Some fans were surprised when Bruce Dickinson announced that The Mandrake Project, due out on March 1st next year, would be more than just a solo record.
In addition to the musical part, the work is accompanied by a graphic novel, the preview of which has already been published together with the first single “Afterglow of Ragnarok”. The 12chapter story was written by Tony Lee and illustrated by Stan Johnson. The publisher Z2 Comics is responsible for the promotion.
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During an interview at CCXP23, accompanied by IgorMiranda.com.br, the Iron Maiden singer emphasized that comics and music are “things that go together, just like video games.” He also revealed that the idea of working with comics came naturally and because of his original band.
“Years ago, Iron Maiden did some single covers (presumably they mentioned the singles from ‘The Final Frontier,’ their 2010 album). I thought, ‘Why not make a comic like the ones I read as a kid?'”
It was Bruce’s opportunity to talk about his favorite childhood heroes.
“I was a big fan of Silver Surfer and Torch. As a child I wanted to be the Human Torch: he always had a gun and set everything on fire.”
Dickinson continued with the relationship between the new venture and her main work, emphasizing:
“When I suggested doing comic book covers, we did some covers for Iron Maiden. It was very cool. Maiden then released a video game called Legacy of the Beast. And someone produced a series of comics about the game. I thought it was visually fantastic, but it lacked a story. So I thought, “What if an album had a comic attached to it?” But that was disconnecting. In 2014 there would be a comic alongside the album and that was it. But then other things happened, Covid came, seven years passed. I had a 12episode comic, but I didn’t want to limit the album to that. These two things exist separately, but they “inform” each other, they are related.”
Bruce Dickinson and The Mandrake Project
Most of the recording for “The Mandrake Project” took place at the Doom Room Studio in Los Angeles, USA. The production was handled by Roy Z, the singer’s longtime partner, who also recorded guitars and bass the latter will be taken over by Tanya O’Callaghan (Whitesnake) on the tour. Mistheria recorded keyboards and Dave Moreno (Puddle of Mudd) recorded drums. The two had already worked on Bruce’s most recent solo album “Tyranny of Souls” (2005).
Among the tracks, the sixth one titled “Eternity Has Failed” might catch the attention of fans. It is a remastered version of “If Eternity Should Fail”, which is included in Iron Maiden’s “The Book of Souls” (2015). The original demo, still with the previous name, was included in the Afterglow of Ragnarok compact version.
Just like The Chemical Wedding (1998), Dickinson’s famous work, The Mandrake Project will contain allusions to the work of writer and alchemist William Blake. According to the official press release, the theme will be “dark and adult, about power, abuse and a struggle for identity, in a brilliant setting of science and the occult.”
Shows in Brazil
To promote the work, Bruce Dickinson will undertake a tour, his first since 2002. In addition to Latin America, engagements in Europe have also been confirmed. The dates for Brazil are as follows:
- April 24th in Curitiba, at Live Curitiba;
- April 25th at Pepsi On Stage in Porto Alegre;
- April 27 at the Opera House in Brasília;
- April 28 at Arena Hall in Belo Horizonte;
- April 30th in Rio de Janeiro, at Qualistage;
- May 2nd at Quinta Linda in Ribeirão Preto;
- and on May 4th in São Paulo, at Vibra São Paulo.
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