A few years have passed since the release of the last Iron Maiden album, Senjutsu. I was really hoping I’d grow to appreciate this album more with time, but this hasn’t been the case. If anything, it remains one of the weakest entries in the Maiden canon, which is a shame considering they’re one of my favorite bands of all time. In the same breath, I’ll always catch these legends when they come through town and will eagerly explore any new music with their name attached to it, especially when said new music happens to be frontman Bruce Dickinson’s first solo outing in nearly 20 years.
I’ve always had a place in my heart for Dickinson’s solo output: A place that, for whatever reason or another, has grown significantly larger with age. Accident of Birth (1997) and The Chemical Wedding (1998) are two of the finest traditional metal albums of the late ’90s, and I’d even go so far as to argue the hard rock tinged Skunkworks (1996) is a misunderstood masterpiece. Taking this reevaluation of the Air Raid Siren’s catalog into consideration, the announcement of his long awaited seventh studio album, The Mandrake Project, had me far more excited than the future prospects of yet another Steve Harris dominated, Kevin Shirley produced Maiden album.
Upon first listen, The Mandrake Project is a conceptual piece, not unlike Maiden’s output of late, albeit far more musically exciting. For better or worse, it runs the gamut of Dickinson’s musical influences, and we’ll be sure to examine both. The strongest moments of this album draw from the cryptic bombast of the aforementioned Accident and Chemical Wedding, particularly on grandiose cuts like “Afterglow of Ragnarok”, “Fingers in the Wounds”, and “Eternity Has Failed”, the latter of which would morph into Maiden’s “If Eternity Should Fail” off The Book of Souls (2016). Yes, Dickinson’s voice is starting to show some wear and tear, but he still sounds undeniably recognizable and impactful, his delivery never hindering the songs themselves.
The one-two punch of “Many Doors to Hell” and “Rain on the Graves” come as quite the curveballs, slightly recalling the hard rock leanings of Skunkworks, as well as, dare I say it, the arena metal pomp of Ghost. Perhaps this is due to the emphasis on melody and underlying retro keys which really fill out the sound, all rounded out by earworm choruses. It’s an unusual approach for a voice we’re used to hearing over full blown traditional metal suites, but works nevertheless. The half folk metal jam, half traditional doom dirge that is “Resurrection Men” takes the listener by surprise, as does the straightforward attack of “Mistress of Mercy”: A no frills headbanger that sounds closest to classic Maiden.
Unfortunately, The Mandrake Project loses its pacing at its tail end, falling victim to the Maiden over-ambitiousness syndrome. “Face in the Mirror”, “Shadow of the Gods”, and “Sonata (Immortal Beloved)” lie somewhere between sleepy balladry and run of the mill symphonic metal, with neither element doing much for me in the long run. That said, these last 20 minutes of dreariness aren’t enough to derail what is otherwise a truly great album. No, The Mandrake Project isn’t a masterpiece on par with past Dickinson affairs, but it is absolutely worth your attention and bound to be a heavy highlight of ’24. Forget Senjutsu. The Mandrake Project is “the one for you and me”.
8 out of 10
Label: BMG
Genre: Heavy Metal
For fans of: Iron Maiden, Halford, Dio