It's a really good solid album. Hey, we should be glad Bruce is still releasing new material, it's been nearly 20 years and the bonus is; we get to go see him on tour in the spring to hear new and classic Bruce Dickenson tracks !
Record still growing on me big time. It takes time to really become familiar with a song, how it evolves, the bridges, solos, so I have some more listens to do before I can judge it correctly.
I'm still absorbing the album, I am enjoying it I love all the different elements in the music i especially love Shadows of the Gods it's my fave track on the album...it will need more listens as of right now I'll give a 4.25...Accident of Birth and Chemical Wedding are still much better though
Agreed, was just thinking much as I love Senjutsu it would've been better if Roy Z had produced it. Kevin Shirley is a badass but that last one left certain things to be desired. The production on this and anything else Roy works on is stellar. Nice guy too, met him in Hollywood a few years ago. Can't wait for the kickoff show at the Conservatory on 4/15!
Yes Gary. He gave an honest review I can take in with, I thought it was 3,5-4 so. Sorry I missed chat in this. Had to respond to see where food delivery was and check and make call to voicemail as missed call. Was here for others before and the pick. Im feeling some better but no where near full. Going thru motions today. Life sustaining. TC.
I'm liking this more with each listen, lots of different elements and styles to digest. My favorites are Shadow Of The Gods, Resurrection Men and Many Doors To Hell. I give it an 8/10.
Thank you, Pete, for your review. All the damn time. I think, Bruce Dickinson , new release is just ok, but not enough to draw me into it. 🎤🎸🎵🎹🥁 Life is better now with music.
I am with you on this one. For me, it is his 4th best, a notch below Tyranny of Souls but it sits way below The Chemical Wedding and Accident of Birth. Martin is gushing about it and is calling it a masterpiece. It is definitely the most interesting album in Bruce’s catalog but interesting doesn’t mean great.
Again, cool that you wait before the review. Way more credible than other reviewers who are too quick to review. I didn't care about face in the Mirror but I caught myself humming the song over and over yesterday, so I warmed up to it.
Martin's a good dude but I don't trust his reviews at all. He's also saying the new Priest is the best thing since like British Steel or something. Now while the songs I've heard have been good, I'd venture to say he's going to be way off base on that one too. 😎
Exactly! Martins a great personality, but he seems too focused on "staying off the beaten path." There are times when his reviews and descriptions of music leave me completely boggled! We like what we like, but his claiming of some albums of little merit as solid gold or masterpieces, while denigrating proven treasures.....grain of salt when it comes to Martin's music reviews!
It certainly doesn't sound like an album collecting nineteen years of good ideas. Even if it wasn't disappointing in comparison to Bruce's last three solo records, the mere fact that pretty much every song Bruce has written for Iron Maiden in that stretch has been better than these makes it feel like a true side-project, when his solo work never felt that way before. It's still good, but it's far below even my nervous expectations.
I was a big Iron Maiden fan, I even saw them live with Paul Di'anno back around 1980 in a local sports centre, but I don't think they've done a good album since Bruce's reunion with the band for "Blood Brothers" in 2000. (I exclude the "meh" Blaze Bayley albums from that also.) I have bought every album since, except "Senjutsu", but it all feels like a re-hash of their earlier stuff with nothing really new or interesting going on. To give Bruce credit, when he rejoined the band it revitalised them and they took on a huge number of new and younger fans who clearly like their modern stuff - and good luck to them. But I think they're done creatively and are just "going through the motions" these days. I agree about the Bruce solo stuff - it has always sounded to me like "the songs Steve Harris rejected" and just not music that grabs me at all.
Fortunate to see him in HMV Birmingham, UK last week. I have listened to this many times and it is a big grower. This in my mind is a class album and I will play this for a long time. So many links to his musical faves too. Love it. Thanks Bruce for your imagination and creativity. By the way, I tend not to compare with other albums because other elements determine whether I like/dislike something, not least the time. place, relationships etc. It can sometimes cloud judgement....but it is a completely personal view....what one likes others may not.....and that is good :)
How is he. Its just that my brother bumped into him a few years ago in Glasgow. On taking the opportunity he asked for an autograph to which Bruce refused because he hadn't brought his book My brother didn't even know he had a book out. Spits Bruce's name these days 😅😅
3 listens in. I like it. Good mix of metal & rock stylings that keeps you engaged in the listen. Sitting at a 4 out 5 for me. It'll be interesting to see how this holds up over the year. Solid album.
I really like this album. A solid 4, maybe 4.5 for me. A LOT of people don't like Face in the Mirror, but I enjoy it. I'm flyig to the U.K. from the U.S. to see him in Glasgow and Manchester in May. Cheers, Pete!
Great review. I've been debating on purchasing this one since Bruce's solo albums have been up & down for me. I love Tattooed Millionaire & Balls To Picasso & some of the albums afterwards have been hit & miss. Will likely pick it up soon but not in a rush.
I love the last 3 songs; the rest sets them up. I think this will stand the test of time. A grower with quite a lot in it. And a whole album even though it is in different styles.
Great review. I’ve listened to it about ten times and it’s growing om me. There are some great tracks on the album, and I think ”Face In The Mirror” definitely is among them.
I digest one song at a time. So far, I have listened to only three songs. It will take me a year to hear the whole album. This way, you have something new to listen to all year long:)
I think this album kicks ass! It fits in well with his last two albums. I don’t mind Bruce’s voice on the album. He’s definitely showing his age but he’s still belting them out! His aged vocals fit well with the dark cryptic vibe! Well done old man!
Great review, thx! Read a recent interview w/Bruce in R.S. He's 65 (?), has survived throat cancer, written a few books and has his pilot's license. He also collects medieval swords. I'm the same age. Gee, maybe I need to get motivated. lol Find that article if you can, it's very good. ☮ 🖖...Pete, may you live long and prosper...
Amazing album in which I hear Dickinson love for progressive rock (no metal). Perfect production. I was not in love with the single but I love the album more and more. My fav track is Resurrection Men... anh heavy doom masterpiece
Yeah it's a solid album for me! I get what some are saying about it being front loaded but for me, the change of pace later on with the piano based ballads works very nicely and contributes to an overall very satisfying musical journey. I liked the album well enough on first playthrough but it's very definitely growing on me more with each subsequent listen. Favourite track right now, probably "Many Doors To Hell", but I'm sure that's likely to change back and forth many times. I'm not disappointed and certainly have no regret in having picked up one of the vinyl/CD packages on the pre-order.
I'm loving the album. I put it on and just let it rip from beginning to end without ever feeling the need to skip anything. That's rare! My favorites are the last 3 songs. In fact, Shadow of the Gods is a career highlight, in my opinion. What a killer track!
Cheers for the review Pete! The album is still percolating through my noggin after 5 or 6 complete runthroughs. I like it, but I'm doubtful whether it's gonna top Accident, Tyranny or especially Chemical in my estimations. Thanks again and BTW is it just me or is Bruces spoken words in Rain On The Graves very reminiscent of Deep Purples Anyone's Daughter? Prob just me lol
Enjoying the album, it’s growing on me. Really like the first half of the album, absolutely love “Many Doors to Hell”, enjoy “Rain on the Graves”, also really like “Afterglow of Ragnarok”, great heavy riff on that, “Resurrection Men” is great, they go full Sabbath on that track with a riff out of “NIB”, and “Mistress of Mercy” is heavy wand chugging, love the reworking of “Eternity Has Failed”… not big on the mellower stuff… solid overall, very good in some spots, dark and brooding, Bruce sounds awesome, shows off his range well…
.., another superb solo album: "The Mandrake Project" (March, 2024) from singer and songwriter: BRUCE DICKINSON: a professional fencer, author, commercial airline pilot (vocalist of the legendary heavy metal band: Iron Maiden) amongst other credentials, having previously released solid sounding solo efforts between 1990 and 2005 (such as "Accident of Birth" and "Skunkworks") this record is well produced and incorporating some additional interesting instruments with a couple of highlighted faves, being 'Resurrection Men' and 'Eternity has Failed' ..
You should have read the blabla though: "Almost finally, I hope my fellow Maiden voyagers get a kick out of the record, because we all know retirement sucks!" Hahahahaha About Eternity has failed, that WAS written for this story back then, but since this project was on hold for a long time, Steve Harris persuaded Bruce to give it to Iron Maiden. Now finally we get the song as it was and how it is supposed to be. Drums sound really good, I do miss a second guitar player to make a wider sound. I have the blue double vinyl, with a carton stencil, with the Mandrake logo. Pressing is wonderful. I like the very dark production. Going to see him on tour in the Netherlands.
A bit like the recent release by Saxon, I have so far only been able to locate digipak editions of Bruce´s new album. I did eventually find a jewel case release of Hell, Fire and Damnation, so I ordered it. If the same happens with The Mandrake Project, then I will certainly get that one, too. If not, then I don´t mind skipping it. Loyalty only goes so far at my age, even though I do have all of Bruce´s other solo releases. Great review by Pete, nice and detailed and with a good dose of personal opinion thrown in.
Im 5 or 6 full listens in and have already decided I like it a lot, probably up to a 4/5 now from just a 3 after 2 listens. Its a grower for sure, and I agree with one or two of Pete's criticisms, especially the slightly long running time - maybe 5 minutes or so could have been judiciously pruned here and there - and rhe over repetitive choruses on one or two songs are a bit annoying... Overall though, definitely a big thumbs up from me!
Heard this one is phenomenal, can never not love some Bruce... Random thought I had this week as well, how about a return of the Dream Setlist, this time with "The Mighty" Van Halen. Same as always, any era, any songs, no real limit. This idea came from watching Kiss Cobo Hall 1984 and Van Halen Montreal 1984 thinking about how badass a tour with those two that year would have been
Thanks to Finnish customs office, I have listened to the album once. It's not the worst or the best from Bruce Bruce. I am a huge fan of this guy, thinking he's one of the best vocalists ever. While he's doing better on here than on latter IM albums (after the first listen!), I wonder if some of his vocals were recorded prior to his illness? I fell this is an amalgamation of his heavy metal albums and 'Balls to Picasso'.
Pete what size is the comic book because it looks pretty big. I was told the comic with the CD was only 7 inches but the one you have is bigger than that.
Enjoying the music, but bought the "deluxe" edition, with the hardbound comic/booklet. Good luck getting the CD out. Tore mine and was really trying not to. Who in the world designs these things?
Me too , really like the music put the packaging uhhh ! I was lucky didn't rip mine but took me a good 10 minutes getting it out ended up turning it upside down and gently tapping it free.
I remember buying Chemical Wedding at the local mall and being so excited about it, I called a friend and played songs over the phone. Not feeling it so far. Though I haven't enjoyed the last few Iron Maiden albums. Will have to give it a few good listens, when I am in the right mood.
No it's a separate entity completely that came out in comic shops a few weeks ago. I actually sent Pete that since I had an extra copy and so he could give it a review over on his comic book geezers channel. Amazon has an exclusive book version where you can read a preview of it as does the 45 single that came out a couple months ago. However, you can support your local comic shop by going and getting a copy if they carry it. The series is going to be twelve issues in total.
@@jimmypage2843@adamski101 - Thanks for your replies - I appreciate it. I did get the Afterglow of Ragnarok single with the comic. Pete said something about “the accompanying” comic or graphic novel, so I wasn’t sure if there was a deluxe vinyl version with the book. I don’t think Pete is into vinyl, so I guess I should’ve known it was a standalone item. Thanks again, you guys. 🤘🏼
Totally agree with the 3.5 rating Pete. I’ve been playing this over the past week and have enjoyed each listen a little more each time. I would personally rank this at this time as maybe 4th best, behind the obvious 3 others. It’s just great to hear new material from Bruce.
I've not liked the last 2 Maiden albums but love this one. I think as a whole it's a coherent and powerful album. Better than Tyranny of Souls but doesn't hit the heights of Accident of Birth or Chemical Wedding.
After 5 full listens through, I have to agree with most of what you've said. My favorite track is the last one though. I think the best solo on the album comes at the end of the album and I like the way they build the song to the launching point for that solo. Overall, I'm not as put off by it as I was initially but, it's not an album that will rival the classics on my rankings. Not the worst album Bruce has done and I have to applaud his adventuristic approach to this album. I hope he hasn't tapped the bottom of the well creatively. I'd really like Maiden to give us at least one more album. Senjutsu is still in my rotation and it would be a fine album to ride into the sunset on but, it would be great to have one more album from the gang. I'd love it if they got songs from everyone on the next one though. Maybe have each song be a collaborative effort. I'd really like to see Dave Murray put something together with Bruce again!
Hey Pete, great objective review, I agree with all of your (and my) observations, there is a good variety of moods here, I prefer the heavy stuff, but Bruce is a versatile vocalist and he sounds great (still). I noticed in the writing credits the name "Ramirez" on several tracks, I assume that this is Roy Z's last name ?? or maybe he was inspired by the "Night Stalker" Richard Ramirez, 666, \m/ \m/ ; )
Just finished my first listen to the album and I'm seriously underwhelmed. That being said, I think it might have been impossible to live up to the expectations (hype/hope) considering the ramp up to release. My hopes were really high... and so far it just isn't cutting it for me. The lyrics seem very repetitive and at times rather uninspired. I felt the same about the 'Seventh Son..." Maiden release when it came out but that album did eventually grow on me. It just seemed like they were running out of steam and it wasn't too long before things in the Maiden camp kinda fell apart. I love Bruce and his solo works... so I'm hoping that after a few more listens The Mandrake Project starts to take root in my brain. In spite of my initial reaction... this is still better than most of the stuff that gets released these days. Thank you, Bruce, for being the legend that your are!
i pretty much agree with this review. I was a bit underwhelmed because Bruce was working on this album for so long. It feels more like a collection of songs than an album. And this isn't helped by the fact that you already know one (great) song and another riff really sounds like an older one (Freak). I have the 2 lp and in a while i will probably be returning to the first lp. 2nd lp not so much. I care least fot the last 3 songs. Don't think they're very good.
Agree. The heavy section is great. But it doesn't help that the track before is the weakest and the one after also misses the mark for me. Don't like his singing on that one.
I dig this album. Much more immediate than "The Chemical Wedding" IMO. I think it gets stronger as the album goes on except for "Face in the Mirror,' which is probably the weakest track. I'd put it behind "Accident of Birth". 4/5
@@independenceltd.I'm definetely one of those people. But it's not just the 80's Maiden: they were good until Fear of The Dark. After that: the ultimate snoozefest 😴
I agree with your review. It's a solid album, overall, with some really strong tracks and a couple tracks that do nothing for me. My favorites are "Afterglow Of Ragnarok," "Rain On The Graves," "Eternity Has Failed" and "Mistress of Mercy." Other solid tracks that are starting to grow on me are "Many Doors To Hell," "Resurrection Men," and "Shadows Of The Gods." "Fingers In the Wounds" is starting to click with me also, but it's not quite there yet. Maybe after a few more listens. The 2 songs that do nothing for me are "Face In The Mirror" (worst song, IMO) and "Sonata (Immortal Beloved)." Both of those songs are just too boring and slow, with the latter being too long (10 minutes.) I agree that Bruce sounds great and Roy Z's guitars are great. I do think this album is much, much better than Maiden's last album Senjutsu and maybe a couple other post-reunion Maiden albums. Also the production on this album by Roy Z is much better than the last 4 Maiden studio albums that were produced by Kevin Shirley.
You know you get a honest review with Pete and he’s not being outlandish just to get clicks. Unlike a certain other individual (first name begins with Mar and ends with Tin) who loves to pack on the hyperbole just to be controversial like he did with this album and the new Priest album. ITS THE BEST ALBUM EVER!!!! You can’t take those reviews seriously because you know he’s being disingenuous about it.
I agree Pete, i like the first 7 songs if i'm honest Face in the mirror is where it starts to slip, Shadow of the gods i like it but the start is to similar to Face in the mirror so you end up getting 10 minutes of music all too similar before the song kicks in and Sonata is a good song but goes on to long overall though it get's a 7 out of 10 from me
Tyranny Of Souls was a bit of a comedown from Accident Of Birth and The Chemical Wedding, it sounded a bit 'phoned in' but hey it was still a good album. When Bruce announced The Mandrake Project my expectations were MASSIVE because his solo career has always been terrific. I'll admit that I was a little disappointed by the two singles Ragnarok and Graves but the album is growing on me. It may yet end up being my third favourite of his. The only track I could do without is Face In The Mirror. I wish Bruce had found something better to swap for this. At the moment I would rank this fourth behind Chemical, Accident and Skunkworks but it could rise...
A lot of hype surrounding this one It's very good but it's not great I enjoy it but I don't really see myself pulling it out and rocking it out frequently to be honest. I'm glad I have it But on a scale of 1 to 10 it's kind of right there about a 7.75 for me. I know some people think it's one of the best things to come out in a long time that's okay everybody has the right to their opinion
I haven’t spent enough time with this album to say whether I really like it. I’ve been too busy enjoying the new Judas Priest album. Don’t hate it by any means, I just haven’t given it a good listen yet.
I'm more than a tad underwhelmed by this one. Admittedly it'll probably take repeated listens for it to grow on me, but it's definitely not an album that's hitting me in all the right places straight out of the gate. There's a certain vitality and energy that both Bruce's and Maiden's earlier material had thats missing here, although not as painfully so as is the case with modern Maiden who IMO are something of a sinking tugboat at this point.That said, I'm still very grateful that we still have a legend like Bruce with us releasing new material in 2024. Respect! 3/5 for me.
I haven't listened yet I'm planning it to be my driving music on my long ass haul to see KK's Priest on Friday. I knew when I heard Martin Popoff say it was probably his favorite now that wouldn't be trustworthy at all. He's a good dude but sometimes I shake my head at his reviews and opinions. There's no way it's better than the Chemical Wedding (which is as good as any Maiden album) and probably is going to sit behind Accident of Birth and Tyranny of Souls as well. You can't beat Roy Z and Adrian Smith on TCW and AoB. No. Effing. Way. I'm guessing I'm probably going to feel the same way Pete does about it and a buddy of mine who gives it a similar review to Pete's.
It's not a bad album, but it's not really good either. Nothing to get excited about, that's for sure. The only track that I felt was actually good was "Eternity Has Failed", but no surprise there, since it is an Iron Maiden redo. Most of the other tracks were decent at best and a few were just bad. The vocals had a good sound, but the lyrics on most of the tracks just didn't flow well, like there wasn't much effort in the song writing.
Exact same opinion, those 4to5 mentioned songs are really good, but mote than half not nearly as good. Would have benefitted from 1 or 2 songs like Ragnarok
I was a bit underwhelmed by this album. It has good moments, but as I saw some people describing it, sounds like a collection of well produced demos. 3.5 out of 5 is fair.
I have the feeling that Bruce Dickinson delivers better music on his own than in the Iron Maiden context. But what I can't understand about this album is that in "Face in the Mirror" he often doesn't hit the right note and then just puts the number on the album like that. With those weird vocals! I mean we're talking about none other than Bruce Dickinson, the greatest metal singer of all time. What the hell was good Bruce doing there? I sing in bands myself and you know when you hear the recording that your vocals were wrong. Does Bruce no longer have a good ear, or what was going on? Simply incomprehensible ...
Ragnarok is a true anthem and a banger kickoff track. The rest of it is pretty hit and miss. If the whole album had the vibe of Ragnarok I'd be doing backflips. But it's certainly not bad the way it is.
I think that Album is a total grower. At First Listen i thought nah Kinda meh, it grown With every listen and now i think its Great. Interesting is, my Favorite Tracks are the ones i dont liked at fitst, rain on the graves and shadow of the gods. Interesting Album for sure, there are Not many Albums out there where i changed my mind that much on.
It's a really good solid album. Hey, we should be glad Bruce is still releasing new material, it's been nearly 20 years and the bonus is; we get to go see him on tour in the spring to hear new and classic Bruce Dickenson tracks !
Record still growing on me big time. It takes time to really become familiar with a song, how it evolves, the bridges, solos, so I have some more listens to do before I can judge it correctly.
I tend to find that records that grow on me over time and the ones that stay with me the longest
I'm still absorbing the album, I am enjoying it I love all the different elements in the music i especially love Shadows of the Gods it's my fave track on the album...it will need more listens as of right now I'll give a 4.25...Accident of Birth and Chemical Wedding are still much better though
A great solo record. ‘Afterglow of Ragnarok’ is my favorite.
I would love a "Roy Z" produced Maiden Album.
Probably not going to happen. Steve seems to love Kevin Shirley
Agreed.
Steve'S ears are f**** and doesn't realize the prod on Maiden is muddy as hell@@JIF882
Please not. The sound sucks
Agreed, was just thinking much as I love Senjutsu it would've been better if Roy Z had produced it. Kevin Shirley is a badass but that last one left certain things to be desired. The production on this and anything else Roy works on is stellar. Nice guy too, met him in Hollywood a few years ago. Can't wait for the kickoff show at the Conservatory on 4/15!
A good pure honest review. Thx again Pete 👍💯
Yes Gary. He gave an honest review I can take in with, I thought it was 3,5-4 so. Sorry I missed chat in this. Had to respond to see where food delivery was and check and make call to voicemail as missed call. Was here for others before and the pick. Im feeling some better but no where near full. Going thru motions today. Life sustaining. TC.
@@thedarkwizardroom / best of health my friend 👍💯
And again Pete. Another milestone- thousand at a pop - 9️⃣3️⃣K. Congrats 🎈 my friend 👍💯
@@garyjoyce2160 Thanks Gary.
I'm liking this more with each listen, lots of different elements and styles to digest. My favorites are Shadow Of The Gods, Resurrection Men and Many Doors To Hell. I give it an 8/10.
10/10 Love it!! Have listened to it 9-10 times since it's release last Friday.
Give me a break
With repeated listens like you did, it grows on you big time. It'S a solid 9 to me
@@richards3862 one of his best!
TOPIC IDEA: Put together an awesome IRON MAIDEN like album using tracks from Bruces' solo projects.
Thank you, Pete, for your review.
All the damn time.
I think, Bruce Dickinson , new release is just ok, but not enough to draw me into it.
🎤🎸🎵🎹🥁
Life is better now with music.
That seemed like a very fair honest review of this album. Thanks Pete!
I am with you on this one. For me, it is his 4th best, a notch below Tyranny of Souls but it sits way below The Chemical Wedding and Accident of Birth. Martin is gushing about it and is calling it a masterpiece. It is definitely the most interesting album in Bruce’s catalog but interesting doesn’t mean great.
Are you putting Skunkworks above it then? I found the drummer let that album down sadly.
@@CM-dw3gh No, Skunkworks is my least favorite Bruce’s solo album.
I thought Popoff was out of his mind but after listening to it many times, I get the depth of the record and yeah it'S pretty close to a masterpiece.
Again, cool that you wait before the review. Way more credible than other reviewers who are too quick to review.
I didn't care about face in the Mirror but I caught myself humming the song over and over yesterday, so I warmed up to it.
A very fair review. I probably have it at 4 out of 5.
I also thought this was spotty. My hopes were up after Martin Popoff called it a masterpiece and the best solo album of this career, but nope.
Love Martin but sometimes he is too enamored with his own contrarianism. 😂
Martin's a good dude but I don't trust his reviews at all. He's also saying the new Priest is the best thing since like British Steel or something. Now while the songs I've heard have been good, I'd venture to say he's going to be way off base on that one too. 😎
@@jimmypage2843 sucks because you want to root for it to be that good.
Exactly! Martins a great personality, but he seems too focused on "staying off the beaten path." There are times when his reviews and descriptions of music leave me completely boggled! We like what we like, but his claiming of some albums of little merit as solid gold or masterpieces, while denigrating proven treasures.....grain of salt when it comes to Martin's music reviews!
@@treff9226 haha, okay in his defense, I'm loving the new Priest and ready to call it their best since 'Defenders of the Faith'.
Great review man.
Very good album. Although front loaded it comes back at the end.
It certainly doesn't sound like an album collecting nineteen years of good ideas. Even if it wasn't disappointing in comparison to Bruce's last three solo records, the mere fact that pretty much every song Bruce has written for Iron Maiden in that stretch has been better than these makes it feel like a true side-project, when his solo work never felt that way before. It's still good, but it's far below even my nervous expectations.
I was a big Iron Maiden fan, I even saw them live with Paul Di'anno back around 1980 in a local sports centre, but I don't think they've done a good album since Bruce's reunion with the band for "Blood Brothers" in 2000. (I exclude the "meh" Blaze Bayley albums from that also.) I have bought every album since, except "Senjutsu", but it all feels like a re-hash of their earlier stuff with nothing really new or interesting going on.
To give Bruce credit, when he rejoined the band it revitalised them and they took on a huge number of new and younger fans who clearly like their modern stuff - and good luck to them. But I think they're done creatively and are just "going through the motions" these days.
I agree about the Bruce solo stuff - it has always sounded to me like "the songs Steve Harris rejected" and just not music that grabs me at all.
Fortunate to see him in HMV Birmingham, UK last week. I have listened to this many times and it is a big grower. This in my mind is a class album and I will play this for a long time. So many links to his musical faves too. Love it. Thanks Bruce for your imagination and creativity.
By the way, I tend not to compare with other albums because other elements determine whether I like/dislike something, not least the time. place, relationships etc. It can sometimes cloud judgement....but it is a completely personal view....what one likes others may not.....and that is good :)
How is he. Its just that my brother bumped into him a few years ago in Glasgow. On taking the opportunity he asked for an autograph to which Bruce refused because he hadn't brought his book My brother didn't even know he had a book out. Spits Bruce's name these days 😅😅
Thanks for the review Pete, thinking of buying this.
3 listens in. I like it. Good mix of metal & rock stylings that keeps you engaged in the listen. Sitting at a 4 out 5 for me. It'll be interesting to see how this holds up over the year. Solid album.
I really like this album. A solid 4, maybe 4.5 for me. A LOT of people don't like Face in the Mirror, but I enjoy it. I'm flyig to the U.K. from the U.S. to see him in Glasgow and Manchester in May. Cheers, Pete!
that should be cool. have a safe trip!
See you there at Manchester!
Great review. I've been debating on purchasing this one since Bruce's solo albums have been up & down for me. I love Tattooed Millionaire & Balls To Picasso & some of the albums afterwards have been hit & miss. Will likely pick it up soon but not in a rush.
I love the last 3 songs; the rest sets them up.
I think this will stand the test of time. A grower with quite a lot in it. And a whole album even though it is in different styles.
Great reviews today Pete! Thanks as always for the epic reviews!
I listen to it last night in the car and i love it!Bruce sounds better than ever!Great album!
Great review. I’ve listened to it about ten times and it’s growing om me. There are some great tracks on the album, and I think ”Face In The Mirror” definitely is among them.
I digest one song at a time. So far, I have listened to only three songs. It will take me a year to hear the whole album. This way, you have something new to listen to all year long:)
I think this album kicks ass! It fits in well with his last two albums. I don’t mind Bruce’s voice on the album. He’s definitely showing his age but he’s still belting them out! His aged vocals fit well with the dark cryptic vibe!
Well done old man!
Great review Pete. Thank you
Great review, thx! Read a recent interview w/Bruce in R.S. He's 65 (?), has survived throat cancer, written a few books and has his pilot's license. He also collects medieval swords. I'm the same age. Gee, maybe I need to get motivated. lol Find that article if you can, it's very good. ☮ 🖖...Pete, may you live long and prosper...
Amazing album in which I hear Dickinson love for progressive rock (no metal). Perfect production. I was not in love with the single but I love the album more and more. My fav track is Resurrection Men... anh heavy doom masterpiece
Yeah it's a solid album for me! I get what some are saying about it being front loaded but for me, the change of pace later on with the piano based ballads works very nicely and contributes to an overall very satisfying musical journey. I liked the album well enough on first playthrough but it's very definitely growing on me more with each subsequent listen. Favourite track right now, probably "Many Doors To Hell", but I'm sure that's likely to change back and forth many times. I'm not disappointed and certainly have no regret in having picked up one of the vinyl/CD packages on the pre-order.
I'm loving the album. I put it on and just let it rip from beginning to end without ever feeling the need to skip anything. That's rare! My favorites are the last 3 songs. In fact, Shadow of the Gods is a career highlight, in my opinion. What a killer track!
Thank you Pete for being the voice of reason in reviewing this album amid the hyperbole.
How many CD's are we looking at there behind you? A rather impressive collection!
Cheers for the review Pete! The album is still percolating through my noggin after 5 or 6 complete runthroughs. I like it, but I'm doubtful whether it's gonna top Accident, Tyranny or especially Chemical in my estimations. Thanks again and BTW is it just me or is Bruces spoken words in Rain On The Graves very reminiscent of Deep Purples Anyone's Daughter? Prob just me lol
Enjoying the album, it’s growing on me. Really like the first half of the album, absolutely love “Many Doors to Hell”, enjoy “Rain on the Graves”, also really like “Afterglow of Ragnarok”, great heavy riff on that, “Resurrection Men” is great, they go full Sabbath on that track with a riff out of “NIB”, and “Mistress of Mercy” is heavy wand chugging, love the reworking of “Eternity Has Failed”… not big on the mellower stuff… solid overall, very good in some spots, dark and brooding, Bruce sounds awesome, shows off his range well…
.., another superb solo album:
"The Mandrake Project" (March, 2024) from singer and songwriter: BRUCE DICKINSON: a professional fencer, author, commercial airline pilot (vocalist of the legendary heavy metal band: Iron Maiden) amongst other credentials, having previously released solid sounding solo efforts between 1990 and 2005 (such as "Accident of Birth" and "Skunkworks") this record is well produced and incorporating some additional interesting instruments with a couple of highlighted faves, being 'Resurrection Men' and 'Eternity has Failed' ..
Thanks for this review! Agree 90%! I like this album and I’ve heard so strange reviews about it… I started to doubt whether I can listen or not.
You should have read the blabla though:
"Almost finally, I hope my fellow Maiden voyagers get a kick out of the record, because we all know retirement sucks!"
Hahahahaha
About Eternity has failed, that WAS written for this story back then, but since this project was on hold for a long time, Steve Harris persuaded Bruce to give it to Iron Maiden. Now finally we get the song as it was and how it is supposed to be.
Drums sound really good, I do miss a second guitar player to make a wider sound. I have the blue double vinyl, with a carton stencil, with the Mandrake logo. Pressing is wonderful. I like the very dark production. Going to see him on tour in the Netherlands.
Hope you review the new Obsessed and Morbid Saint albums.
New Obsessed is awesome. Haven't heard the latter.
Great production by Roy Z and a very good collaboration
A bit like the recent release by Saxon, I have so far only been able to locate digipak editions of Bruce´s new album. I did eventually find a jewel case release of Hell, Fire and Damnation, so I ordered it. If the same happens with The Mandrake Project, then I will certainly get that one, too. If not, then I don´t mind skipping it. Loyalty only goes so far at my age, even though I do have all of Bruce´s other solo releases. Great review by Pete, nice and detailed and with a good dose of personal opinion thrown in.
Im 5 or 6 full listens in and have already decided I like it a lot, probably up to a 4/5 now from just a 3 after 2 listens. Its a grower for sure, and I agree with one or two of Pete's criticisms, especially the slightly long running time - maybe 5 minutes or so could have been judiciously pruned here and there - and rhe over repetitive choruses on one or two songs are a bit annoying... Overall though, definitely a big thumbs up from me!
This album is a very solid 8/10 imo. Very creative and diverse stuff to be sure, Bruce is the man!
Heard this one is phenomenal, can never not love some Bruce...
Random thought I had this week as well, how about a return of the Dream Setlist, this time with "The Mighty" Van Halen. Same as always, any era, any songs, no real limit.
This idea came from watching Kiss Cobo Hall 1984 and Van Halen Montreal 1984 thinking about how badass a tour with those two that year would have been
The best Maiden album in years...
Thanks to Finnish customs office, I have listened to the album once. It's not the worst or the best from Bruce Bruce. I am a huge fan of this guy, thinking he's one of the best vocalists ever. While he's doing better on here than on latter IM albums (after the first listen!), I wonder if some of his vocals were recorded prior to his illness? I fell this is an amalgamation of his heavy metal albums and 'Balls to Picasso'.
I am not into Iron Maiden per se... But I totally dig BD as a hard singer which, along with Harris' bass, is why I have so.many IM/BD albums
Pete what size is the comic book because it looks pretty big. I was told the comic with the CD was only 7 inches but the one you have is bigger than that.
I love it.
Better then many of the latest Maiden ones.
Enjoying the music, but bought the "deluxe" edition, with the hardbound comic/booklet. Good luck getting the CD out. Tore mine and was really trying not to. Who in the world designs these things?
Me too , really like the music put the packaging uhhh ! I was lucky didn't rip mine but took me a good 10 minutes getting it out ended up turning it upside down and gently tapping it free.
I remember buying Chemical Wedding at the local mall and being so excited about it, I called a friend and played songs over the phone. Not feeling it so far. Though I haven't enjoyed the last few Iron Maiden albums. Will have to give it a few good listens, when I am in the right mood.
Does that 12x12 graphic novel come with some version of the vinyl LP? Mine didn’t have it.
No it's a separate entity completely that came out in comic shops a few weeks ago. I actually sent Pete that since I had an extra copy and so he could give it a review over on his comic book geezers channel. Amazon has an exclusive book version where you can read a preview of it as does the 45 single that came out a couple months ago. However, you can support your local comic shop by going and getting a copy if they carry it. The series is going to be twelve issues in total.
The first single, Afterglow Of Ragnarok and the deluxe CD of the album come with the introductory comic. There will be other episodes released.
@@jimmypage2843@adamski101 - Thanks for your replies - I appreciate it. I did get the Afterglow of Ragnarok single with the comic. Pete said something about “the accompanying” comic or graphic novel, so I wasn’t sure if there was a deluxe vinyl version with the book. I don’t think Pete is into vinyl, so I guess I should’ve known it was a standalone item. Thanks again, you guys. 🤘🏼
New albums from all of these within just a few months. Great times!
Bruce Dickinson
Blue Öyster Cult
Mark Knopfler
Judas Priest
Slash
Magnum
Shadow of the Gods is really amazing - a shining glory on the album!
Totally agree with the 3.5 rating Pete. I’ve been playing this over the past week and have enjoyed each listen a little more each time. I would personally rank this at this time as maybe 4th best, behind the obvious 3 others. It’s just great to hear new material from Bruce.
I've not liked the last 2 Maiden albums but love this one. I think as a whole it's a coherent and powerful album. Better than Tyranny of Souls but doesn't hit the heights of Accident of Birth or Chemical Wedding.
Thanks Pete!!
I’ve heard a lot of negativity about this album but after 1 listen there’s defenitely some good things there for me.
After 5 full listens through, I have to agree with most of what you've said. My favorite track is the last one though. I think the best solo on the album comes at the end of the album and I like the way they build the song to the launching point for that solo. Overall, I'm not as put off by it as I was initially but, it's not an album that will rival the classics on my rankings. Not the worst album Bruce has done and I have to applaud his adventuristic approach to this album. I hope he hasn't tapped the bottom of the well creatively. I'd really like Maiden to give us at least one more album. Senjutsu is still in my rotation and it would be a fine album to ride into the sunset on but, it would be great to have one more album from the gang. I'd love it if they got songs from everyone on the next one though. Maybe have each song be a collaborative effort. I'd really like to see Dave Murray put something together with Bruce again!
I enjoyed this album. Given that there's been a 20 year gap between his last solo album, this was worth the wait.
It's like a 6.8 imo. Good but i dont know if a few months from now ill put it on much.
Hey Pete, great objective review, I agree with all of your (and my) observations, there is a good variety of moods here, I prefer the heavy stuff, but Bruce is a versatile vocalist and he sounds great (still). I noticed in the writing credits the name "Ramirez" on several tracks, I assume that this is Roy Z's last name ?? or maybe he was inspired by the "Night Stalker" Richard Ramirez, 666, \m/ \m/ ; )
it's roy's real last name
Thanks, I guess Roy Z is "More hip"...@@independenceltd.
@@stanferraro4130 maybe he's related to richard and didn't want anyone to make the connection...🤔
It's possible. Have you ever noticed that you never see anyone with the last name Hitler, Manson, Mussolini, etc. ???@@independenceltd.
Just finished my first listen to the album and I'm seriously underwhelmed. That being said, I think it might have been impossible to live up to the expectations (hype/hope) considering the ramp up to release. My hopes were really high... and so far it just isn't cutting it for me. The lyrics seem very repetitive and at times rather uninspired. I felt the same about the 'Seventh Son..." Maiden release when it came out but that album did eventually grow on me. It just seemed like they were running out of steam and it wasn't too long before things in the Maiden camp kinda fell apart. I love Bruce and his solo works... so I'm hoping that after a few more listens The Mandrake Project starts to take root in my brain. In spite of my initial reaction... this is still better than most of the stuff that gets released these days. Thank you, Bruce, for being the legend that your are!
Cultusaurus Erectus T shirt is great. What a great BOC album…sooo underrated
i pretty much agree with this review. I was a bit underwhelmed because Bruce was working on this album for so long. It feels more like a collection of songs than an album. And this isn't helped by the fact that you already know one (great) song and another riff really sounds like an older one (Freak).
I have the 2 lp and in a while i will probably be returning to the first lp. 2nd lp not so much. I care least fot the last 3 songs. Don't think they're very good.
Second part of Shadow of the GODS crushes.
Agree. The heavy section is great. But it doesn't help that the track before is the weakest and the one after also misses the mark for me. Don't like his singing on that one.
Agree that the last 3 tunes are a slog.
Front loaded, I agree Pete. I really like Resurrection Men. Afterglow of Ragnarok is good too. A little patchy for me overall.
Good ears, Tolmie.
@@georgelamie7001 A complement I certainly appreciate from you George!
I dig this album. Much more immediate than "The Chemical Wedding" IMO. I think it gets stronger as the album goes on except for "Face in the Mirror,' which is probably the weakest track. I'd put it behind "Accident of Birth". 4/5
This one sure has a mixed bag of reviews.
@@tomp4053 the negative reviews are probably from the ppl who complain every time Maiden releases an album that it doesn't sound like 80s Maiden. 😅
@@tomp4053 A lot of the overly positive ones are from people rubber stamping their legacy artist favorites. The truth is in the middle
@@independenceltd.I'm definetely one of those people. But it's not just the 80's Maiden: they were good until Fear of The Dark. After that: the ultimate snoozefest 😴
@@tomp4053 not coincidentally, george's opinion on the album is somewhere 'in the middle".
The CD is not a sound track for the books? To bad, that would have been interesting.
Review blaze bayleys circle of stone, great video
I agree with your review. It's a solid album, overall, with some really strong tracks and a couple tracks that do nothing for me. My favorites are "Afterglow Of Ragnarok," "Rain On The Graves," "Eternity Has Failed" and "Mistress of Mercy." Other solid tracks that are starting to grow on me are "Many Doors To Hell," "Resurrection Men," and "Shadows Of The Gods." "Fingers In the Wounds" is starting to click with me also, but it's not quite there yet. Maybe after a few more listens. The 2 songs that do nothing for me are "Face In The Mirror" (worst song, IMO) and "Sonata (Immortal Beloved)." Both of those songs are just too boring and slow, with the latter being too long (10 minutes.) I agree that Bruce sounds great and Roy Z's guitars are great. I do think this album is much, much better than Maiden's last album Senjutsu and maybe a couple other post-reunion Maiden albums. Also the production on this album by Roy Z is much better than the last 4 Maiden studio albums that were produced by Kevin Shirley.
You know you get a honest review with Pete and he’s not being outlandish just to get clicks. Unlike a certain other individual (first name begins with Mar and ends with Tin) who loves to pack on the hyperbole just to be controversial like he did with this album and the new Priest album. ITS THE BEST ALBUM EVER!!!! You can’t take those reviews seriously because you know he’s being disingenuous about it.
Still, for this record, Martin is closer to reality than Pete. It's not better than CW and AOB but it's pretty damn close, it'S just different
Yup agree. Would place it third amoungst his solo collection but at the top of his true solo collection, aka without Adrian Smith.
I love the album.
I agree Pete, i like the first 7 songs if i'm honest Face in the mirror is where it starts to slip, Shadow of the gods i like it but the start is to similar to Face in the mirror so you end up getting 10 minutes of music all too similar before the song kicks in and Sonata is a good song but goes on to long overall though it get's a 7 out of 10 from me
Tyranny Of Souls was a bit of a comedown from Accident Of Birth and The Chemical Wedding, it sounded a bit 'phoned in' but hey it was still a good album. When Bruce announced The Mandrake Project my expectations were MASSIVE because his solo career has always been terrific. I'll admit that I was a little disappointed by the two singles Ragnarok and Graves but the album is growing on me. It may yet end up being my third favourite of his. The only track I could do without is Face In The Mirror. I wish Bruce had found something better to swap for this. At the moment I would rank this fourth behind Chemical, Accident and Skunkworks but it could rise...
A lot of hype surrounding this one
It's very good but it's not great
I enjoy it but I don't really see myself pulling it out and rocking it out frequently to be honest.
I'm glad I have it
But on a scale of 1 to 10 it's kind of right there about a 7.75 for me.
I know some people think it's one of the best things to come out in a long time that's okay everybody has the right to their opinion
Solid album i listened few times, i belive Maiden , and Bruce fans are happy.
P.S. Tomorrow Judas Priest gonna be epic !
I haven’t spent enough time with this album to say whether I really like it. I’ve been too busy enjoying the new Judas Priest album. Don’t hate it by any means, I just haven’t given it a good listen yet.
Still funny how opinions and feelings can be different. You don't seem to like Shadow of the Gods. For me, that's by far the best song on this record.
Yeah that song is a journey, Amazing songwriting.
I'm more than a tad underwhelmed by this one. Admittedly it'll probably take repeated listens for it to grow on me, but it's definitely not an album that's hitting me in all the right places straight out of the gate. There's a certain vitality and energy that both Bruce's and Maiden's earlier material had thats missing here, although not as painfully so as is the case with modern Maiden who IMO are something of a sinking tugboat at this point.That said, I'm still very grateful that we still have a legend like Bruce with us releasing new material in 2024. Respect! 3/5 for me.
Be patient, I had the same feeling and now can't stop listening to it.
I WISH THE LAST MAIDEN ALBUM ROCKED AS HARD AS BRUCE'S NEW ONE!
This is his 4th best record
I haven't listened yet I'm planning it to be my driving music on my long ass haul to see KK's Priest on Friday. I knew when I heard Martin Popoff say it was probably his favorite now that wouldn't be trustworthy at all. He's a good dude but sometimes I shake my head at his reviews and opinions. There's no way it's better than the Chemical Wedding (which is as good as any Maiden album) and probably is going to sit behind Accident of Birth and Tyranny of Souls as well. You can't beat Roy Z and Adrian Smith on TCW and AoB. No. Effing. Way. I'm guessing I'm probably going to feel the same way Pete does about it and a buddy of mine who gives it a similar review to Pete's.
It's not a bad album, but it's not really good either. Nothing to get excited about, that's for sure. The only track that I felt was actually good was "Eternity Has Failed", but no surprise there, since it is an Iron Maiden redo. Most of the other tracks were decent at best and a few were just bad. The vocals had a good sound, but the lyrics on most of the tracks just didn't flow well, like there wasn't much effort in the song writing.
Bruce Dickinson never dissapoints 🤘
Exact same opinion, those 4to5 mentioned songs are really good, but mote than half not nearly as good. Would have benefitted from 1 or 2 songs like Ragnarok
Great album..Accident of Birth
Chemical Wedding
The Madrake Project
Tyranny of Souls
Only listened to it once and mine came with Issue 0 and I have issue 1 too decent though
I was a bit underwhelmed by this album. It has good moments, but as I saw some people describing it, sounds like a collection of well produced demos. 3.5 out of 5 is fair.
Face in the Mirror is not doing it for me either, it's a low point on an otherwise great album
First track is fantastic. The rest is ok.
Waiting for my copy to roll in from my Laser's Edge order.
I have the feeling that Bruce Dickinson delivers better music on his own than in the Iron Maiden context.
But what I can't understand about this album is that in "Face in the Mirror" he often doesn't hit the right note and then just puts the number on the album like that. With those weird vocals! I mean we're talking about none other than Bruce Dickinson, the greatest metal singer of all time.
What the hell was good Bruce doing there? I sing in bands myself and you know when you hear the recording that your vocals were wrong.
Does Bruce no longer have a good ear, or what was going on? Simply incomprehensible ...
Ragnarok is a true anthem and a banger kickoff track. The rest of it is pretty hit and miss. If the whole album had the vibe of Ragnarok I'd be doing backflips. But it's certainly not bad the way it is.
I think that Album is a total grower. At First Listen i thought nah Kinda meh, it grown With every listen and now i think its Great. Interesting is, my Favorite Tracks are the ones i dont liked at fitst, rain on the graves and shadow of the gods. Interesting Album for sure, there are Not many Albums out there where i changed my mind that much on.
Same thing for me, I think the record is deeper than some people think
Certainly dividing opinions same with Maiden when they release new material.
One of the biggest Maiden and Bruce fans in the world, but being honest, I'm having a hard time with this one.