Bruce Dickinson, always surprising with his multi-talents, and this time was no different. His new studio album, The Mandrake Project, released last Friday, March 1st, 2024, required trained ears to pick up on the various references to albums from the past. But he himself has already announced the influence of his last two albums: Tyranny Of Souls (2005) and The Chemical Wedding (1998).
In an interview with the YouTube channel EMP , the musician defined the new album as follows: “If I were to compare and situate The Mandrake Project with the rest of my solo career, I would say it’s a peculiar child, resulting from a mix of Tyranny Of Souls and The Chemical Wedding . And the future result of this would be a kind of strange offspring that would climb a cliff, make a kind of mix of western guitars and heavy metal in a ceremony to resurrect William Blake from the dead. So, that explains how strange it will be.”
By flirting with the English poet, illustrator, and visionary William Blake in The Chemical Wedding, Bruce opened his own "Pandora's box" to many other projects, including his latest work, which went deeper, revealing symbols and meanings of occultism and mysticism that, although it may seem diabolical, contain many messages of hope after the so-called end of the world as we live it; it's only a matter of perspective.
The Mandrake Project and its tracks
Speaking of the end of the world, the opening track of the album "Afterglow Of Ragnarok" is very well executed, with a futuristic feel and striking guitar riffs, but according to the singer himself, it's not meant to be associated with Vikings, although it makes perfect sense to most people. In this regard, he released the first music video for the song with a tone focused on mysticism, magicians, and symbols from the hermetic museum. In other words, it's not actually about the end of the world, but rather the beginning of a new one.
The second song, "Many Doors to Hell," delivers a powerful hard rock sound with lighter lyrics that address "vampirism" but are completely connected to the album's overall theme of death and rebirth. This would be the most appealing track for a general audience.
Next up is the peculiar “Rain Of The Graves,” whose music video was recently released, with several mentions of Blake and, I would venture to say, a bit of Aleister Crowley in a kind of pact with the devil, or a crossroads. The song is very rich in sound and effects reminiscent of old horror films, even the sound of a raven, which strongly evokes the famous poem by Edgar Allan Poe . And it's very clear that the song also has a great chorus, one of those that gets stuck in your head and undoubtedly deserved a single release. Also noteworthy are the band members Dave Moreno , Mistheria , Tanya O'Callaghan , and Roy-Z , who will be replaced on tour by Chris Declercq , along with Swedish guitarist, composer, and producer Philip Naslund .
"Resurrection Men" is a song reminiscent of progressive heavy metal , and also recalls the songs from the album Accident Of Birth, and addresses the characters from the story Dr. Necropolis and Professor Lazarus, because according to the vocalist, "they are important as they control the technology that will resurrect people from the dead."
The songs “Finger in the Wounds” and “Eternity Has Failed” are critiques of the current landscape of digital influencers and false prophets, which, according to the artist, complement the content of his comic book of the same name. They are good songs, but nothing particularly new.
It's worth highlighting "Shadow Of The Gods," a ballad similar to others the singer usually makes, which tells the story of two cosmic souls, two star-lovers who cross eternity trying to find each other, and which ultimately leaves the hope that they will meet in this new future to come. Dickinson explained the song as if it were a cosmic Romeo and Juliet story by William Shakespeare , but the theme is quite alchemical.
In his own words, according to an interview with Songfacts.com when composing for his projects: “I can afford to be more eccentric, because certainly a song like the last track 'Sonata' is really moving and emotional. When composing with Iron Maiden , a track like that doesn't fit the band's style.”
Taking advantage of the opportunity, the last track on the album, "Sonata," is very reminiscent of the arrangements and, in some parts, the melody of the second track, "Chemical Wedding," from the album of the same name.
And the story behind "Sonata (Immortal Beloved)" is certainly exciting. The film Immortal Beloved (1994), which inspired the music, deals with an unrequited passion that the composer Beethoven had for a mysterious woman, believed to be his sister-in-law, which is only discovered at the end of the film when the contents of a letter he left before dying are revealed, and which, it is said, was never read by his beloved.
Bruce Dickinson and the relationship between the comic book and the songs of The Mandrake Project.
Regarding the matter, he even stated that the two projects, the songs, and the story complement each other on a different level, citing as an example two trees in a forest, side by side, with nothing apparent uniting them, but their roots are intertwined.
The curious thing is that on the coin that illustrates the album cover, one can see a tree with roots that transform into human beings on opposite sides of a kind of tree. Reading William Blake's work makes everything clearer, and the album has too much semiotics to be discussed in just one review.
For those not so fond of Bruce's solo career, the work still surprises with its techniques and especially with its songs full of stories and inspirations. The album is a denser heavy metal, with strong lyrics and riffs; it's truly telling a fantastic story, one that seemed interrupted after Tyranny Of Souls and his return to Iron Maiden, and is now being resumed with full force!
In the words of the master: " The Mandrake Project and the comic book episodes can be defined as puzzles, for you to have fun putting together."
making-of video for The Mandrake Project on the artist's YouTube channel .
