Bruce Dickinson

His has been a rich and fascinating career, and while fronting one of the greatest bands of all time would content most people, anyone looking more closely will know that his storied musical life has also included a body of work which falls outside the bounds of Iron Maiden, and like some mythical creature of Lovecraftian design it has once again emerged from the aether.

The Mandrake Project, 2024’s long-awaited follow-up to 2005’s Tyranny of Souls was not without its omens. 1990 solo debut Tattooed Millionaire was a bold statement of intent, but it was his sophomore release, 1994’s Balls to Picasso which introduced his longtime collaborator, guitarist Roy Z. This would form the cornerstone of a celebrated solo recording career which has included six albums, ten singles and two live albums, as well as an official soundtrack – Scream For Me Sarajevo – taken from the 2017 film documentary of the same name which chronicled the time he braved a war zone to play a covert gig for his adoring fans.

And it was with that same sense of adventure and fearless defiance of expectation that he introduced The Mandrake Project, his seventh studio release which is equal parts comic book series, modern metal album, and physical manifestation of an imagination fuelled by the mysticism and dark depictions of Alan Moore, William Blake and Aleister Crowley among others.

Spearheaded by the cinematic swagger of the album’s first single, “Afterglow of Ragnarok,” the songwriting process for The Mandrake Project continued after 2005’s Tyranny of Souls up to more recent years, a time scale which explained the inclusion of ‘Eternity Has Failed’ a reworking of the song, “If Eternity Should Fail,” which was originally released on Iron Maiden’s 2015’s album The Book of Souls.

“When we did ‘If Eternity Should Fail’, Steve (Harris) heard it and said ‘it should be a bit longer’ and I said, ‘really?’ So I added a verse to make it longer, but the original idea was to make it a bit more like Ennio Morricone. The final version on my album had Sergio Cuadros add some atmospheric woodwinds to it which kind of completes the circle.”

Recorded at LA’s Doom Room with Roy Z pulling double duty as producer and guitarist/ bassist, the line-up for The Mandrake Project was rounded out by returning Tyranny of Souls personnel, keyboard maestro Mistheria and drummer Dave Moreno. Coupled with a burning desire to interweave storytelling and music-making together, The Mandrake Project is a world of Dickinson’s own creation, an expression of the eclecticism and peerless curiosity of an official artist in his prime

Upon its release, The Mandrake Project, became a global smash hit with major chart success in North America, the UK, Europe including a #1 in the German countdown, and beyond. In the first week of sales in the U.S, The Mandrake Project, entered the Billboard 200 and was Bruce Dickinson’s highest charting solo album, debuting at No. 5 on both the Top 200 Album Sales and Current Album Sales charts. It was also No. 1 on both the Current Rock Album Sales and Current Hard Rock Album Sales charts. In Canada the album debuted at No. 1 on the Top Canadian Album Sales, Top Current Album Sales and Hard Music Album Sales charts concurrently.

Additionally, the ten-track collection received swathes of critical acclaim, with rave reviews running around the world. And with the ever-growing interest in Dickinson’s solo career, it’s no surprise that the recent 2025 release of “MORE Balls To Picasso”, the reimagined version of Dickinson’s original 1994 album “Balls To Picasso, has also been met with rapturous applause from fans and critics alike.

Now, on the heels of both that release and Iron Maiden’s highly acclaimed and successful ‘Run For Your Lives’ European tour, on August 22, Bruce Dickinson kicked off his first extensive North American solo tour in almost 30 years in support of The Mandrake Project.

For “The Mandrake Project Live 2025” North American Tour, Dickinson reunites his 2024 European touring line up featuring Philip Naslund and Chris DeClercq on guitars, Dave Moreno on drums, Mistheria on keyboards and Tanya O’Callaghan on bass and takes the band across North America including shows in New York, Los Angeles, Texas, Florida and Canada, with festival appearances at “Rocklahoma” (OK) and “Louder Than Life” (KY) & “Aftershock” (CA). The tour also includes a quick return to Brazil for the prestigious “The Town” Festival at the City of Light, Sao Paulo.