Back in 1980 I turned 17, and NWOBHM was everywhere: I was in my element. I grabbed Sounds when it came out every week to find out about new bands, and religiously listened to TV on the Radio on Friday nights to hear the latest and greatest. It was through these means that I came across Samson, and bought their third single, “Hard Times”. I was immediately taken by the vocals of Bruce Bruce and got ‘Head On’ as soon as it was released, soon to be one of my favourite albums. I was also a fan of Iron Maiden, but when I read that Bruce was going to be replacing Paul I was devastated as I felt two of my favourite bands were going to be worse off, but when I caught Bruce at one of his first gigs with Maiden on The Beast on the Road Tour, I knew it was going to be all good. In 1990 he released his debut solo album, which was a load of fun and I was at The Astoria to see him play with his band. Disappointed with Maiden he left to follow his solo career, releasing four more albums in the Nineties before heading back to the fold. Since then there has been just one solo album, 2005’s ‘Tyranny of Souls’, which was not one of his best, but now he has returned with ‘The Mandrake Project’.
Utilising mostly musicians he has worked with for years, including the maestro Roy Z, this is an incredibly diverse album which shows no sign at all of Dickinson slowing down or losing any of his stunning vocals. How he can keep singing with that range and power night after night, album after album, is seemingly impossible yet here is the proof. When Maiden released ‘The Book Of Souls’ I felt it was their best album since the Eighties, and I was not at all surprised that the resulting tour was a triumph (Iron Maiden know where NZ is, unlike many others). But ‘Senjutsu’ was a real disappointment for me, and I do wonder if part of that was Dickinson only having three co-writes (all with Adrian Smith). Compare that to this album where Dickinson wrote four of the songs on his own, and the other six with Roy Z. Was he keeping something back I wonder? (something Steve Hackett was accused of when he left Genesis I seem to recall).
There is real drama, light and shade, power and passion, all with his vocals front and centre. Now, Maiden fans will all rush out and buy this anyway, but to find out there is a song we all know from that band is just the icing on the cake. “Eternity Has Failed” is a new version of “If Eternity Should Fail”, which opened ‘The Book of Souls’, with a different arrangement and slightly different lyrics. Apparently, this was being kept back for Bruce’s album but when Steve heard it, he asked that Maiden do it, so does that mean Maiden covered Bruce’s song before Bruce recorded it himself, or is Bruce covering Maiden? Whichever way it is, I prefer this version as it is as if a gauze has been lifted from the sound as this is brighter, fuller, and way more symphonic. Having followed Bruce for more than 40 years, all I can say is he is singing and writing as well as ever, and I am glad he moved on from Samson after all. Essential. 9/10 Kev Rowland
