, put out anything himself since 2005. There has often been talk of a new solo album from him, though. Even back in 2015 when The Book of Souls (which I reviewed here) was released, Dickinson noted that one of the songs which ended up on Iron Maiden's sixteenth studio album had been repurposed from an upcoming solo project. I am not sure that, nine years on, such a project could really have been described as upcoming - but when Dickinson's seventh solo album The Mandrake Project dropped at the beginning of the month there was plenty to be excited about. The album certainly felt like a bit of a statement, too, with some deluxe versions coming with a comic book telling the story of the album's concept. It also saw Dickinson reunited with Roy Z (Driver; Tribe of Gypsies; Halford), with whom he co-wrote and co-produced some of his best solo work. Z handles the guitars and bass guitars here, then, with keyboardist Mistheria (Viracocha; Artlantica; Tower of Babel) and drummer Dave Moreno (Puddle of Mudd; Tribe of Gypsies; Love/Hate) both returning from Tyranny of Souls. These four musicians are responsible for much of the album - although there are also a couple of guest guitar solos from Dickinson's new touring guitarist Chris Declerq and the legendary Gus G. (Firewind; Dream Evil; Mystic Prophecy; Nightrage; Ozzy Osbourne). As I said before, I am no expert in Dickinson's solo catalogue - but The Mandrake Project fits in nicely with those releases from the back end of his solo career to date. His earlier albums felt quirkier and an attempt to do something different, but from Accident of Birth onward he came into his own - and The Mandrake Project feels like the successor to those released, whilst also exploring some new ideas.

The album's overall structure is quite interesting - as the first two thirds is generally made up of heavier pieces, with the closing third being much slower. It definitely feels like a journey as a result, and The Mandrake Project opens with one of its heaviest cuts: Afterglow of Ragnarok. There are strong doom vibes throughout the murky piece and it builds slowly over a synth-heavy backing - with Moreno's drums sounding powerful and organic, whilst Z's guitar tone is dark and relatively modern. Overall, I really like how this album sounds - but I do sometimes feel that Dickinson's voice is a bit low in the mix. This has often been the case on the more recent Iron Maiden albums, too, and it is a shame. This is not too much of a distraction, though, and the overall sound of the album is tight and consistent - with driving riff of Afterglow of Ragnarok really jumping out of the speakers, whilst Moreno's double bass drum patterns feel tight and mechanical. The verses make us of this riff and drum pattern, whilst Dickinson delivers some creepy vocals in his lower register - but he starts to let rip during a pre-chorus section which then gives way to a more synth-laden and expansive chorus. The vocal hooks are memorable, and the chorus is one of the best moments on the album for me. There are lots of memorable vocal hooks throughout the album, though, which is unsurprising as it is much more song-based on the whole. There is much less of a focus on instrumental sections than on an Iron Maiden album, but Z still adds a screeching guitar solo to the track - albeit a short one. Many Doors to Hell picks up the pace somewhat, but the song is much more typically hard rock than metal - with Mistheria adding a lot of Hammond organ throughout. As such, then, there is a strong Deep Purple or Uriah Heep vibe during the track - which harks back somewhat to the more hard rocking sound of Dickinson's debut solo album Tattooed Millionaire from 1990. The song is less quirky than that album's core sound, though, and it fits in nicely here despite not being as heavy as the song which came before. Z's main guitar riff is relatively jaunty, which is nicely augmented by the organ, whilst the verses are a bit more subdued - with the organ setting the tone whilst Dickinson sings in a less over-the-top manner. He pushes himself during the chorus, though, and the famed air raid siren approach is put to good use over Z's repurposed main riff to create a hooky chorus which is very Deep Purple in style. Dickinson spoke in his autobiography a lot about his love of 1970s hard rock and prog, so it is good that he included a song here which very much allowed him to channel those influences. Moving to something more quirky, Rain on the Graves channels vaudeville and classic horror influences - with a snappy vocal approach and plenty of atmospheric depth from Mystheria. The verses here are essentially delivered in a spoken word/poetic manner - whilst the occasional tough guitar riff interjects to provide some weight. As has been referenced a couple of times already, Dickinson has a bit of a quirky streak when it comes to songwriting - and that is on full show here. His spoken word approach is fun and the overwrought horror organ which is utilised occasionally helps to add to the vibe. The chorus is more typical in approach, though, but it essentially just repeats the song's title over and over - a trope which has been annoying Iron Maiden fans for years. I like the song overall, and it includes a great solo from Declerq, but it certainly seems to be trying quite hard to be zany - so it will not be for everyone.

Resurrection Men opens with the pulse of the bass and an acoustic guitar being strummed; and it morphs into something of a bluegrass-inspired rocker with a driving drum groove, prominent additional percussion, and some acoustic guitar melodies which sound like something from a Spaghetti Western soundtrack. The track is generally pretty up-tempo, and does feel heavier when more traditional electric guitars take over, but the overall vibe is rather strange. It feels like Dickinson wanted to do something of a country rocker, and maybe include some of Z's Brazilian influences, but somewhat chickened out. Much of the song ends up feeling very straight forward after the interesting intro, and the raw production gives the feel of something which could have been on the first Black Sabbath album. Z's guitar tone and riffing style is quite Tony Iommi-esque once the acoustic guitars and country elements are swept aside - although the bass playing is funkier, which, again, introduces some different ideas. I am not sure that the song manages to successfully meld all of its influences together - and it is one of the weaker cuts here as a result. Fingers in the Wounds is much better, though, and it slows things down somewhat - going for a more epic sound. The song is piano-driven, with the verses essentially featuring Dickinson singing against a drum and piano backing - but the song opens up during the chorus, which is much more string-filled and heavy. Eastern-tinged melodies are used during a later mid-section to create something a bit different, but in general the song feels more classically-inspired - with Mistheria's piano essentially ever-present and the chorus taking on a bit of an old-school prog feel. Given how much goes on throughout the song, it is surprising that it is the shortest here. It is the sort of song which could have probably been expanded on a bit, but I like the brevity and variety as things stand - and it is fun to hear Dickinson singing against a piano backing. It was mentioned earlier that Dickinson repurposed one of his solo pieces for The Book of Souls. That song was If Eternity Should Fail, and the original version Eternity Has Failed has been presented here as it was originally intended. There are subtle lyrical differences and it has been re-arranged somewhat - but overall the two songs are very similar. Given that Dickinson had already used the song I am not sure why he reused it here - I can only assume that it is key to the album's concept. I liked the Iron Maiden song, though, so I also like this version - with the chorus here perhaps sounding a bit more powerful. The song feels weightier overall, too, which is due to the overall production of the album, and it also features G. shredding a great solo. Mistress of Mercy then ups the pace. As it is the last genuinely heavy track here it seems fitting that it is the album's most in-your-face piece. It reminds me a little of the approach of Many Doors to Hell - but the track feels heavier overall. There is still an organic feel throughout, with the Hammond again getting some screentime, but the guitar riffing feels much more metallic - and Moreno goes all-out behind his drum kit with plenty of busy fills and double bass patterns. After a few more varied pieces, too, it is good to return to a more straight ahead sound - with a powerful chorus that brings the best out of Dickinson and some great lead guitar from Z. It is the sort of song that I can imagine going over live really well - so I would not be surprised to see it included in the setlist for Dickinson's upcoming tour.

As mentioned earlier, the last third or so of the album is generally slower and more atmospheric. There are still heavier moments to come, but generally what follows from this point on is more melancholic - with Face in the Mirror kicking off this closing trilogy. It is another song which is led by the piano, but it is a ballad instead of a more string-led rocker. Dickinson has generally sung ballads well over the years, but his performance on this track feels a bit off for some reason. I cannot really put my finger on why - but he sounds a bit thin and tuneless. The chorus also includes some strange vocal harmonies, too, and overall the piece does not really do it for me. I like the acoustic guitar solo which comes later, and it is always nice to hear some piano, but Dickinson does not feel as emotional or as weighty as he has often done when singing ballads. Perhaps he has lost some of that over time - but his performance on the following two songs would suggest that is not the case. Shadow of the Gods is another slower track, but it feels more epic than the previous one - with sombre piano, strings, and punchy drums, over which Dickinson sings. The thinness of his delivery from the previous track is absent here, and he sounds more like how I would imagine him to sound whilst singing a slower piece. I am not sure why Face in the Mirror sounded the way it did, then, but Shadow of the Gods is better in every way - with the rumbling piano performance grounding everything, whilst the strings elevate the track greatly. Perhaps it is the fact that this song is more epic-sounding that Dickinson sounds better vocally here. It encourages him to push himself a bit more - and the strings require a more dramatic delivery. It is also more diverse arrangement-wise, as it does get heavier as it moves along - with Z's guitar riffs kicking in part way through to create a chugging, mid-paced groove. There are even sections here where Dickinson sings in a somewhat chanted manner with some effects on his voice which sound like his interpretation of harsh vocals. The song works well due to its dramatic arrangement and varied delivery, then, getting things back on track following the weaker previous cut. The album then comes to a close with the lengthy Sonata (Immortal Beloved), a slow-burning piece which takes on a more progressive atmosphere throughout. It is just shy of 10 minutes long, so is the longest piece here, and it does not sound like anything else on the album. It is essentially another ballad, but it goes for a much more atmospheric approach - with stark percussion, effects-heavy slide guitars, and doomy keyboards acting as a great backing for Dickinson's thespian vocal delivery. He hams it up a lot here, which suits the song's meandering arrangement nicely, although the chorus sections are a bit more typical-sounding with heavier guitars. It is hard to know what to compare the song to, but it reminds me somewhat of Fish's epic piece Rose of Damascus - just in the way the arrangement creeps along, the mix of sung and spoken vocals, and the relatively sparse arrangement despite the song's length. Despite the song's length, though, it never really drags for me. I imagine that not everyone will like it, as it lacks Dickinson's usual bombast or any real metal, but there is something compelling about the melodies and atmosphere - and it is great hearing Z's slide playing and some excellent lead-based moments which come in towards the end. The songs ends the album really well in my opinion, and it is quite daring for someone like Dickinson to include a piece like this here - particularly given his lack of solo output of late. Overall, then, despite a couple of weaker moments, The Mandrake Project is a lot of fun and surprisingly varied. Dickinson has always been more than just a NWOBHM singer, as his varied solo albums have shown, and that variety continues throughout the 10 songs here. Not every experiment works, but there is a lot to like here and I am looking forward to hearing some of these songs live in May.

The album was released on 1st March 2024 via BMG Rights Management (UK) Ltd. Below is Dickinson's promotional video for Afterglow of Ragnarok.